#501 - The Case of the Vanishing Gods : An M4 Mystery Book 1

by Mallika Ravikumar

“The Case of the Vanishing Gods : An M4 Mystery Book 1” by Mallika Ravikumar. Published by Talking Cub, the children’s imprint of Speaking Tiger. An exciting case of theft of an antique idol and jewellery being investigated by three children and a dog who get together for the first time to form the incredible M4.

Malhar and Meera are siblings who had moved to the town of Maulsari in the recent past. Their father Dhananjay Pradhan was the SSP (Senior Superintendent of Police) of the district and their mother Madhavi Pradhan was a criminal lawyer. A shocking case of burglary had occurred in the customs colony in their neighbourhood. The old Shenoy couple had been robbed of jewellery and cash worth nearly two crores. More than the jewellery the couple were lamenting that an antique idol of Goddess Mahalsa Narayani which was their family heirloom had been stolen. Would they ever get it back was what they could not get over.

Stuck at home with no friends in a new town, Malhar and Meera were itching for some adventure. And the mystery seemed to have come knocking at their doors providentially. They decide to solve the mystery of the audacious theft and recover the stolen idol as well as jewellery. They will need help to get to the bottom of this and end up joining hands with the most unlikely of all characters. A street smart ragpicker called Mirchi, who dreams of being a cricketer like Kohli or a policeman, along with his cute indie dog Munna. Together they form the M4. As they work on the case, they end up unearthing a massive international smuggling racket of antiquities. The smugglers involve ruthless people who will not stop at anything. What happens next? Can the children solve the case and get the idol back? Read the nail biting and action packed story to know about the adventures that the M4 get into and stumble upon layers of injustice, prejudice, treachery and discrimination while figuring out about the laws.

The book is the first one of a new mystery series which aims to bring in aspects of legal knowledge to children in Indian settings. The plot was fast paced making it an irresistible read for me and my nine year old. We felt like we were in the midst of the setting as we raced through the pages. The book also struck a personal chord for us as we belong to the GSB (Gowd Saraswat Brahmin) community and have Mahalsa Narayani as our family deity like the Shenoy family in the story. We could therefore relate to the mention of the Goan inquisition and how our ancestors had to protect the idols when the Portuguese destroyed temples and smashed idols. My son was curious to know how M4 would solve the mystery of the vanishing idol and then the mystery of the missing jewellery. He realised the importance of having knowledge about the rights of a citizen when it came to being interrogated or arrested by the police. He was not happy with the way the maid and the plumber had been suspected and harassed on connection with the theft though there was no evidence of them having committed the crime. All this was due to the prejudiced assumptions of the police and the society in general. It was lovely to see the usage of some Konkani, Marathi and Bengali words in the narrative to give it an authentic regional touch. Legal terms like custody, cognizable and non-cognizable offences, search warrant, panchnama, FIR etc have been gently introduced and explained in a simple manner through the character of Madhavi Pradhan. The important and alarming topic of idols and other antique artefacts being stolen & smuggled out of India to make their way to western museums and private collections has been introduced through the book. It is great to see awareness being created in children about this heartbreaking topic making it a “MUST READ”.

Recommended Age

The book is apt for children aged 10 and above.

Where to buy from?

The publishers Talking Cub here.

Disclaimer - We received this book from the publisher, Talking Cub, for review. Thank you to Tanu, from Talking Cub, for sending across the book!