Mrs. Sidhu Investigates (Review) -- The Menopausal Indian Caterer who Sniffs out Murderers

Cozy mysteries have never really been my thing, in either book or TV show.

They’re usually too cutesy, too predictable, too convenient, and too... well, basically cheerful (for me).

 But plenty of other people clearly love them, and that’s cool. (Hey, there’s more than enough room in the pond for everyone’s tastes, which is as it should be.)

 Every now and then, though, something “cozy” grabs my attention, and I give it a try... like I did last week, with Mrs. Sidhu Investigates (streaming on Acorn TV, which is easy to get through Amazon).

 And, just like those blue moons, once in a great while I’m pleasantly surprised and delighted... as I was with Mrs. Sidhu.

 

 

A middle-aged catering chef—who, for much of the season, seems to be capably running a one-woman operation (from prepping and cooking, to delivering and serving the food!)—in the smallish city of Slough, England, doesn’t seem like the obvious choice of heroine for, well, most things... let alone, a light-hearted mystery series.

 But the irrepressible Mrs. Sidhu (delightfully-played by Meera Syal) is a force to be reckoned with... a whirling dervish of determination, empathy, ideas, and positivity. From Tez (her lazy, mid-20s, live-at-home son, who can typically be found playing video games on the sofa, covered in cheese puff dust)... to the perpetually-annoyed DCI Burton and his subordinate, the doubtful Sergeant Mint (whose murder cases she keeps popping up at)... to the assorted witnesses and suspects she blithely chats with at those crime scenes... no one can say no to Mrs. Sidhu, for long.

(Especially not when she’s constantly plying them with soothing chai teas, delectable Indian sweets, and all manner of dishes that make me wish someone would bring back Smell-O-Vision, and install it in all TVs..!)

 Does Mrs. Sidhu solve the cases—or at the very least, note the significance of certain clues, or get a gut feeling about someone, which leads to a grand denouement? She absolutely does... of course. This is a cozy mystery series, so the hero/heroine always succeeds in outwitting—or at least outing—the bad guy.  

 And in this instance? I’m most definitely okay with that, because Mrs. Sidhu worked her charm on me, too. 

 A few other reasons to watch Mrs. Sidhu Investigates:

·   I  It’s refreshing to experience things from the viewpoint of a main character with a mix of cultural heritages

·      Mrs. Sidhu is eminently relatable (to adult women, for sure), as a widow figuring out her new place in the world (suddenly having to earn a living for herself and her mooch of a son), and dealing with menopause, and being looked down on as a working woman by her neighbors

·      The location—Slough—feels fresh (which would probably strike most Brits as hilarious, but hey, I don’t recall ever seeing anything else, ever, set there!)

·      DCI Burton is the perfect combo of dry and resigned in Craig Parkinson’s performance (similar to the character he plays in the top-notch [and not-cozy] detective series, Grace)

·      The relationships show growth, from that of Mrs. Sidhu and DCI Burton (also Sergeant Mint), to that with her son (played by Gurjeet Singh, with whom she shares a great mother-son chemistry), which makes investing in the characters more rewarding

 

 Mrs. Sidhu Investigates has only one season, to date—four, one-and-a-half-hour-long episodes, each –so is pretty easy to binge in, say, a long weekend (or, who am I kidding—a sleepless night or two)... and is great fun the whole time. I truly hope this one earns a second season, because Mrs. Sidhu is “cozy” done really well... and I most definitely want to see more of this interesting, intrepid chef-cum-sleuth!

~GlamKitty

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