Vish Puri, known to his friends as "Chubby," is a private detective who investigates prospective grooms in arranged marriages to make sure that they are not just after a dowry. During stake-outs, he sneaks greasy take-out pakoras against doctors' orders while mourning the "slow moving and provincial" Delhi of his youth and bemoaning the modern capital of 16 million "spreading east and south, with more roads, cars, malls and apartment blocks springing up every day." His comfortable routine is disrupted when a well-regarded lawyer is accused of murdering his maid and Puri sets out to prove his innocence. Hall brings a light touch to his loving descriptions of the popular culture, mores, and cuisine of modern India, and his insights into the impact of modernization and globalization on age-old traditions and values.  (IDA606, $14.00)