On a recent trip to Goa I visited the village where my father grew up. It had a certain charm and tranquility that I have never experienced before and provided inspiration for the Chupplejeep Mysteries. Details of all three books are below and are available as paperbacks and e-books.
Here is the blurb for the first book in the series - Under the Coconut Tree:
In the early
hours of November 11th the body of Sandeep Shah is discovered, nestled amongst
a pile of coconut husks. Detective Arthur Chupplejeep and Police Officer Pankaj
are called to investigate. From their experience this should be a straightforward
case, but in a small village like Utol, everybody has something to hide.
Suspects soon
start coming out of the woodwork. Bala, the pau
wallah, has a history with the deceased that he has taken great care to
conceal. Then there is Sandeep Shah’s lover and her jealous partner. Even the
victim’s family seem to have a good enough motive to kill. To top it all, the
telephone number of local moneylender, Sanjog Viraj, is found tucked under the
victim’s bed. He looks like a key suspect, but everybody knows Sanjog is more
like a Pomfret than a shark.
Detective
Chupplejeep and Pankaj have their work cut out, sifting through village life,
rumour and gossip to get to the truth. But along with solving the case,
Detective Chupplejeep has his own problems. His girlfriend, Christabel, is
growing impatient with his failure to put a ring on her finger and with his
fortieth birthday fast approaching and a recent black mark against his name
from the Inspector General of Police, Chupplejeep is having doubts about his
professional competence. His dream of being Goa’s answer to Poirot is far from
becoming a reality.
As the mystery
of the body deepens, and the pressures at home begin to weigh on the
Detective’s mind, will Chupplejeep be able to solve the case and return peace
to the sleepy village of Utol once again?
The novel is a mix between Alexander McCall Smith's Ladies No. 1 Detective Agency and Aravind Adiga's coloquial insights of India (I can only hope that I will be as half as good as they are).
The second book in the series is 'The Body in the Bath'
Draft blurb below. More details on my website www.marissadeluna.com
The second book in the series is 'The Body in the Bath'
Draft blurb below. More details on my website www.marissadeluna.com
As the
International Film Festival of India draws to a close and the celebrations of
Christmas descend upon Goa, actress, Subrina Basi, is found dead in the bath of
her hotel room.
At first sight, Subrina appears to have
committed suicide, but closer inspection suggests foul play. Subrina’s best
friend - the flamboyant artist, Advani looks like he has something to hide. And her
boyfriend, Dattaprasad, has mysteriously disappeared. But it is not only
Subrina’s close acquaintances who are suspected. As Chupplejeep and Pankaj
delve into the troubled actress’s past, a dark secret is unearthed which casts
a shadow of doubt on some of the local villagers.
This is no
ordinary case. Chupplejeep is under pressure from Inspector General Gosht to
solve this high-profile case fast, whilst Christabel is busy making marriage
plans. Plans which Chupplejeep is not entirely comfortable with. Meanwhile, Pankaj
has been given his first case to solve: a perilous blackmail case with a fast
approaching deadline. Chupplejeep and Pankaj work against the clock, but will
they solve the two cases in time?
Jackpot Jetty is the third instalment.
Jackpot Jetty is the third instalment.
On the first day
of Detective Chupplejeep’s lakeside summer holiday, Jackpot, a local boatwalla, is found dead in his craft.
The local detective Kumar has dismissed it as a natural death, but Chupplejeep
is not convinced.
As details of
Jackpot’s life are slowly exposed, development plans for the lake are revealed
and the enigmatic owner of the local yoga retreat is implicated, Chupplejeep is
convinced that the boat-keeper’s death is not as simple as it appears.
Detective
Chupplejeep has been warned not to step on Kumar’s toes, and besides, he has
come to the lake to try and resolve his own problems: His love life is in
tatters, and he has recently discovered that his biological parents, presumed
dead, are very much alive. He shouldn’t get involved with the case, but he
cannot turn a blind eye to an obvious injustice.
Chupplejeep is
determined to bring justice to this idyllic village, risking his career,
reputation and personal life, but will he be able to crack the case before he
has to leave the lakeside retreat?