The Strange Disappearance of a Bollywood Star by Vaseem Khan

This book, and indeed the series, is illuminated by the personality of Inspector Chopra, a detective whose motto in life is ‘honesty, integrity, decency.’ In spite of every distraction that the underbelly of Mumbai life can throw at him, he adheres to these principles. He is a family man of great tenderness but also immense toughness. If his ‘maudlin silences’ occasionally annoy Poppy, they are understandable in the context of the corruption and greed he faces every day. ‘In our country, honesty is like the scent of blood in shark-infested waters,’ he complains.

The dark side of Bollywood combines with the charm of baby elephant Ganesha to make this novel a thrilling and entertaining read. It can be enjoyed without having read the other books in the Inspector Chopra series, but having discovered a delightful cast of characters that includes the Inspector himself, his wife Poppy, their adopted son Irfan, their pet Ganesha and Poornima, the mother-in-law from Hell, the discerning reader will want to meet them again.

Introductions to some colourful personalities from the film world add to the fun. My personal favourite is Bijli Verma, the one-time ‘wet sari queen’, who appears in the story as the frantic mother of the handsome, but challenging, missing star.

Chopra enlists the help of a community of Eunuchs, explores the history of Film City and even spends some time in prison, during his struggle to bring the case to an exciting conclusion, weaving contrasting aspects of Indian life together in engaging style.