The Iciest Sin
Encyclopedia
The Iciest Sin is a crime novel by H. R. F. Keating
. It is the eighteenth novel in the Inspector Ghote
series but the nineteenth book to be published as an anthology of short stories was released the year before.
and murder, Ghote finds himself balanced on a knife-edge between right and wrong as he faces his greatest ever test as a detective and a person.
On the dedication page Keating attributes the line "Blackmail is the iciest sin" to Rebecca West
.
At home Ghote's son, Ved, attempts to blackmail Ghote into buying a computer by threatening to tell Protima, Ghote's wife, their television was bought on the black market.
The next day Ghote blackmails a locksmith to get keys to Miss Daruwala's apartment, which Ghote's searches until she returns with Dr Edul Commissariat, a famous scientist. Ghote hides overhears that Commissariat submitted someone else's thesis as own work. Miss Daruwala demands "one lakh
in cash" (100,000 rupee
s). Commissariat murders Miss Daruwala with a swordstick
and burns the documents that incriminate her victims.
Afterwards, Ghote leaves his hiding place. He did not arrest Commissariat because the Doctor is a humanitarian and Miss Daruwala's was a blackmailer. Feeling responsible Dr Commissariat's fate, Ghote tells Mr Mistry that Daruwala is dead but not who murdered her. Inspector Arjun Singh of Crime Branch investigates the murder, reported by Ghote's anonymous phone call.
Ghote's is assigned to a blackmail case. Tabloid newspaper, Gup Shup, has blackmailed people into paying for an entry in Indians of Merit and Distinction. Freddy Kersasp is the ringleader but the evidence points to his office manager, Shiv Chand. Ghote arranges a sting operation, in which two people witness the payment.
Ghote returns home and finds Mr Ranchod, Mr Mistry's servant, waiting. Ranchod believes Ghote is blackmailing the murderer. Unwilling to tell Ranchod the truth, Ghote pays him one hundred rupees.
Ghote's sting operation goes well and Shiv Chand is arrested. Chand refuses to testify against Freddy Kersasp who is in the USA. Days pass. Inspector Singh's investigation makes no progress. Ranchod demands more money. Kersasp returns and fires Chand. Chand tells Ghote everything, but Kersasp's blackmail victims refuse to testify.
Ghote learns that Kersasp was the prime suspect in a robbery and murder thirty-seven years ago. Enquiries in England
reveal that Kersasp did not raise the funds to start his newspaper by running a magazine there, as he claimed. There is insufficient evidence to convict Kersasp, but Ghote is ordered to blackmail him into leaving the country. Ghote does so.
Ghote refuses to pay Ranchod when they next meet and several weeks go by. Then Inspector Singh is transferred to the Vigilance Branch of Bombay Police (Internal Affairs) and the Daruwala murder case abandoned.
The next morning a notorious gangster, Mama Chiplunkar, approaches Ghtoe. Ranchod has spoken to Chiplunkar who intends to blackmail Ghote for confidential information. The following day Chiplunkar repeats his demand and Ghote gives in.
In court Shiv Chand is found guilty.
Ghote plans to push Chiplunkar under a train and arranges a meeting with Chiplunkar at Grant Road Station, using information about a raid as bait. A perfect opportunity to kill Chiplunkar arises but Ghote cannot bring himself to do it. Ghote rejects Chiplunkar's blackmail attempt and escapes on a train.
Ghote considers suicide, as he believes Chiplunkar will soon expose and disgrace him. He waits two days then learns Chiplunkar has fled to Ahmedabad
. Ghote is called to the assistant commissioners office where he learns Chiplunkar has purchased Daruwala's flat as a hideout. Ghote deduces that Ranchod is hidden there, waiting for Chiplunkar's order to testify against Ghote. In spite of this, Ghote assists the search team in entering the property. Inside they find Ranchod dead from an overdose of narcotics. Chiplunkar returns home and is arrested for drug possession.
Anything Chiplunkar says about Ghote will be ignored without Ranchod. Ghote goes home and tells Ved that he can have the computer.
: An honest and hard working inspector in the Bombay Police CID. Husband to Protima Ghote and father of Ved Ghote.
Protima Ghote: Wife of Inspector Ganesh Ghote and mother to Ved. Her prejudice against smuggled goods becomes a point of the novel's subplot, in which Ved wants to acquire a home computer.
Ved Ghote: Inspector Ghote's son. Top of his class in most subjects at school and he is approaching puberty. Ved is keen to acquire a home computer, which the family can only afford to buy on the black market.
Z. R. Mistry: A senior government official holding the post of Additional Secretary at the Department for Home Affairs and a prominent member of the Parsi
community. Also the cousin of Mr Burjor Pipewalla.
Mr Ranchod: A servant who worked for Mr Mistry at the time of Ghote's original assignment. Ranchod was a drug addict who tried to fund his habit by blackmailing Ghote until Ghote refused to pay. Ranchod then went to Mama Chiplunka
Dolly Daruwala: A Parsi spinster
, who is somewhat overweight and asthmatic. She learned to blackmail at a very early age and continued to do so, amassing a fortune that allowed her to live better than Mr Mistry, a senior government official.
Burjor Pipewalla: A tax accountant whose files have been stolen by Miss Daruwala and who has subsequently submitted to blackmail by her in order to protect his clients. Also a cousin of Mr Mistry, who he has approached for help.
Inspector Arjun Singh: A dedicated hunter of criminals.
Shiv Chand: Office manager at the tabloid newspaper Gup Shup who attempts to blackmail a Bombay concert pianist.
Freddy Kersasp: Owner, editor and journalist for the Mumbai tabloid Gup Shup. Claims to have run a similar newspaper in the United Kingdom
but in fact acquired the money to start his business from a robbery and murder. Blackmailed wealthy people into buying entries in the never published vanity publication Indians of Merit and Distinction under the threat of seeing their scandals exposed in Gup Shup.
Mama Chiplunka: A very dangerous kingpin in the Mumbai underworld. Chiplunka had a mole in the Police force who passed information to him. When this informant died of natural causes Chiplunka approached Ghote and tried to blackmail him with the information he got from Ranchod.
, to the professional gangster's attempts to force a policeman to betray his colleagues. In the course of the novel Ghote experiences blackmail from every possible angle, as the witness, the policeman, the blackmailer and the victim.
is credited as the inspiration for the title on the dedication page.
The Duke of York
's famous declaration to a potential blackmailer, "Publish and be damned" is referred to frequently in the novel.
, India
. The confrontation between Ghote and Chiplunka takes place in Grant Road railway station.
H. R. F. Keating
Henry Reymond Fitzwalter "Harry" Keating was an English crime fiction writer most notable for his series of novels featuring Inspector Ghote of the Bombay CID.-Life:...
. It is the eighteenth novel in the Inspector Ghote
Inspector Ghote
Inspector Ganesh V. Ghote is a fictional police officer who is the main character in H. R. F. Keating's detective novels. Ghote is an inspector in the police force of Bombay , India....
series but the nineteenth book to be published as an anthology of short stories was released the year before.
Plot introduction
Additional Secretary for Department for Home Affairs Mr Z. R. Mistry requests Inspector Ghote's assistance on a strictly private matter. Unfortunately Mr Mistry has not selected Ghote for his zeal or powers of deduction but because he is "not in a position to make trouble". Thrust into a tangle of illegal activities including blackmailBlackmail
In common usage, blackmail is a crime involving threats to reveal substantially true or false information about a person to the public, a family member, or associates unless a demand is met. It may be defined as coercion involving threats of physical harm, threat of criminal prosecution, or threats...
and murder, Ghote finds himself balanced on a knife-edge between right and wrong as he faces his greatest ever test as a detective and a person.
Explanation of the novel's title
The title is explained early in the novel by the character Z. R. Mistry: "Blackmail," he said, "Perhaps the most hateful crime, short of murder, that is to be found. I once read of it described as the iciest sin." (Keating, The Iciest Sin, Hutchinson, 1990, page 2).On the dedication page Keating attributes the line "Blackmail is the iciest sin" to Rebecca West
Rebecca West
Cicely Isabel Fairfield , known by her pen name Rebecca West, or Dame Rebecca West, DBE was an English author, journalist, literary critic and travel writer. A prolific, protean author who wrote in many genres, West was committed to feminist and liberal principles and was one of the foremost public...
.
Plot summary
Senior government official, Mr Mistry, requests Ghote's assistance on a "private matter". Mr Mistry's neighbour, Miss Daruwala, is blackmailing a Mr Pipewalla. Ghote is told to break into Daruwala's flat, spy on her then use what he sees to force her to leave India. Ghote considers this housebreaking and blackmail but cannot refuse.At home Ghote's son, Ved, attempts to blackmail Ghote into buying a computer by threatening to tell Protima, Ghote's wife, their television was bought on the black market.
The next day Ghote blackmails a locksmith to get keys to Miss Daruwala's apartment, which Ghote's searches until she returns with Dr Edul Commissariat, a famous scientist. Ghote hides overhears that Commissariat submitted someone else's thesis as own work. Miss Daruwala demands "one lakh
Lakh
A lakh is a unit in the Indian numbering system equal to one hundred thousand . It is widely used both in official and other contexts in Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and is often used in Indian English.-Usage:...
in cash" (100,000 rupee
Rupee
The rupee is the common name for the monetary unit of account in India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Pakistan, Mauritius, Seychelles, Maldives, and formerly in Burma, and Afghanistan. Historically, the first currency called "rupee" was introduced in the 16th century...
s). Commissariat murders Miss Daruwala with a swordstick
Swordstick
A swordstick or cane-sword is a cane incorporating a concealed blade. The term is typically used to describe European weapons from around the 18th century, but similar devices have been used throughout history, notably the Japanese shikomizue and the Ancient Roman dolon.- Popularity :The swordstick...
and burns the documents that incriminate her victims.
Afterwards, Ghote leaves his hiding place. He did not arrest Commissariat because the Doctor is a humanitarian and Miss Daruwala's was a blackmailer. Feeling responsible Dr Commissariat's fate, Ghote tells Mr Mistry that Daruwala is dead but not who murdered her. Inspector Arjun Singh of Crime Branch investigates the murder, reported by Ghote's anonymous phone call.
Ghote's is assigned to a blackmail case. Tabloid newspaper, Gup Shup, has blackmailed people into paying for an entry in Indians of Merit and Distinction. Freddy Kersasp is the ringleader but the evidence points to his office manager, Shiv Chand. Ghote arranges a sting operation, in which two people witness the payment.
Ghote returns home and finds Mr Ranchod, Mr Mistry's servant, waiting. Ranchod believes Ghote is blackmailing the murderer. Unwilling to tell Ranchod the truth, Ghote pays him one hundred rupees.
Ghote's sting operation goes well and Shiv Chand is arrested. Chand refuses to testify against Freddy Kersasp who is in the USA. Days pass. Inspector Singh's investigation makes no progress. Ranchod demands more money. Kersasp returns and fires Chand. Chand tells Ghote everything, but Kersasp's blackmail victims refuse to testify.
Ghote learns that Kersasp was the prime suspect in a robbery and murder thirty-seven years ago. Enquiries in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
reveal that Kersasp did not raise the funds to start his newspaper by running a magazine there, as he claimed. There is insufficient evidence to convict Kersasp, but Ghote is ordered to blackmail him into leaving the country. Ghote does so.
Ghote refuses to pay Ranchod when they next meet and several weeks go by. Then Inspector Singh is transferred to the Vigilance Branch of Bombay Police (Internal Affairs) and the Daruwala murder case abandoned.
The next morning a notorious gangster, Mama Chiplunkar, approaches Ghtoe. Ranchod has spoken to Chiplunkar who intends to blackmail Ghote for confidential information. The following day Chiplunkar repeats his demand and Ghote gives in.
In court Shiv Chand is found guilty.
Ghote plans to push Chiplunkar under a train and arranges a meeting with Chiplunkar at Grant Road Station, using information about a raid as bait. A perfect opportunity to kill Chiplunkar arises but Ghote cannot bring himself to do it. Ghote rejects Chiplunkar's blackmail attempt and escapes on a train.
Ghote considers suicide, as he believes Chiplunkar will soon expose and disgrace him. He waits two days then learns Chiplunkar has fled to Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad also known as Karnavati is the largest city in Gujarat, India. It is the former capital of Gujarat and is also the judicial capital of Gujarat as the Gujarat High Court has its seat in Ahmedabad...
. Ghote is called to the assistant commissioners office where he learns Chiplunkar has purchased Daruwala's flat as a hideout. Ghote deduces that Ranchod is hidden there, waiting for Chiplunkar's order to testify against Ghote. In spite of this, Ghote assists the search team in entering the property. Inside they find Ranchod dead from an overdose of narcotics. Chiplunkar returns home and is arrested for drug possession.
Anything Chiplunkar says about Ghote will be ignored without Ranchod. Ghote goes home and tells Ved that he can have the computer.
Characters in "The Iciest Sin"
Inspector Ganesh GhoteInspector Ghote
Inspector Ganesh V. Ghote is a fictional police officer who is the main character in H. R. F. Keating's detective novels. Ghote is an inspector in the police force of Bombay , India....
: An honest and hard working inspector in the Bombay Police CID. Husband to Protima Ghote and father of Ved Ghote.
Protima Ghote: Wife of Inspector Ganesh Ghote and mother to Ved. Her prejudice against smuggled goods becomes a point of the novel's subplot, in which Ved wants to acquire a home computer.
Ved Ghote: Inspector Ghote's son. Top of his class in most subjects at school and he is approaching puberty. Ved is keen to acquire a home computer, which the family can only afford to buy on the black market.
Z. R. Mistry: A senior government official holding the post of Additional Secretary at the Department for Home Affairs and a prominent member of the Parsi
Parsi
Parsi or Parsee refers to a member of the larger of the two Zoroastrian communities in South Asia, the other being the Irani community....
community. Also the cousin of Mr Burjor Pipewalla.
Mr Ranchod: A servant who worked for Mr Mistry at the time of Ghote's original assignment. Ranchod was a drug addict who tried to fund his habit by blackmailing Ghote until Ghote refused to pay. Ranchod then went to Mama Chiplunka
Dolly Daruwala: A Parsi spinster
Spinster
A spinster, or old maid, is an older, childless woman who has never been married.For a woman to be identified as a spinster, age is critical...
, who is somewhat overweight and asthmatic. She learned to blackmail at a very early age and continued to do so, amassing a fortune that allowed her to live better than Mr Mistry, a senior government official.
Burjor Pipewalla: A tax accountant whose files have been stolen by Miss Daruwala and who has subsequently submitted to blackmail by her in order to protect his clients. Also a cousin of Mr Mistry, who he has approached for help.
Inspector Arjun Singh: A dedicated hunter of criminals.
Shiv Chand: Office manager at the tabloid newspaper Gup Shup who attempts to blackmail a Bombay concert pianist.
Freddy Kersasp: Owner, editor and journalist for the Mumbai tabloid Gup Shup. Claims to have run a similar newspaper in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
but in fact acquired the money to start his business from a robbery and murder. Blackmailed wealthy people into buying entries in the never published vanity publication Indians of Merit and Distinction under the threat of seeing their scandals exposed in Gup Shup.
Mama Chiplunka: A very dangerous kingpin in the Mumbai underworld. Chiplunka had a mole in the Police force who passed information to him. When this informant died of natural causes Chiplunka approached Ghote and tried to blackmail him with the information he got from Ranchod.
Major themes
The single theme throughout the novel is blackmail, from Ved's childish attempts to pressure his father into buying the latest gadget using emotional blackmailEmotional blackmail
Emotional blackmail is a term used to cover a central form of psychological manipulation - 'the use of a system of threats and punishment on a person by someone close to them in an attempt to control their behavior'. "Emotional blackmail.....
, to the professional gangster's attempts to force a policeman to betray his colleagues. In the course of the novel Ghote experiences blackmail from every possible angle, as the witness, the policeman, the blackmailer and the victim.
Allusions/references to other works
Writer Rebecca WestRebecca West
Cicely Isabel Fairfield , known by her pen name Rebecca West, or Dame Rebecca West, DBE was an English author, journalist, literary critic and travel writer. A prolific, protean author who wrote in many genres, West was committed to feminist and liberal principles and was one of the foremost public...
is credited as the inspiration for the title on the dedication page.
The Duke of York
Duke of York
The Duke of York is a title of nobility in the British peerage. Since the 15th century, it has, when granted, usually been given to the second son of the British monarch. The title has been created a remarkable eleven times, eight as "Duke of York" and three as the double-barreled "Duke of York and...
's famous declaration to a potential blackmailer, "Publish and be damned" is referred to frequently in the novel.
Allusions/references to actual history, geography and current science
The novel is set in MumbaiMumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. The confrontation between Ghote and Chiplunka takes place in Grant Road railway station.
Release details
- 1990, UK, Hutchinson, ISBN 0-09-173745-1 / 978-0-09-173745-0, 4 October 1990, Hardback
- 1990, USA, Mysterious Press, ISBN 0-89296-427-8 / 978-0-89296-427-7, November 1990, Hardback
- 1991, UK, Arrow Books Limited, ISBN 0-09-978480-7 / 978-0-09-978480-7, 3 October 1991, Paperback
- 1991, USA, Warner Books, ISBN 0-446-40062-9 / 978-0-446-40062-6, 1 January 1991, Paperback
- 1992, UK, Magna Large Print Books, ISBN 0-7505-0421-8 / 978-0-7505-0421-8, November 1992, Hardback
- 1993, USA, Recorded Books, ISBN 1-55690-891-1 / 9781556908910, 1993, Audio Cassette