The Perfect Murder [Audiobook, Unabridged] [CD-ROM]

H. R. F. Keating (Author), Frederick Davidson (Reader)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 2009

Inspector Ghote's first cases for the Bombay Police Department include a seemingly unsolvable murder and the theft of one rupee from the desk of the Minister of Police Affairs and the Arts.

It is Inspector Ghote s bad luck to be landed with the case of the perfect murder at the start of his career with the Bombay Police. As if it were not enough to have to contend with the cunning and important tycoon Lala Varde, Ghote finds himself investigating a mysterious theft of one rupee from the desk of yet another Very Important Person, the Minister of Police Affairs and the Arts. ''If people would only behave in a simple, reasonable, logical way,'' sighs the Inspector, as he struggles through the quagmires of incompetence and corruption to solve these curious crimes.

The Perfect Murder won an Edgar Special Award from the Mystery Writers of America as well as the Crime Writers Association Golden Dagger Award and was made into a film by Merchant Ivory.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Author H.R.F. Keating has created several very clever, entertaining, and unique detectives. . . . The main character, Lala Varde, speaks in rhyme, which Davidson portrays splendidly in an Indian accent. . . . This audio presentation is an enhancement of the written work. --AudioFile

About the Author

H.R.F. KEATING has written numerous novels as well as plays and non-fiction but he is perhaps most famous for the Inspector Ghote series set in India, the first of which, The Perfect Murder, won a Crime Writers' Association Gold Dagger Award and was made into a film by Merchant Ivory. H.R.F. Keating was the crime books reviewer for The Times for fifteen years. He has served as Chairman of the Crime Writers' Association and the Society of Authors, and in 1987 was elected President of the Detection Club. He is married to the actress Sheila Mitchell and lives in London.

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Product Details

• CD-ROM
• Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.; Unabridged edition (December 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1433295415
• ISBN-13: 978-1433295416
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,120,075 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Meeting Ghote, October 21, 2011

By 

Jack A. Wertheimer - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Perfect Murder (Inspector Ghote Series) (Paperback)

I had read of H.R.F.Keating and anyone whose father had named him with the hope that he become an author was, at least, of interest. The Perfect Murder is an introduction to the police of India. While reading it you keep saying to yourself, yes; this rings true; I can imagine this kind of difficulty with this kind of person; I can see myself walking down this street sipping this sweet drink.

The difficulty with the book is probably my difficulty. I am moderately interested in someone who has conquered his own environment, especially if I'm familiar with it. When I'm not and I'm faced with a man who has shaped himself to live in strange surroundings in a strange way, the difficulties are large. I have to be sympathetic to the man, in this case Inspector Ghote, and although his work is police procedure and his young son and somewhat stereotypically shrewish (yet beautiful) wife have all his love, they didn't manage to capture all of mine -- even though I love police procedurals and 'complicated' women.

Neither did his foreign attachment, a brash, loud Scandinavian man from other police forces ostensibly learning India's ways and ultimately playing an integral part in the story.

The story itself revolves around a wealthy Indian entrepreneur and his secretary. How Ghote deals with them, and they with him, is the crux of the plot. It is well presented as are all elements of the book, but the elements don't seem to fuse well. There I was in India, walking the streets, talking the talk, but not living the life. How can I make it clearer? I still read everything from English detective fiction to American fantasy, to Booker prize winners to nineteenth century novels of manners -- or not -- all with great joy. Inspector Ghote doesn't fit me, I'm afraid.

Who does? Let me just throw out Connie Willis and Jane Austen. Worlds apart, but oh, those worlds.