The perplexing theft of the jewel in the crown by Vaseem Khan

"The perplexing theft of the jewel in  the crown" by Vaseem Khan - Man and elephant detectives at work!  

This book is published by Hodder & Stoughton in 2016 and has 352 pages. This is Book 2 of 'Baby Ganesh detective agency' series.

Retired Inspector, and now private detective,  Chopra and his wife Poppy have gone to Prince of Wales museum to see the British crown jewels on display. The jewels are stolen. Kohinoor is gone. Inspector Chopra is drawn in. 

Who is behind the robbery? How does Chopra get involved? Does he have a nemesis? Can he crack the mystery? What role will baby Ganesh play?

As expected it's an elaborate plot with red herrings and deliberate false trails. Chopra's nemesis, Suresh Rao, has come out unscathed, from scandal in first book, due to his connections. His unerring ability to accuse and catch the wrong person helps Chopra come out victorious eventually. 

Baby Ganesh,  the one year old elephant of Chopra, is again a central character and plays an important role in the investigation. So does the orphan Irfan who the Chopra's love like theirs own son.  

The story is decent. Investigation and the culprits are on expected lines. Chopra also  acquires an associate detective. He, the associate and the elephant solve three mysteries individually. Inspector Chopra and Poppy's affection towards orphan Irfan and Ganesh shows us their tender side. Chopra's pursuit of truth, his instincts and perseverance see him through.

The book is not wow,  but enjoyable. Some things appear stretched to fit in the elephant. Can one police officer arrest a gathering of men on their property? Why delicate the elephant? These and such questions remain unanswered. 

One is eventually left with a question. Should India return Kohinoor to Britain? Kohinoor,  which was stolen from India in the first place? Author has resolved this dilemma very intelligently for the book, if not for real. 

In the review of first book I had written that author had made an error by naming the protagonist Chopra and placing him in Maharashtra (Chopra is not a Maharashtraian surname). He rectifies it in this book by informing us that his family migrated to Maharashtra 3 generations ago. 

Why did I read this book? First book was good.

What I didn't like?  Suresh Rao disappears from the story. 

What did I like?  Return of Kohinoor logic.  

Read if you like light detective stories.