Q. The Perfect Murder as an Example of Popular Fiction. Evaluate.
The plot revolves around the murder of, or rather the attack on Mr.Perfect, a Parsi personal secretary to big shot businessman, Mr. Arun Varde. The attack on Mr. Perfect takes place inside the personal residence of Mr.Varde himself, which makes everyone in the Varde household a suspect.Enter Inspector Ghote, from the Bombay C.I.D. and his associate Mr.Axel Svensson, ”the big Swede” from the United Nations who is preparing a report on the workings of Bombay police.Things turn interesting as none from the Varde family cooperates with the police and try as much as he, Inspector Ghote could not progress much.On the other hand, his boss DSP Samant assigns Ghote to find a missing cash note from the desk of Minister of Police Affairs and the Arts. Curiously the investigation to the missing note is rivetingly described whereas the goings on of the Perfect Murder unfolds at a pace which does not always work. In a word this track drags, and like Ghote, we too readers are also frustrated at the lack of any clues whatsover. … (Read More)
Q. Explain ‘The Perfect Murder as a Detective Novel’.
Keating published his first detective novel in 1959, but it was not until 1964, with the appearance of The Perfect Murder, that he introduced the series character for whom he would become best known: the Indian police investigator Inspector Ganesh Ghote (“Go-tay”). The Perfect Murder became one of those books which every neophyte mystery author hopes to write. It won the Gold Dagger from the UK’s Crime Writers’ Association and was nominated for an Edgar by the Mystery Writers of America. … (Read More)
Q. Analyse the Character of Inspector Ghote.
H.R.F. Keating’s “The Perfect Murder” is a captivating debut novel that introduces readers to the enigmatic Inspector Ghote and the bustling city of Bombay. While the mystery at the heart of the story keeps you guessing, it’s the fascinating characters that truly bring the book to life. … (Read More)
Q. Examine ‘The Perfect Murder as a Representation of India’.
At the root of this immobility of the narrative is the fact that it is more of a writer’s book than a reader’s. At many a times deep down somewhere it seemed as if Keating was deconstructing the form of the detective novel itself, where the story had become secondary and the structure became the focus. Yes, The Perfect Murder is a perfect work of art as Keating wrote about Bombay and India without ever visiting the country around till 1970, and like all perfect things it leaves you dissatisfied or asking for more. This may explain the fact why the book won the Crime Writers’ Association’s Gold Dagger and an Edgar Allen Poe Special Award. It is a book which draws on the tradition of English detective fiction which is its plus point as well as its weak point; Ghote is a pleasent other just like Agatha Christie’s Belgian hero Hercule Poirot was. … (Read More)
