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The Case of the Man Who Died Laughing
- Narrated by: Sam Dastor
- Length: 8 hrs and 26 mins
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Publisher's summary
Dr. Suresh Jha, best known for unmasking fraudulent swamis and godmen, dies in a fit of giggles at his morning yoga class when goddess Kali appears from the mist and plunges a sword into his chest. The only one laughing now is the main suspect, a powerful guru named Maharaj Swami, who seems to have done away with his most vocal critic.
Vish Puri, India’s Most Private Investigator, master of disguise and lover of all things fried and spicy, doesn’t believe the murder is a supernatural occurrence. How did the murder weapon miraculously crumble into ash? To get at the truth, Puri and his team of undercover operatives—Facecream, Tubelight, and Flush—must travel from the slum to the holy city of Haridwar on the Ganges.
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Editorial reviews
Tarquin Hall has evidently taken the criticism of his fun but simplistic first detective novel to heart; this second installment in the Vish Puri series is a head and shoulders above The Case of the Missing Servant, which was not too shabby in the first place. Where the first book was a fairly straightforward case, this one has at least a half dozen spectacular false endings that will keep you guessing until the very last minute.
Luckily, what hasn't changed at all is Hall's wonderful sense of authenticity in the dialogue. His ability to capture the flavor of New Delhi is impeccable, but a bigger treat is the return of narrator Sam Dastor, whose delivery of the rich dialogue is utterly unimpeachable. From English to Hindustani to Gujarati to Punjabi to even a little bit of ancient Urdu, Dastor does not miss a single beat while following the trail of Vish Puri, india's Most Private investigator, and it is his voice work that truly highlights what a good job Hall has done of showcasing all the comic wonder that northern india has to offer.
The case this time is much more complicated than just a missing servant. When "guru buster" Dr. Jha dies laughing in the face of an apparition of Kali, who slays him with a giant sword in a public park in the middle of the afternoon in front of dozens of witnesses, the alleged miracle appearance by the goddess touches off a whirlwind of speculation and debate between the rationalists and the godmen. it is too easy to accuse Maharaj Swami, the cult religious figure of the moment, who had long promised Jha he would get the "miracle" that was coming to him.
To assist him in solving this supernatural murder mystery, Puri enlists his team of various amusing undercover agents to infiltrate the confidences of his suspects and root out the evidence of the case. Thrown in for good measure is a minor secondary mystery involving the robbery of a ladies' gambling circle, presided over by Puri's own fairly witty wife and his overwhelmingly clever mother. Filled with criminal magicians, shady preachers, snooty academics, slimy bureaucrats, and a generous helping of police who are slow on the uptake, Hall's solid, classic characters are given fresh, spicy life thanks to such a charming narration. To read the book in print is to miss all the fun, as there is no better guide to Vish Puri's world than the flawless interpreter of Sam Dastor. Megan Volpert
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Wife of the Gods
- A Novel
- By: Kwei Quartey
- Narrated by: Simon Prebble
- Length: 9 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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Detective Inspector Darko Dawson, a good family man and a remarkably intuitive sleuth, is sent to the village of Ketanu---the site of his mother's disappearance many years ago---to solve the murder of an accomplished young AIDS worker. While battling his own anger issues and concerns for his ailing son, Darko explores the motivations and secrets of the residents of Ketanu.
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Engrossing Mystery in a Fascinating Setting
- By Tracey Rains on 04-19-10
By: Kwei Quartey
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A Great Deliverance
- Inspector Lynley, Book 1
- By: Elizabeth George
- Narrated by: Donada Peters
- Length: 11 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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Into Keldale's pastoral web of old houses and older secrets comes Scotland Yard Inspector Thomas Lynley, the eighth earl of Asherton. Along with the redoubtable Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers, Lynley has been sent to solve a savage murder that has stunned the peaceful countryside. For fat, unlovely Roberta Teys has been found in her best dress, an ax in her lap, seated in the old stone barn beside her father's headless corpse. Her first and last words were "I did it. And I'm not sorry".
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good debut novel
- By Stevon on 11-11-19
By: Elizabeth George
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England's Finest
- By: Christopher Fowler
- Narrated by: Tim Goodman
- Length: 10 hrs and 56 mins
- Original Recording
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The Peculiar Crimes Unit has solved many extraordinary cases over the years, but some were hushed up and hidden away. Until now. Arthur Bryant remembers these lost cases as if they were yesterday. Here, then, is the truth about the Covent Garden opera diva and the 17th reindeer, the body that falls from the Tate Gallery, the ordinary London street corner where strange accidents keep occurring, the consul’s son discovered buried in the unit’s basement, the corpse pulled from a swamp of Chinese dinners....
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Over to soon!
- By Nancy on 11-17-19
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A Carrion Death
- Introducing Detective Kubu
- By: Michael Stanley
- Narrated by: Simon Prebble
- Length: 14 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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Smashed skull, snapped ribs, and a cloying smell of carrion. Leave the body for the hyenas to devour - no body, no case. But when Kalahari game rangers stumble on a human corpse midmeal, it turns out the murder wasn't perfect after all. Enough evidence is left to suggest foul play. Detective David "Kubu" Bengu of the Botswana Criminal Investigation Department is assigned to the case.
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Hot and Arid
- By Robert on 11-06-08
By: Michael Stanley
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Layover in Dubai
- A Novel
- By: Dan Fesperman
- Narrated by: Christopher Lane
- Length: 10 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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Corporate auditor Sam Keller, careful to a fault, has decided to live it up for a change. And what better spot for business-class hedonism than the boomtown of Dubai, where resort islands materialize from open ocean, fortunes are made overnight, and skiers crisscross the snowy slopes of a shopping mall. But when a colleague is murdered during a night on the town, Sam soon finds himself waist-deep in a bewildering, lethal mix of mobsters, prostitutes, and crooked cops.
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Loved it!
- By Tracy Staines on 10-18-10
By: Dan Fesperman
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Mystery Man
- By: Colin Bateman
- Narrated by: Stephen Armstrong
- Length: 9 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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He’s the Man With No Name and the owner of No Alibis, a mystery bookshop in Belfast. But when a detective agency next door goes bust, the agency’s clients start calling into his shop asking him to solve their cases. It’s not as if there’s any danger involved. It’s an easy way to sell books to his gullible customers and Alison, the beautiful girl in the jewellery shop across the road, will surely be impressed. Except she’s not – because she can see the bigger picture.
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Mystery, humor & literary nuances - GREAT
- By Toby on 09-06-13
By: Colin Bateman
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Manhattans and Murder
- The Murder, She Wrote Mysteries, Book 2
- By: Jessica Fletcher, Donald Bain
- Narrated by: Beth Porter
- Length: 6 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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Promoting her latest books brings best-selling mystery writer Jessica Fletcher to New York for Christmas. Her schedule includes book signings, chat-show appearances, department store shopping...and murder. But it all begins with a sidewalk Santa staring at Jessica with fear and recognition.
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A release of an older Donald Bain book in the series, thank goodness
- By Dorise on 02-01-19
By: Jessica Fletcher, and others
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Dr Yes
- By: Colin Bateman
- Narrated by: Stephen Armstrong
- Length: 8 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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The hilarious new Mystery Man crime caper from the master of menace and mirth. Beauty is in the eye of the be header. The wife of crime writer Augustine Wogan disappeared shortly after entering the exclusive clinic of the mysterious Dr Yes, plastic surgeon extraordinaire. As fatherhood approaches, the Small Bookseller with No Name is persuaded to investigate. He soon finds himself up to his neck in murder, make-up and madness - and face to face with the most gruesome serial killer since the last one.
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Fun diversion from the usual fair
- By Dennis on 11-09-12
By: Colin Bateman
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Dying in the Wool
- A Kate Shackleton Mystery, Book 1
- By: Frances Brody
- Narrated by: Nicola Barber
- Length: 10 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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Bridgestead is a peaceful spot: a babbling brook, rolling hills, and a working mill at its heart. Pretty and remote, nothing exceptional happens...until the day that Master of the Mill Joshua Braithwaite goes missing under dramatic circumstances, never to be heard of again. Now Joshua's daughter is getting married and wants to make one last attempt at finding her father. Kate Shackleton has always loved solving puzzles. So who better to get to the bottom of Joshua's mysterious disappearance?
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Fluff & Nonsense
- By Sara on 01-03-15
By: Frances Brody
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Shattered
- By: Dick Francis
- Narrated by: Fiacre Douglas
- Length: 6 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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When jockey Martin Stukely dies after a fall at Cheltenham, he accidentally embroils his friend Gerard Logan in a perilous search for a stolen videotape. Logan is a glassblower on the verge of widespread acclaim.
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Narrator has flat, almost mechanical voice!
- By Jaegersmum on 05-21-14
By: Dick Francis
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Odds Against
- By: Dick Francis
- Narrated by: Geoffrey Howard
- Length: 7 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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It’s amazing what bodily injury can do for a man. A fall from a racehorse left brilliant jockey Sid Halley dangerously depressed, with a wrecked hand and the need for a new career. It was a bullet wound that helped him find one.
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Fabulous!
- By motown on 02-10-15
By: Dick Francis
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Near Death
- A Thriller
- By: Glenn Cooper
- Narrated by: Oliver Wyman
- Length: 11 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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Milan, Italy, today. It is the most serious crisis that the world has ever faced. Bewildered, young and old, believers and atheists are asking all the same distressing questions: What will they do now that the greatest dream of humanity has turned into a nightmare? What will happen when the countdown clock winds to zero?
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Not quite dead...yet
- By Matthew on 11-24-15
By: Glenn Cooper
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Bangkok 8
- By: John Burdett
- Narrated by: Paul Boehmer
- Length: 12 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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Witnessed by a throng of gaping spectators, a charismatic Marine sergeant is murdered under a Bangkok bridge inside a bolted-shut Mercedes Benz. Among the witnesses are the only two cops in the city not on the take, but within moments one is murdered and his partner, Sonchai Jitpleecheep - a devout Buddhist and the son of a Thai bar girl and a long-gone Vietnam War G.I. - is hell-bent on wreaking revenge. On a vigilante mission to capture his partner’s murderer, Sonchai is begrudgingly paired with a beautiful FBI agent named Jones....
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Very dissapointing
- By Dennis on 05-29-13
By: John Burdett
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Library of the Dead
- Will Piper Series, Book 1
- By: Glenn Cooper
- Narrated by: Pete Bradbury
- Length: 12 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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A murderer is on the loose on the streets of New York City: nicknamed the Doomsday Killer, he's claimed six victims in just two weeks, and the city is terrified. Even worse, the police are mystified: the victims have nothing in common, defying all profiling, and all that connects them is that each received a sick postcard in the mail before they died - a postcard that announced their date of death. In desperation, the FBI assigns the case to maverick agent Will Piper, once the most accomplished serial-killing expert in the bureau's history, now on a dissolute spiral to retirement.
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Ok towards the end
- By JoAnn on 05-23-23
By: Glenn Cooper
What listeners say about The Case of the Man Who Died Laughing
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Sarah
- 05-22-15
The author and narrator are a fabulous combination
If you could sum up The Case of the Man Who Died Laughing in three words, what would they be?
Delightful exotic romp.
What was one of the most memorable moments of The Case of the Man Who Died Laughing?
When the Goddess Kali appears from the sky.
What about Sam Dastor’s performance did you like?
He is the best - so many different Indian accents and voices. The story tended to ramble but even when I was a little lost on the details I still enjoyed listening to the different voices.
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
I just found it entertaining. It didn't create an emotional response.
Any additional comments?
I didn't enjoy the story in this one quite as much as The Case of the Missing Servant, but the narration made up for what the story lacked. It was a good mystery, mind you, but with the several story lines I didn't get as caught up in it as with the first one.
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- Penny
- 09-25-12
Sherlock Holmes of India!
Where does The Case of the Man Who Died Laughing rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
This is one of the most engaging and funny mystery series! If you really want to see India and all the complexities that surround it, you should definitely read this book. He is a master at peeling back the veil and showing what goes on underneath this vibrant culture.
Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?
All the characters were interesting and he kept all the story lines moving in a funny, yet mysterious way.
Which character – as performed by Sam Dastor – was your favorite?
They are all wonderful. Mr. Pulli (aka Chubby) and all the others who support him in his endeavors are wonderfully drawn out in these stories.
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
Although our detective is somewhat of an egotistical windbag, he is always lovable and able to determine the truth of those who scheme to trick and defraud the good people of New Dehli.
Any additional comments?
If you enjoy a wonderful mystery with an international flavor, I recommend this series. You wil not be disappointed by either the narration or the story.
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- Shirley
- 02-13-12
Very Entertaining a very different story
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
Certain ones. Not all like this kind of mystery. It's kind of fluffy.
Have you listened to any of Sam Dastor’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
No
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
No
Any additional comments?
This was a nice change from the other mysteries I'm used to reading or listening to. I usually read Robert Ludlum, Christopher Reich etc. You get my drift. Very intense and hard to put down. This was a casual listen.
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- jTacy67
- 01-26-15
A Smashing Good Mystery, Na?
This is another in a series of mystery novels that are light and yet complex and twisty enough to satisfy. Filled with the colour of India, I have enjoyed each one I have listened to and certainly think they are worth a credit. I suggest you start with this, as it is even better than The Case of The Missing Servant, Although that was also very good.
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- Saanika
- 10-05-21
Vish Puri is back at it!!
wonderfully narrated as usual charming story with a few new characters... delivered a good read as usual
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- Katharine
- 11-18-22
A great favorite!
I have listened to this novel more than once. The narrator is splendid and the story terrific. I love the humor and the dueling mysteries between Mummy and Vish.
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Overall
- Carl W. Vanvalkenburg
- 01-29-11
Excellent example of genre
A sort of "locked room" mystery interlaced with two or three subplots. Narrator Sam Dastor does a spectacular job of juggling UK, Indian, and American accents. A brief, painless glimpse into contemporary India.
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6 people found this helpful
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Overall
- Rachel
- 01-12-11
Great Fun!
This book was a modern Sherlock Holmes with a bit more fun. An easy read/listen. Only one thing, not really a complaint, but I am familiar with indian cluture, but the author used quite a few words in Indian. Most the author uses the english word, or a discription of the item right after, but a few he does not. (mainly food items) It would have helped me envison the scene better if I knew what it looked like. Otherwise I really enjoyed it. The narrarator is Fantastic!! Even though he does the voices for a few women, they sound just like I would expect them to sound.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Russell
- 04-18-12
Overall good who done it novel
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
If you enjoy listening to audio books and you love mysteries this is a good audio book for you. It is longer than most audio books, however, when I am driving I can listen to it and relax.
What did you like best about this story?
As most mysteries, you have several possible suspects to choose from through out the story. I can usually figure out the suspect long before the end of the story. It was not so for this book. It kept me guessing up to the end.
Have you listened to any of Sam Dastor’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
No
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
No
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- Robin
- 01-11-12
A Fun Story
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
Sam Dastor is a great reader, fabulous with accents. It is a fun and amusing novel.
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