The Perplexing Theft of the Jewel in the Crown
Ratings1
Average rating5
15
Ratings1
Average rating5
For centuries, the Koh-i-Noor diamond has set man against man and king against king. Now part of the British Crown Jewels, the priceless gem is a prize that many have killed to possess. So when the Crown Jewels go on display in Mumbai, security is everyone's principal concern. And yet, on the very day Inspector Chopra visits the exhibition, the diamond is stolen from under his nose. The heist was daring and seemingly impossible. The hunt is on for the culprits. But it soon becomes clear that only one man -- and his elephant -- can possibly crack this case. . . Featuring the most charming crime-solving duo ever to grace the pages of a book, the Baby Ganesh Detective Agency series is a must-read for fans of Alexander McCall Smith.
Reviews with the most likes.
I am really quite fond of these :-)
I love the little, very special, elephant and his relationships with his people
I love the fact that Poppy and Chopra have basically adopted Irfan, while respecting his autonomy.
I love how Chopra is always decent, righteous and good, even when the situation would be easier to handle if he was not.
I love how Ganesha has a “hero contract”, as my husband calls it. He gets into trouble, but survives.
To me these mysteries are new, and exciting. Might not be that to all, but I don't care. :-D
Oof. I don't think I can continue with this series. I keep hoping it's going to settle into cozy mystery, but the author, as much as they present heart-warming and earnest moments, also provides a great foil of human misery and corruption. While I get building tension and can go with the melodramatic flow most of the time, I had to skim the third of the book between a kid being handed back to his abuser and getting him out of there, I just can't.
The struggle between the word of the law when law enforcement is biased/corrupt, and personal ethics attempting to adhere to procedure is a fascinating area to explore, but not when there's a kid involved and I'm not getting updates about his condition, just people debating/defending their options and other people freaking out.
Then there's the mildly regressive female stereotypes, and the ‘let's seriously consider whether the remaining ties with Britain after colonial rule are important, think about ‘our shared history' with India' - partly it was examining and critiquing, but partly it seemed to be ‘aw, shucks, I can't stay mad at you', which is...a weird take.
Chopra is a character I like, but I feel like I want to read him in someone else's books. 🤷🏼♂️
