The Adventures of Shrilok Homeless
by Pika Nani
“The Adventures of Shrilok Homeless” by Pika Nani. Published by Penguin. A gripping book of ten thrilling cases solved by Shrilok (Homeless), the desi version of Sherlock, who is a chaiwala by day and a detective at night excelling in deducing, disguises and drama of course!
Shrilok is set to become Mumbai’s greatest teen detective. The adventures of this Indian version of Sherlock have been put together in this book by the trustworthy Rohan Doctor who is his partner (Just like Dr.Watson was to Sherlock). From the time that they meet, Rohan just can’t stop admiring Shrilok and wanting to be part of his cases. They race along various places in Mumbai solving ten cases which have baffled the city. Rohan diligently documents everything from the time he first met Shrilok on his way back home from school.
The cases range from a man missing after being picked from the airport by a prepaid taxi, a severed hand turning up in a steel lunchbox delivered by the Dabbawala, a stolen rose diamond making its appearance in a Vada Pav of all things, a Bollywood scandal likely to be caused by a selfie, the mysterious disappearance of dogs of Bhaskarville and so on. No case is too small or uninteresting for Shrilok. As he likes to say, “You know I like masala chai for the mind” :) The flavours of Mumbai are sprinkled everywhere through the book. Read the quick paced and action packed cases in the book which are surely going to make it difficult for one to put the book down.
My eight year old and I thoroughly enjoyed reading this lovely book. It kept us on a roller coaster ride and we were at the edge of our seats trying to guess the solutions. A day off from school due to a sprained leg meant confinement in bed largely and devouring the book! As we had already bought the second part of this book, he knew that there was something to look forward to in the same vein. So we zipped through the book. Now the second part is being savoured slowly case by case :) Loved the writing style. The usage of local slangs like bhidu, locha etc and flavours of Mumbai like dabbawalas, vada pav, local trains, bollywood, areas like Dadar etc. And not to forget the names of cases like the ones in Sherlock books with an Indian touch. Thank you Vidya Mani of Funky Rainbow for recommending this lovely book and for Pika Nani being a part of your buzzaar! We were pleased to get autographed copies :)
Recommended Age
The book is apt for children aged 9 and above.
Reasons to Read
A well suited book for those who love mystery and adventure with a lovely dash of Amchi Mumbai flavour.
Where to buy from?
An independent bookstore, Funky Rainbow, from where I buy many of my books.
For just the first book