I’m always excited to read mystery novels in which the protagonist is a woman! Even more so if she is an Indian. I have had copies of Sujata Massey’s books for years now but for reasons unknown never got to read it. When I finally did read her first book in the Perveen Mistry series, I was very impressed by both the story and also the way in which Massey has shaped the protagonist so thoughtfully. Set in the 1920s, A Murder on Malabar Hill paints a good picture of history and mystery.

Perveen Mistry is India’s first woman lawyer but women back then weren’t allowed to represent in the court. She instead works alongside her father, a famous lawyer named Jamshedji. When a wealthy Muslim businessman passes away, one whose lawyer has been Jamshedji for decades, Perveen learns that his three purdahnashin widows are left with no one to look after their interests. Perveen is suspicious about the intentions of a male guardian appointed to make decisions for the widows. She takes it upon herself to speak to the purdahnashins and understand what’s going on.

When Perveen sets about to learn the workings of the family, she discovers foul play and to add to it, there’s a murder. She gets caught up amidst the chaos, while her own dreadful past keeps throwing flashbacks at her. The case is finally resolved as it’s usually the case with murder mysteries but this book isn’t just about the murder. Perveen’s own character adds flair to the story and as Massey describes the Parsi culture, I was thoroughly immersed in the book. Perveen adds a human element to the story, filled with empathy and concern all the while being tough to fight her battles when required.

This was most definitely an interesting novel and as I’m reading the second book in the series at the moment, I have no doubt that it’s just a matter of time before she becomes my favourite detective/lawyer character.

I highly recommend this book.