Inspector Ghote Breaks an Egg

I wanted very much to like this book. First, it is a mystery, which is one of my favorite genres. Second, it is set in India, with all Indian characters, and anyone who knows me even a little knows how much I love India. In spite of all this, I couldn't finish the book. It was just too painful to go through a plot where the caste structure, social customs, and religion don't allow for the questioning of authority, or for defense of one's dignity when it's insulted by someone of a higher position/caste. It's also a really boring read, knowing that the characters will never "step out of bounds". You just want to grab all the characters and clunk their heads together while yelling, "Oh my god please become interesting!"

This was my first show more Inspector Ghote book, and my problems with it are probably universal to the other books with this character. If you have liked other Inspector Ghote books, you'll probably like this one. show less

You know you are in for an interesting ride when one of the first sentences of the book reads like this, "From the moment that he had been landed with the business only the afternoon before he had raged at the lack of anything he could get his teeth into, and now that the chance was near he was going to let nothing delay him" (p 1). In a word, delicious.
It has been fifteen years since the wife of a prominent local official unexpectedly passed away. At the time, it was ruled an accident, the ingestion of bad lime pickles or something. But, suspicions have arisen about her death and Inspector Ghote is ordered to look into it a bit more closely. Only, no one wants him there. Even the local Swami is fasting until Ghote leaves town. This is show more a comedy in every sense of the word. Ghote arrives in town under the guise of a salesman of a new chicken feed product. He carries a carton of eggs on the back of his bicycle to "assist" with his disguise. Problem is, no one is buying it and Ghote doesn't stick to his story all that well. Ghote comes across as a bumbling idiot at times, believing everything a suspect says, confronting the wrong witness, always one step behind his quarry. A whole lot of nothing seems to happen. Until it does. His life is threatened. He can't trust anyone, including the people who hired him because no one is who they seem to be. show less

Inspector Ghote is sent to a small town to investigate a murder committed 15 years ago. And unnamed Eminent Person has told him who did it - the husband of the deceased, currently the top official in town. He controls everything. He even has a fasting swami on his side, calling for Ghote to leave. But Ghote is determined - he is a police officer, and he's not going anywhere.

In the 6th of this series, the Inspector is trying to prove that the most powerful man in a country town murdered his wife 15 years previously. In the course of the book, he has to overcome rioters, hidden witnesses, murderous goondas, a fasting swami, and more. His persistence and passion for his job carries him through.