Tarquin Hall

In central Delhi, a group of professionals are attending their therapeutic Laughing Club when an apparition of the Goddess Kali appears, and strikes one of them dead. The victim is celebrated sceptic Dr Suresh Jha, enemy of all gurus and mystics. And as it becomes clear that powerful forces are at play, one man is perfectly placed to investigate: the portly detective Vish Puri.

Meet Vish Puri, managing director of Most Private Investigators Ltd, Delhi. He is cutting a determined swathe through India's swindlers, cheats and murderers. He has a moustache to rival Hercule Poirot and methods that resemble Sherlock Holmes.