When an important Parsee is killed on the grounds of the Towers of Silence, where corpses of dead Parsees are left to be devoured by vultures, the police service is eager to declare that a random stranger did the deed and to close the case quickly. The man’s daughter, however, has other ideas and she hires Inspector Chopra (Retd) to investigate further. Soon, Chopra finds himself entangled in the strange world of Parsee society in Mumbai, a religious sect inexplicable to many but one which values social contribution to a large degree, a value the dead man may or may not have honored during his lifetime….This is the fifth Baby Ganesh Agency novel, and like its predecessors it is both cozy, funny and, occasionally, brutally violent; in this case, descriptions of the death-related rituals of a particular religion might be stomach-churning to the unwary reader. Nevertheless, Chopra is a wonderful character and although baby elephant Ganesha doesn’t have as much presence in this book as in some of the previous ones, he is always a delight when he does appear; recommended! ( )

An entertaining-with-a touch-of-dark detective story, featuring Inspector Chopra, ex-Mumbai police, now a private investigator, and his perhaps not entirely convincing side-kick, a young elephant. A prominent Parsee industrialist has been murdered, and long ago the case was dismissed by the police as a random killing. His daughter, not satisfied with this conclusion, calls in Chopra, who finds himself investigating a case plagued by corruption in influential quarters, the love of money, and guilty secrets. An atmospheric and gripping read. ( )

Inspector Chopra is investigating the murder of Cyrus Zorabian, a highly esteemed member of the Persian-Zoroastrian community & Vulture Club. The Zoroastrians of the Vulture Club & community do not bury their dead, rather they leave them for the sacred vultures to devour, thus ensuring the natural cycle of death & life.

Cyrus has been bludgeoned to death on the grounds of the Vulture Towers.... but such an upstanding member of the Persian Community, who could possibly want him dead? Chopra finds that there are many people...

As Chopra's investigations continue he comes across a dubious land buying scheme which has left an innocent man in prison, too many people dead, & a paper trail leading back to Cyrus.

I did take off a star for the boring narratives throughout the book, but still the story held my interest. ( )

After the slapstick comedy of the last Baby Ganesh Agency mystery, Murder at the Grand Raj Palace, this latest book has a much more serious tone and is the best and tightest constructed mystery so far in the series. Although the tone is more serious, there are still scenes that gave me fits of the giggles, so those of you who prefer light-hearted mysteries, take note. I think one of my favorite chuckles was Khan's homage to Edgar Allan Poe with an injured vulture glaring at people from atop Chopra's bookcase.

The mystery in Bad Day at the Vulture Club kept me guessing, and Chopra, with all his years of police work, is an excellent investigator-- even if his baby elephant sidekick does get into mischief occasionally. In fact, Chopra has such a good reputation with many in the Mumbai police force that his contacts and goodwill there stand him in good stead.

One of the things I enjoy most about this series is the way the character of Chopra's wife, Poppy, has grown. Chopra has a one-track mind and focuses on his investigations while Poppy adds her social issues and causes to the mix. This makes Poppy a very important part of the series because what she's involved in really give readers a true feel for Mumbai-- armchair travel at its best. She and her mother are also gifted with some of Khan's wonderful sense of humor.

After reading Sujata Massey's two Perveen Mistry historical mysteries and now Bad Day at the Vulture Club, I feel that I'm getting to know the Parsees, a group that continues to play such an important part in Mumbai's past, present, and future. In addition, my appreciation of vultures has grown (they may be ugly but they are an important part of life on our planet), and my learning about the Poo2Loo movement (pun intended) has enriched my knowledge of one of the most fascinating countries in the world.

Yes, I highly recommend Vaseem Khan's Baby Ganesh Agency mysteries. Read them and you'll enjoy, learn, and laugh. It doesn't get much better than that. ( )