Suk Pannu has served up a veritable feast of a debut novel.
Dr Wendy Calman, a semi-retired psychiatrist, put the second lot of scones in the oven. The first batch were in the bin burnt to a crisp. The berries were in the pan on the stove to make jam. Wendy was a very caring woman, a good therapist but not a good cook. She had been working on her book, ‘Disorders of the Mind’ for twenty years, worrying away at the last chapter, but just as a new thought came to her, there was a knock at the back door. The incite was important, at last she had the answer. Wendy scribbled a note on the last page of her manuscript before she opened the door to her killer.
Mrs. Sidhu lives in Slough, she is good cook, she is in the catering business. She had won the contract for the Slough wedding of the year, she had prepared and served a first class five course dinner. Mrs. Sidhu had done the right thing in the wrong place and spoiled her reputation by pointing out a guest at the wedding as a thief. Everyone blamed her for spoiling the wedding. Hence Mrs. Sudhu is in catering Siberia, for three months she has been making Aubergine Bhaji every day for her boss, Varma.
The phone rings, Mrs. Sidhu is offered a job at Bentham House, a celebrity retreat, this could be her way out of Aubergine Bajhi hell. But Mrs. Sidhu is dropped into a soup of murder and mayhem. Could life get any worse? Respected Sister in Law, Daljeet (the Darlek) arrives, Mrs. Sidhu forgot to pick her up from Heathrow. Also she finds the body of Wendy Calman on the floor of her smoke filled kitchen.
Detective Chief Inspector Burton is in charge of the investigation, he and Mrs. Sidhu have history. Mrs. Sidhu cannot help herself, she always has to get to the truth of a conundrum, is she going to ‘help’ Burton again? Mrs. Sidhu thinks about of the burnt scones and the burnt jam in Wendy Colman’s kitchen, but what about the two pork chops in the oven and the apple sauce? Why did Wendy take the apples off the stove? That was a mystery only Mrs. Sudhu could see.
More people are murdered, the ingredients are mixed, twists, turns and red herrings are stirred and blended into a satisfying story.
Suk Pannu has given us a splendid debut novel with a unique descriptive voice, the characters are believable. Mrs. Sidhu is here to stay. I look forward to reading more of her adventures.
