Byomkesh Bakshi's appeal as the self-styled inquisitor, a detective not by profession but by passion, has found him a dedicated following among generations of readers. The present collection of stories, all set in Calcutta of the fifties and sixties, brings together four mysteries that put the sleuth's remarkable mental agility to the ultimate test. In "The Menagerie" (adapted by master film-maker Satyajit Ray for his 1967 film "Chiriakhana") Byomkesh cracks a strange case involving broken motor parts, a seemingly natural death and the peculiar inhabitants of Golap Colony who seem capable of doing just about anything to safeguard the secrets of their tainted pasts. In "The Jewel Case", he investigates the mysterious disappearance of a priceless necklace, while in "The Will That Vanished" he solves a baffling riddle to fulfil the last wish of a close friend. And in "The Quills of the Porcupine", the shrewd detective is in his element as he expertly foils the sinister plans of a ruthless opportunist.
Sreejata Guha's translation captures brilliantly the thrill and ingenuity of Byomkesh's exploits just as it does Bandyopadhyay's remarkable portrayal of a city struggling to overcome its colonial past and come into its own.