The Perplexing Theft of the Jewel in the Crown

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. 🤷🏼‍♂️