Sujata Massey

Bombay, 1921: Perveen Mistry, the daughter of a respected Zoroastrian family, has just joined her father's law firm, becoming one of the first female lawyers in India. Armed with a law degree from Oxford, Perveen also has a tragic personal history that makes her especially devoted to championing and protecting women's legal rights. Inspired in part by a real woman who made history by becoming India's first female lawyer, The Widows of Malabar Hill is a richly wrought story of multicultural 1920s Bombay as well as the debut of a sharp and promising new sleuth, Perveen Mistry.

The Widows of Malabar Hill

Caroline

Sonia Grgas

This almost went onto the DNF shelf but I persevered and I'm glad I did. Once the narrative concentrated on the mystery it was fine. The backstory of the main character, while interesting, was too distracting. Actually looking forward to the next installment.

Janice Hopper

I found this was a very pleasant read. It's a story set in early 20th century India, about a the first female solicitor in India. Perveen works with her father, who's also a lawyer. She initially tried to study law in India, but she received so much harassment from the male students and instructors that she quit. She ended up finishing law school in England due to some personal circumstances that are described in the book.

The plot jumps back and forth between the novel's current time (1921) and earlier events (1916/1917). In the current day, Perveen has to help 3 widows of one man (he was a polygynist) who, she suspects, are about to be cheated by the man who's been left in charge of the estate. This is especially unfortunate because the women have lived in purdah, i.e., almost total seclusion from anyone but each other, the husband, their children, and some of the servants. 

Then a murder happens!

The novel ends a little quickly (it seemed to me), but everything was mostly wrapped up. There's a possibility left open of one character returning.

What was really interesting here were the details of the society, the food, and the various customs of the different religious groups. There is a glossary at the end, which I didn't notice till I was fairly close to the end. Before that, I'd been reading with my laptop open, so I could look up anything that intrigued me (pickled carrots and raisins, for example! I found a recipe, though these days I rarely cook. But I also learned through that about jaggery! Hooray for learning!)

This was for my Mystery Book Club. I liked it quite a bit more than expected -- I read most of it in one day while I was knitting a shawl.

Cheri McElroy

Perveen Mistry is a twenty-three year old Oxford educated female lawyer working with her father in Bombay India in 1921. She encounters a murder mystery while seeing the widows of a former family client and decides to figure out “whodunnit.”

I loved the information I received on Indian culture, as well as the strong female characters and the emphasis on family. Perveen was no stranger to mistakes and tragedy herself, and this backstory is woven in to the novel in a way that helped me understand her need to be an advocate for these widows. I really enjoyed this story and look forward to the next book in the series.

Sahi K

I really can’t recall how but I just somehow stumbled upon the sequel of this book when it released a couple of months ago, and was pleasantly surprised to know that a pre-independence era India historical mystery series existed. It instantly captured my attention and I decided I had to start at the beginning, and I’m so happy I did.

I don’t think I’ve read many historical books set in India, especially ones which don’t have anything to do with the freedom struggle. This was such a contrast because the author gives us a look into the affluent Parsi community in 1920s Bombay, who are rich and cultured, British educated and have respected professions. I thought the author did a brilliant job bringing the rich culture and customs of the Parsi community alive through her descriptions - I especially enjoyed getting to know the wedding ceremony details and all the different kinds of Persian and Irani food, and also some very interesting insights into Parsi marital laws. (There was one offhand mention of a sweet from my state of Andhra which is hardly known outside, so that really delighted me). On the other hand, we also get to know about the Muslim women who decide to live under purdah and the way they conduct their affairs under the circumstances - all while never casting aspersions on the custom itself. We also get to know the struggles the women faced during the time, despite being highly educated and qualified and it truly gives us an appreciation for such amazing women and their allies who fought for all the rights we enjoy today. The authors lists many sources towards the end of the book and I’m really thankful for that, as it gives me an opportunity to explore more about my country’s history. The story is told in two timelines, the past detailing the MCs married life and the present following her as she tries to solve a murder mystery and protect her clients. The writing was very good at balancing both the aspects, and while the mystery wasn’t full of twists and turns, it had it’s tense moments that kept me glued. It took a while for the story to get going but about 30% into it, it got very interesting and I didn’t wanna put it down. 

Perveen Mistry is the only female lawyer in the city of Bombay, but she is still not allowed to appear in court and can only work as a solicitor. She is a vibrant, fiesty woman who is confident about her abilities and it really grates on her that she is disrespected or just dismissed because of her gender. The insight into her past marital issues also gives us an insight into how much she has changed over the years and the reason for some of her actions. She is a true go-getter, even impulsive sometimes, but I really enjoyed getting to know her. My only gripe was that she could be dismissive of her father sometimes despite him being one of her biggest champions. 

Reading about her life immediately after marriage was a bit painful and I really felt for her, and I think it’s very relatable to many women even now who go from liberal parent’s homes to conservative or orthodox marital homes, and it’s such a tough adjustment. Her parents are really amazing and I loved reading how supportive they were of her, and believed her completely. Her best friend Alice is an Indian born British woman, and despite being Oxford educated herself, seems to be in a similar predicament unable to make her own choices. The best part of the book for me were definitely Perveen’s interactions with the three widows who were her clients. I loved how involved Perveen got into making sure they knew their rights and were able to provide for themselves and their kids. While she was reckless herself, she was much more concerned for their safety and went above and beyond to ensure that, and it really endeared me to her. While the mystery is resolved pretty easily, I thought the point of this book was more to setup the character of Perveen herself and acquaint us with her capabilities.

Finally, I want to say that this was a surprisingly interesting, but very quiet historical mystery novel. The stakes never felt dangerous but definitely felt important and the author maintained a steady pace throughout, so I never felt bored. If you want to get a glimpse into 1920s Bombay and follow alongside a lawyer heroine while she takes on all the obstacles and prejudices in her way, then pick this book up and you won’t be disappointed.

Judy McClure

Absolutely fabulous book!!! So glad I've got the next two in the series as well.

Meg Casey

This book might be perfect for someone, but it did not work for me. In general, the use of flashbacks does not work for me unless I'm really invested in the characters or the story. This was not the case in this book. Additionally, it took too long for the mystery element to be revealed so I wasn't hooked from the beginning.

But, yeah, I'm sure this is great for someone else if you think the premise sounds interesting!

Megan

Christine Liu

I'm notoriously hard to please when it comes to mystery books, but I really enjoyed this one. I was drawn into the world and the characters immediately. The narrative occasionally jumps back a few years to event that happened when Purveen was a student. I wasn't too interested in the flashbacks to begin with, but they do serve a purpose. Just when I found myself thinking, "this book would be really good if there wasn't this random romance from the past wedged in," it completely surprised me. Sujata Massey knows exactly what she's doing.
 
I really enjoyed the character development in this book. The three widows are three distinct and fully fleshed out people. Purveen Mistry is a brilliant heroine. She's smart, compassionate, resourceful, and a feminist ahead of her time. The mystery was good, but where this book really shines is as a work of historical fiction. It offers a detailed glimpse into many cultures that I wasn't familiar with, particularly the Parsi community in Bombay of the 1920s. We see the sexism and racism that Purveen faces as well as the complex dynamics between men and women, between the British and the Indians, and between family members. We need more books like this one.

Les Reynolds

Didn't connect with the story, attempted to reach for something outside of my perspective, but didn't enjoy it.

The Widows of Malabar Hill

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