Inspector Ghote's Good Crusade

Ganesh Ghote's tribulations!

I'm becoming increasingly fond of Southern Asian detective novels. This Inspector Ganesh Ghote novel, first published in 1966, is set in Bombay (now Mumbai) and despite the dated outlook still has arresting appeal.
An American philanthropist has been murdered and Ghote of the Bombay C.I.D., must find the culprit whilst struggling with his desire to charge his bete noir, criminal Amrit Singh.
Throughout Ghote is challenged by the idea of care and charity, with understanding the street wise boys who are part of the Frank Masters Foundation for the Care of Juvenile Vagrants, and with the pressure from above to reach a conclusion even if it means framing a lesser employee or Amrit.
His home life, his relationship show more with his wife Protima, comes under scrutiny and we start to see a fuller exposition about who Ghote is. The consideration of the refrigerator becomes a subtle, yet telling anecdote about the man Ghote is.
I found the way Ghote worked the case through despite the many problems that are placed in his path fascinating.

A Severn House ARC via NetGalley show less

"Inspector Ghote's Good Crusade" includes some engaging characters and twists in plot that will leave readers guessing. Who is lying and who is the real killer? Ghote investigates the murder of a high-profile American philanthropist in this slow-moving tale. It combines a cozy mystery read with aspects of police procedurals. Ghote reminded me of other bumbling detectives such as Columbo, as he ultimately gets to the root of the problem. The novel is emblematic of the time in which it was written. While I did not really feel engaged with the characters or story line, it was a humorous and atmospheric read.

I received this novel from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

The re-issuing of Keating's Inspector Ghote series finds the reader being drawn into Ghote's world of 1960s and 1970s India. For those with a penchant for classic crime set outside of the UK or USA, these are well worth re-discovering. I managed to pick up two books in the series, though it was a pity I could not find more, especially the earlier ones.

The re-issuing of Keating's Inspector Ghote series finds the reader being drawn into Ghote's world of 1960s and 1970s India. For those with a penchant for classic crime set outside of the UK or USA, these are well worth re-discovering. I managed to pick up two books in the series, though it was a pity I could not find more, especially the earlier ones.

See also "Melisende's Library"

Frank Masters, an American millionaire and philanthropist has been killed by arsenical poisoning at his Masters Foundation. Inspector Ghote is put in charge of the investigation.
Unfortunately the story really didn't engage my attention. The characters nor the story were that interesting
A NetGalley Book