i really enjoyed reading this book, the characters were great and I really enjoyed going on this story. I'd be interested in reading more from this series.

Indian detectives always intrigue me and this is precisely the reason why I picked up this book on Netgalley. 

It was surprising for me to know that Partho was not only a detective but also a scientist with numerous patents and had a very unconventional way of looking at things. He also had a philosophical bent of mind that come out as gems of quotes that come out of him. I just loved them

This story is written in the POV of Dev his friend and a co investigator ....akin to Watson was to Sherlock Holmes. Ria is Partho's wife and Dev's sister. Dev, Partho and Ria are on a trip to the United States where Partho has a presentation in one of the scientific conferences and Ria wanted to make this a family vacation. So thats how the story starts but then, apparently wherever Partho goes, he gets sucked into a mystery and so it happens this time too. This mystery takes them on a 7 day bus tour. 

I mentioned a few things earlier that I liked in the story. Along with those I liked the  leisurely approach to the whole mystery but that also in some places irked me. The plot of the story was interesting. 

The things I didnt like only due to a few personal preferences were the POV ...I somehow just couldnt wrap my head around the fact that story was being narrated by Dev. I had to keep reminding myself about that. I couldnt get adjusted till the end. I would love to read one story in Partho's POV or a narrator POV. Although the pace seemed okay in the start, I was missing the pacy aspects of mysteries. There were too many characters for m to remember and  would have to go back to see who it was and the context. 

Having said these, I would recommend this book to all the mystery lovers who like Indian characters as detectives, who love to see a multifaceted inventor investigator and also who love the slow gradual narration of the story. 

I thank Netgalley, the author and publisher for approving my request to review this book. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.

After reading the blurb I was expecting a modern, Indian version of Sherlock Holmes, but I was disappointed. The use of impossible technology does not make a Sherlock, and the book has a naive and messy plot. The characters are good, and the book is readable, it's just not very good.

This is the second outing for Rajib Mukerjee’s quirky, titular Indian sleuth Partho.  Whilst on vacation in America, Partho and his family become embroiled in a mystery surrounding a fossil fuel company where not everything is what it seems and not everyone is whom they appear to be..

What sets this story apart from the run of the mill detective story is the fact that Partho is a highly intelligent individual who also has a penchant for gadgets. However, he is also flawed and ends up in a number of scrapes in this story.

It was a realtively short read at just around 150 pages as it is told through the eyes of Patho’s friend Dev had echoes of Sherlock Holmes.  There are an impressive number of characters and a strong punchy narrative contained in the pages. It was an enjoyable read and the unravelling of who is actually responsible for the unfortunate series of events at the end was a satisfying finale. I hope that I never have to experience a holiday like this!

Would I read something else by this author? Possibly

Would I recommend this to friends and family? Possibly.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARD in return for a fair review.