The perplexing theft of the jewel in the crown

Library	Call Number	Status
Searching... Hardwood Creek Library (Forest Lake)	MYSTERY KHA	Searching... Unknown
Searching... R.H. Stafford Library (Woodbury)	MYSTERY KHA	Searching... Unknown
Searching... R.H. Stafford Library (Woodbury)	MYSTERY KHA	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Stillwater Public Library	MYSTERY KHA	Searching... Unknown

Summary

In the second instalment of a charming mystery series, a Mumbai-based investigator and his elephant partner are on the hunt for the Queen of England's stolen Crown Jewels.

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.

Author Notes

Vaseem Khan first saw an elephant lumbering down the middle of the road in 1997 when he arrived in India to work as a consultant. It was the most unusual thing he'd ever encountered and served as the inspiration behind his series of crime novels.

He returned to the UK in 2006 and now works at University College London for the Department of Security and Crime Science where he is astonished daily by the way modern science is being employed to tackle crime.

Reviews (2)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Khan's winning second Baby Ganesh Agency mystery (after 2015's The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra) smoothly combines an affable lead, a seemingly impossible crime, and an endearing and highly unusual sidekick-a baby elephant named Ganesha-who's adept at surveillance. While PI Ashwin Chopra, a retired police inspector in Mumbai, India, and his wife are attending an exhibit of the British Crown Jewels at the Prince of Wales Museum, smoke fills the room, Chopra faints, and the crown of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, is gone by the time he regains consciousness. The jewel in that crown is a legendary diamond, the Koh-i-Noor, which many Indians believe the British stole from their country in the 19th century. When the corrupt police arrest Insp. Shekhar Garewal, a former colleague of Chopra's who was in charge of the exhibit's security, Garewal beseeches the detective for help. Fans of Alexander McCall Smith will find a lot to like. (Aug.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Booklist Review

*Starred Review* The second in the Baby Ganesh Agency series, following last year's The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra, is every bit as captivating as its predecessor. The reason has much to do with Khan's ability to craft such quirky, three-dimensional characters and the fact that he places them in such believable difficulties amid the rich stew of Mumbai. In the first Baby Ganesh novel, Inspector Ashwin Chopra is close to despair after heart problems have caused his dismissal from the Mumbai Police. An uncle dies, leaving a very thin, sad one-year-old elephant to the care of a bewildered Chopra. The elephant, Baby Ganesh, turns out to be a pure gift, getting Chopra involved in the world again. A year later, when this book opens, Ganesh helps Chopra with surveillance for Chopra's fledgling detective agency. A huge case falls into Chopra's lap after a heist from a selection from the British Crown Jewels displayed in Mumbai's Prince of Wales Museum. The most spectacular and (legend has it) the most cursed jewel in the exhibit, the Koh-i-Noor diamond, is stolen in a daring daylight raid. The head of the security detail, scapegoated for the crime, begs Chopra to investigate. Khan varies the tempo throughout, mixing fast-paced, plot-driven segments with satisfyingly meditative segments describing Chopra's emotions, or the habits of elephants, or the wrenching poverty of Mumbai. Fans of Tarquin Hall's Vish Puri will rejoice, but so should all mystery lovers.--Fletcher, Connie Copyright 2016 Booklist

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Reviews (2)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Booklist Review

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