Hall usually has one vocabulary word or two per paragraph. In the first paragraph, Vish Puri is “devouring a dozen green chili pakoras* from a greasy takeout box.” That asterisk refers the reader to a glossary with over one-hundred-fifty words. Right away, I empathized with her experience. She complained it was hard to get into to and that there were “a lot of words to look up.” She tends to be more of a stickler with wanting to understand things, so I figured that I’d give it a shot as a genre reader. I originally passed it to my mom, hoping to tease her into another series and perhaps, you know, broaden her horizons just a touch. Though I picked this up due to a favorable GR review, and found myself further intrigued by comparisons to the Inspector Singh series, I’d say Hall needs further practice before he’s ready for the big time. Watch out indeed, because Hall is not doing the genre any favors. “Watch out Alexander McCall Smith!” claims the blurb.
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