Thanks NetGalley for approving me for this ARC. A easy good read, kept my attention throughout and enjoyed.

Translator-detective Vijay is tasked by powerful crime boss Khun Pleum to locate the writer who’s written a thinly veiled novel/attack on the man. Then the gangster’s wife wants Vijay to determine if Pleum is cheating on her. Finally, a woman comes to him, asking Vijay to locate a missing man. If Vijay’s finances weren’t so tight, he might have considered saying no, but…

Vijay's assistant Doi is not impressed that Vijay is trying to fulfil three different clients simultaneously. Unbeknownst to her, Vijjay owes a sizable amount of money to a local loanshark -- Vijay's business has never been all that profitable, and when it came to either letting Doi go for lack of cash, or taking out a loan and keeping his business afloat, the decision wasn't hard.

Vijay find and ingratiates himself with the writer and his girlfriend, convincing them that he is the translator for them to launch the writer into the international market with this character assassination novel.

The gangster's wife is adamant that Vijay must determine who Pleum is seeing after their many years of marriage and work together to build up Pleum's lucrative business and political contacts.

Vijay begins attempting to find former acquaintances of the missing man, discovering the man was conning numerous people, any one of whom might have had him eliminated.

Vijay's cases all seem fairly low key, and he makes surprising progress on all of them, though there are surprising consequences, and the potential for violence always looming in the background.

Vijay has a laid back style; he’s likeable, and comes across as capable. He also has a tendency to run his mouth at inopportune moments, angering dangerous people. At the same time, he's smart, has a way with people, allowing him to easily allay fears or concerns while finding facts.

This novel has a somewhat slow pace, and I wasn't always sure how a conversation or situation related to one of his ongoing cases, but I liked the way author Mithrun Somasundrum began weaving moments together into a cohesive case(s), which, though unlikely in the number of coincidences coming together, made for an enjoyable book. I would not mind following Vijay on another rambling investigation.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Joffe Books for this ARC in exchange for my review.

This was an interesting mystery. It was less cozy than I thought it would be, but not in a bad way. I felt like the story took a while to really get started and meandered a bit, but the resolution of the mystery was very satisfying. I would give this a 3.5/3.75 stars.

Without giving too much away I found this to be a fast paced, absorbing and compelling read. The story flowed really well, there were lots of plot twists to keep my attention. The further I read with this book, the better it got and I enjoyed it more. I think the author has set the bar high here. Will look forward to the next book and hope it is as good as this one. Overall 4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I loved this from the get-go! A mystery set in the exotic city of Bangkok, Thailand, finds translator-cum-detective Vijay Misty searching for the murderer of a publisher who has published a ‘tell-all’ book about a local businessman, Kheun Pluem. It’s not directly about him, per se, using a pseudonym for the main character, but the information within is only something someone very close to him would know. Obviously, he wants this information and he hires Vijay to find it. Bundit, the hapless, conman publisher, disappears in the meantime, and it’s up to Vijay to discover who killed him and who is behind the book.

On top of this, he is trying to stay one step ahead of a money lender he borrowed money from, keep his business(es) going, and make sure he doesn’t make a misstep while he’s searching for answers for Kheun Pleum, who is a very dangerous man, and has some loyal folks keeping an eye on things for him.

If you’re looking for an excellent read, terrific characters and a well write mystery, then you will love this. Bangkok is beautifully drawn in this - the traffic, the heat, the food, the people, the corruption and the adjustments a foreigner needs to make in the face of it all. Recommended! I certainly hope this is the start of a new series, as it’s one I’ll definitely be following.

A translator/private investigator is on the case with murder, lying clients and scams to contend with and lots of twists and turns on the way, in an unusual setting. This was an intriguing read where I could imagine/put my self in each scene/setting . I really enjoyed this book even though I saw one of the twists coming a mile away , I certainly didn't see the big twists coming. I would definitely recommend.

More twists and turns that I could ever have expected. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.

I left my comfort zone to read this book, and I'm heartily glad I did, since I've found a new author and a new genre.

'The Case Of The Vanishing Conman' is well written. The author has one of those easy going writing styles that is easy to get used to and easy to get along with. I must admit that at times I had a bit of difficulty in pronouncing the place names in the story but I soon got over that. The author certainly knows how to grab the reader's attention and drawn them into what proves to be an interesting read and then some. I love the very realistic and vivid way in which the author describes where the story is set. If I was to close my eyes, it would be easy to imagine that I was there with Vijay and the others. I love the way in which the author makes the reader feel as though they are part of the story and at the heart of the action.

In short I really enjoyed reading 'The Case Of The Vanishing Conman' and I would recommend it to other readers. I will certainly be reading more of Mithran's work in the future.

A new to me author and a book set in a unusual setting: I loved this book which is full of twists and highly entertaining.
The author delivers and is an excellent storyteller.
A well plotted and gripping story, highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

Chaos, Conundrums,Calamities…
Twists, turns and mayhem aplenty in this engaging whodunit with a nicely drawn cast of characters and a colourful and well crafted setting. The reader meets Vijay, a translator turned detective, ready to take on new clients- whatever they may be. New clients and new cases intertwine creating chaos, conundrums and calamities. An entertaining yet frenetic read and perhaps the start of a promising new series.

I just couldn't get into the story. There were enough words that I didn't know and couldn't get a translation for that I just lost interest.

Vijay Mistry, owner of Translation-Detective agency in Bangkok, along with his assistant Doi, is having a hard time with business being slow and he owes money to a loan shark. Along comes Khun Pleum, one of the most feared criminals, who hires Vijay to find out who shot at a writer who wrote a book about Pleum, because he didn't do it. To get more information he goes to the publisher and the author, meanwhile Pleum's wife hires Vijay to find out who her husband's mistress is. While trying to navigate the requests, an attractive woman hires him to find a conman. When a murder occurs, Vijay begins to see that all the cases are related and hopes to find answers before he becomes a victim.
An enjoyable mystery set in an exotic locale that moves along at a brisk pace.
Thank you NetGalley and Joffe Books for this e-galley of "The Case of the Vanishing Conman".

thank you to the publisher and netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review

who do you trust in a city where the police are in everyones pocket? a great read, I can not wait to read more by this upcoming author.

This was a very cleverly written novel. Plots within plots, so many twists and turns you are almost left gasping for breath.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and can't wait to see what else this talented writer can produce.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Joffe Books for an advance copy of The Case of the Vanishing Conman, a comedy thriller featuring Translator-Detective Vijay Mistry set in Bangkok.

When a true crime writer, who has recently published a thinly veiled exposé of crime boss Khun Pleum, is shot in the leg, Pleum hires Vijay to prove his innocence, something no one believes. Then Pleum’s wife reads the book and discovers he has a mistress, so she also hires Vijay. He needs the money and accepts both jobs, but soon finds himself in deep water when the book’s publisher is shot dead.

The Case of the Vanishing Conman is a mixed bag of good and not so good. On the upside it is told entirely from Vijay’s point of view, so the reader can concentrate on his narrative and investigate alongside him. On the downside I didn’t find it funny. I can appreciate the absurdity of the situations he finds himself in, but they didn’t tickle my funny bone.

The basis of the novel is a big time gangster asking a very small time detective to investigate a shooting he should be able to brush off. Instead of asking why him, Vijay accepts the money and dives right in. He does the same with two other cases that suddenly come to him. The problem is that Vijay is a dreamer with big plans and no concept of his own ineptitude, although, somehow, he seems to arrive at the truth. Making fun a a well meaning man felt uncomfortable to me, even if he manages to win through.

The novel follows Vijay on his investigation as he tries to solve his three cases. The answers come quickly in one case, both to Vijay and the reader as it is easily guessable, he subcontracts the second and gets heavily involved in the third, all while fending off a loan shark and his henchman. There is plenty going on, but I never felt that spark that makes me want to turn the pages quickly. It feels flat and a bit confusing at times, although I feel that the author deserves praise for the unexpected ending.

I like the setting for the novel. Bangkok is exotic to me, but the author doesn’t shy away from either the seedier aspects, like corruption, or the poverty and provides a comprehensive picture of an imperfect location.

The Case of the Vanishing Conman didn’t really appeal to me, but it is a solid read that will be appreciated by many others.

Well, that was a wild ride....

Investigator Vijay must discover who shot novelist Montri, keep his gangster client happy while investigating said client, and figure out where conman Bundit has disappeared to. That's a lot. Not to mention keeping out of the clutches of the loan shark he is in debt to and hiding most of this activity from his assistant Doi.

Watching Vijay juggle three cases was nerve-wracking to say the least. But also exciting, thrilling and lots of fun. This book had me laughing out loud, arguing with Vijay, running scared and wracking my brains to figure out the solution. I'm never very good at that, so I can't tell if it's possible to do so from the information in the book, but quite a bit of the time I was one step ahead of Vijay, which was quite satisfying.

In case you couldn't tell, I really enjoyed this book. I saw one of the twists coming a mile away, but that didn't spoil my enjoyment, and I certainly didn't see the big twists coming. I felt that the ending was a bit abrupt, but everything had been explained, so again it didn't spoil my enjoyment of the book. I also liked the setting of Bangkok, which was described very vividly.

In conclusion, this was a really fun mystery. Is it the start of a new series? I certainly hope so!

Many thanks to the publishers, Joffe Books, and Netgalley for kindly providing me with an advance release copy. All opinions are my own.

Set in Bangkok, Vijay is a translator and sometimes a detective. In his capacity as a detective, he is asked by Khun Pleum, a notorious business man with a shady past, to investigate a shooting involving an author who has recently written a scathing attack on Pleum. As Vijay takes on more clients he finds his investigations all starting to link up.
I really enjoyed the style of writing. Vijay came across as a likeable character and the narrative is light and humorous. There were plenty of twists and surprises in the story but I did find the plot rather confusing. The ending in particular seemed to be rather sudden and left me quite baffled. This was a quick read but the ending left me feeling disappointed.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, from Joffe Books and #NetGalley. Thank you for the opportunity to preview and review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

A thriller that keeps you guessing and on your toes.

I really enjoyed this mystery novel, it does what I was hoping for from the description. I enjoyed the way Mithran Somasundrum wrote this. It had a unique style for the mystery genre and I enjoyed the characters in this. I look forward to reading more from the author.

"The comment elicited an indulgent chuckle, although Vijay had a feeling he could have said, “He’s still running naked through the paddy fields with his face painted blue, trying to bayonet field rats” and would have got the same genial “isn’t that the Sawang we know” reaction. “And this is the first time you’ve visited us, I believe?” the man asked, making it sound as though Vijay was bestowing a great compliment upon them by his presence."