The Widows of Malabar Hill (A Mystery of 1920s India)

Having been a fan of Sujata Massey's award-winning Rei Shimura mystery series, I was thrilled to hear about this first Perveen Mistry mystery set in 1920s Bombay, India. There are two interwoven timelines in The Widows of Malabar Hill. One is present-day Bombay in 1921 which shows us Perveen working hard to become an integral part of her father's law firm. The second timeline takes us back to 1916 so we can learn what happened to Perveen to make her the woman she is five years later.

The story itself is a version of the locked room mystery. The widows live in purdah on Sea View Street. They stay in the women's section of the house, they do not leave their home, and they do not speak to any man who is not part of the immediate household. When a man dies inside a house where few people are admitted, it's going to take knowledge of the interior workings of the place to learn the truth. As a woman, Perveen is perfect for the role of investigator. She's also perfect in another way: she's become a feminist who's passionate about the rights of women and children. She shows us how such restricted lives are led and the intricate maneuverings that must be done in order to conduct an investigation. (Some policemen are much less willing to conduct themselves according to the beliefs of those who have become a part of their investigation.)

The mystery is a strong one because readers must acquaint themselves with this unfamiliar world in order to piece together what happened. And what can I say about the setting? Massey pulled me right into this world, and I was almost on sensory overload. The old ways versus the new. Bombay's rapid growth into a vibrant major city. The various political, religious, and social factions that chafed against each other on a daily basis. And one woman, with the support of her parents, who's strong enough to stand up for what's right.

I can't wait to get my hands on the next book in the series!

A deeply rewarding read with a wonderful new character from Massey, who is an expert at evoking time and place. Perveen Mistry is a privileged young woman in 1920s Bombay- if you look at the surface. Below that, she's had to deal with a bad situation, the tale of which spools out over the course of the novel. Now working with her father as a solicitor, she finds herself engaged in the case of three widows of the same man (and their children), who may be cheated of their inheritances. In short, she investigates the situation and ultimately sets things to right. She is a great character as is her good friend Alice (who I hope we see more of in the future). Watch out for her father's appearance in court. The widows are all distinctive and no doubt you'll find yourself favoring one of them. The best part about this is that is so atmospheric AND that you will learn about Parsi law, the situation for women in 1900s India, purdah, and other things I can hardly begin to describe. Beautifully written and wonderfully information- I can't thank Edelweiss enough for the ARC. Highly recommend this.

It is 1921 and the Indian subcontinent is experiencing change as agitation for independence from Britain grows stronger and many traditions are challenged. In multicultural Bombay, modern times are personified in the city's first female attorney, Oxford-educated Perveen Mistry, a member of the minority Parsi community. Although employed by her father's law firm, the young woman is not permitted to argue cases in court and works primarily behind the scenes, until she is asked to assist more directly with a case involving three recently bereaved Muslim women who live secluded in their home according to the strictures of purdah. Her own horrific marital history gives Perveen useful insight into how the widows may have been cheated out of their rights, but she does not anticipate being drawn into a deadly situation that escalates into an abduction and homicide. With compelling characters and a colorful setting this novel brings a bygone time to vibrant life, thanks to the author's extensive background research. Many readers will want to see more of Perveen in the future.

I first became a fan of Sujata Massey through her Rei Shimura detective novels about a Japanese-American antiques dealer turned detective. Sujata Massey, half Indian and half German, lived and worked in Japan around the same time that I did. Rei Shimura was spunky, independent, and curious about the world, and she's my all-time favorite detective.

Now Sujata Massey has branched out into writing about India, and I love these books even more! In 2013 she published The Sleeping Dictionary, a historical novel about a poor Indian girl without a family, leaving her few options for survival. It was one of my favorite books in 2013.

Next up is The Widows of Malabar Hill, the first in her Perveen Mistry series. An Oxford-educated, multilingual Parsi woman in Bombay (now Mumbai) in 1921, Perveen is one of the first female lawyers in India, partially inspired by the real life of Cornelia Sorabji.

Perveen has modern parents who encourage her education and career, but they do still want her to get married. The novel covers the travails of her personal life as well as her professional work.

She helps her dad with a case of a rich Muslim mill owner who has died and left three widows behind. The women are in full purdah (exclusion from men), so Perveen is best suited to speak to them. She soon becomes concerned because their husband's agent plans to give away their inheritance and leave them with nothing. When she begins to investigate the situation, a murder occurs and things escalate.

I am excited about reading more of this series. Massey does an exquisite job exposing the reader to many facets of Indian culture and religion--in this case Islam and Parsis, who are descended from Persian Zoroastrians. I've actually read quite a lot about Parsis; it seems that, although their population is fairly small and rapidly diminishing in India, their culture is a popular and fascinating subject in fiction!

Check out Massey's excellent website to read the first chapter, peruse recipes from the book, see photos from real places in the book, and read her Q&A.

Excellent historical fiction + setting in Asia + a spunky heroine + mystery and adventure = the perfect combination for me!

Bring on the next one!

I had the satisfaction of finishing reading "THE WIDOWS OF MALABAR HILL." It's centered around India's first woman lawyer, Perveen Mistry, who had received her legal training at Oxford. The time is February 1921 and she has returned to her home in Bombay, where she has a job working in her father's law firm.

Perveen has been given the responsibility of executing the will of Omar Farid, a wealthy Muslim who owned a fabric mill and had 3 wives. In the immediate aftermath of Farid's death, the 3 widows are living in strict purdah (a type of seclusion in which the widows never leave the women's quarters nor see and speak with any man) at the Farid residence on Malabar Hill. Whilst carefully reading the documents, Perveen notices that the widows have signed off their inheritance to a charity. What strikes Perveen as odd is that one of the widows' signature is a 'X', which is a clear indication that the widow who affixed the 'X' probably was unable to read the document. This leads Perveen to wonder how the 3 widows will be able to live and take care of themselves. She begins to suspect that maybe they may be taken advantage of by the legal guardian entrusted by Mr. Farid to handle their financial affairs. Perveen has the welfare and best interests of her clients, the 3 widows, in mind.

Perveen goes on to carry out an investigation. She makes an arrangement with the widows' legal guardian, Feisal Mukri, to come to the residence to visit the widows and to speak with each of them separately. In the process of doing so, tensions are stirred in the Farid residence and a murder takes place there that makes a straightforward matter of executing a family will into something much more perilous and uncertain. There is also something out of Perveen's recent past in Calcutta that intrudes into her present life.

"THE WIDOWS OF MALABAR HILL" is a novel whose prose resonates on every page. It has a lot of twists and turns that will engage the reader's attention throughout. Sujata Massey is a writer who not only knows how to craft and tell a richly compelling novel. She'll leave the reader wanting more. And after almost 14 years of reading Massey's work, I'm already eager to begin reading the second novel in the Perveen Mistry Series.

A mild mystery is elevated by a strong main character and a rich atmosphere. Set in the 1920s, this novels features India's first female attorney, Perveen Mistry. Working for her father's law firm, she is assigned a case of the three widows of a wealthy mill owner. Muslims, the women are segregated. Paperwork transferring their interest in the estate fo a family trust raises Perveen's suspicions. Her meeting with the widows supports her concerns and soon a murder ensues.

The strength of this story is in the strong characterizations and the atmosphere of India int he twenties. The cultural mosaic that is India is well conveyed. Perveen's own family drama and feminism are far more compelling than the rather tepid and predictable murder mystery. The challenges of being an intelligent woman in that time period and Perveen's own family drama overshadow the tepid mystery. Still a promising start to a new series.

Sujata Massey, author of the Rei Shimera series set in Japan, turns her considerable imaginative and research skills to a brand new series set in Bombay, early 20th century. Massey bases the series’ star, Perveen Mistry, on the woman who was the first of her gender to work as a lawyer in India. Perveen, a member of a prominent Parsi Zoroastrian family, proves to be an independent, wise, plucky woman. The author has written a page-turner story with a fascinating plot that never lags even while she weaves in plenty of early 20th century current events, religious and cultural distinctions, food ways, family life and depictions of a multicultural society changing fast. If you love mysteries and wise and not-so women and men, this book delivers.

I’ve read a fair amount of 20th century fiction by Indians and others. Massey’s new book expanded my knowledge and interest. Massey, raised in the USA, has an Indian father and German mother and thus familiarity with things Indian. What I really like is that she expands beyond her personal background to create a whole believable world. Her journalism experience (Baltimore Sun) shows in research and atttn to detail. Her fiction chops do the rest. #2 in the series comes out late this year. Highly recommended!

I loved the details! The book completely transported me to India in the 1920's, a time when women had little say in their lives, and domestic law was different for many people, depending upon their religion. The protagonist, a very astute and ethical young lady, self-diagnosed as a spoiled rich girl, but never addressed that aspect of herself, and never learned to control her impulsive actions, which put her in danger. I could have done without the switching back and forth in time. The out-of-sequence confused me, and I was continually looking back at the beginning of the chapters to see exactly when this was taking place.

Sujata Massey has created an irresistible heroine in Perveen Mistry, Bombay’s first female solicitor. It’s 1921, and Perveen balances her modern ideas with the too traditional ideas of colonial India. Massey never crosses over into anachronism; Perveen remains an observant, if not too strict, Parsee, but she’s a determined young woman and a champion for other women in a society where they almost never get a break.

Perveen goes to interview the three widows of a late client of her father, Jamshedji Mistry, one of Bombay’s most esteemed lawyers. She suspects that the women — two of whom have spent their entire lives in purdah (isolation) — are being bamboozled by the late husband’s estate trustee, Faisal Mukri. But before long, the shifty Mukri has been murdered, and the widows are the obvious suspects. Massey does yeoman’s work in the plot set in 1921. Unfortunately, she cuts back and forth between 1921 and a less-interesting backstory from 1916 that slowed the novel to crawl each time and left me impatient to get back to the suspenseful mystery. It was irritating enough to dock the rating a star. A more gifted writer (I’m talking about you, Laurie R. King) would have woven the backstory into the main timeline.

Now, back to the positive. Tarquin Hall’s Vish Puri novels and Davies’ Marcus Didius Falco novels serve as lessons on modern India and Ancient Rome, respectively, with the education seamlessly interwoven in the wonderful plots; here, Massey is up to the same challenge. She introduces readers to the smells, sounds and sights of colonial India; the domestic lives of Parsee, Hindu and Muslim; and the hopes of women — English and Indian — who dreamed of a fuller life. And, lucky us! As this is the first of a series, readers will get many more tastes of colonial India — and less of the sour taste of intercutting stories.

In the interest of full disclosure, I received this book from NetGalley and Soho Press in exchange for an honest review.

Sujata Massey has done her research. This novel has a real feel for the time periods -- 1916/17 and 1920 -- I'll get back to the two years this story takes place across in a moment. The challenges that Perveen Mistry faces as the first female lawyer in a still British ruled India feel very real, sometimes frustratingly so. Everything in the book is described in great detail and sometimes I had to look up a term to make sure I fully understood what an article of clothing, type of food, or style of architecture was.

Unlike many female leads in mysteries, Perveen doesn't see herself as a sleuth but merely a lawyer doing her work to help her career and her father's. That threw me a little bit since this book was described as a mystery and in some ways it is, just not in the find the murder sense most mysteries tend to focus on in various degrees of detail.

The characters seem realistic. Attitudes that we might see as sexist today would have been progression in the first quarter of the 20th century. Relationships between fathers and daughters, between school friends, between servants and employers felt natural as I read them. Perveen was well-rounded and sympathetic, she even inspired a couple of smiles from me as I read.

Let's go back to the two periods covered in the book. The majority of the story takes place in 1921 where Perveen is a lawyer looking at helping some widows deal with their money post their husband's death -- yup, there is a polygynous household in this book. However the story also goes back to a horrible period in Perveen's life from 1916-17. I don't want to spoil the story but each time we were taken out 1921 I was a bit annoyed. I think the story would have been perfectly fine without the flashback.

Overall I enjoyed this book and I'm open to following Perveen as she tries to help out more clients but maybe without the time jumps.

Sujata Massey scores a century!. Her fiction should have back notes; so filled is it with detail and minutiae that informs and enhances each character perfectly.

Because I love this time in Bombay I was holding my breath waiting for Widows and because this is my specific time/area of interest, my fingers were crossed.

This is a Bombay tour de force. Maps, glossary, authenticity that is stunning. She did her research and it shines on every page. Worth the wait and hope there are many more. Her characters are tangible; fully drawn and believable. (And because I read many books on this specific subject - I always have an Eicher map to ref locations.)* If you are a lover of Bombay and India - you must read this wonderful, literary mystery. If not, you will probably become one. I never include spoilers; the gist of the story is on the cover flaps. The recommendation is all mine.

I am certain the author must need a rest - but I eagerly await the next Perveen Mistry title. I shall meanwhile re-read "The Good Parsi" for a refresher course.

{Do you wonder if I am an Indophile? Indeed I am for 20 years - shelves of subject specific books. All India}.
Re: *Mumbai v. Bombay - MUCH has changed.
My opinion - The Widows of Malabar is a 10/10 - a galaxy of stars.

Amazing book. Perveen Mistry is the first female solicitor in 1921 Bombay. While she cannot plead cases before the bar, she aids clients of her family's law firm. Assisting her father in an inheritance case, she discovers a murdered man at the house of the three widows. As the women follow the tradition of purdah--not having contact with men, Perveen's gender becomes an asset in unravelling the mystery. The cultural details educate and inform the reader while the story entrances. I read and loved Sunjata Massey's Rei Shimura series, but this book hits you on so many levels. If you are interested in other cultures, love mysteries and good stories, you will enjoy this one. Highly recommended!

The Widows of Malabar Hill by Sujata Massey was an engaging read with authentic characters, an interesting setting, and a glimpse into a unique culture. I loved this mystery that took place in 1920(s) Bombay, India and introduced a female lawyer, Perveen Mistry, inspired by the real-life first female attorney from India. Perveen, assigned the task of executing the Will of a client who had three wives living in seclusion, was troubled by a signed letter by the wives relinquishing their inheritances. As the wives are not permitted to speak with males, other than their husband, Perveen found herself in the unique position of being able to interview the wives to determine the legitimacy of the letter and their true intentions. Perveen became entangled in the subsequent murder that took place in the wives’ home. Perveen also has an intriguing back-story. This is the first book in a new series and I anxiously await the next installment.

There are layers and layers here—from the initial mystery surrounding the widows to the challenges facing a woman lawyer in Bombay in the 1920s to conflicting customs around women’s rights and marriage. I could feel the heroine’s frustration with the constraints of her culture. And her family, her in-laws, even her best friend provided a varied and fascinating cast of characters. The author molded the story to the setting without hitting the reader over the head, and she made the intricacies of Parsi law easy to follow. This is the start of a series. I look forward to the next.

I loved this book and look forward to reading more from this author. I enjoyed the authentic ambiance the author created while telling an intriguing story. It was interesting to learn more about the customs of the day and details shared without the book becoming tiresome. It reminded me of the of The Space Between Us, which I really enjoyed as a respite from my own culture–like a mini-vacation. Yet the book did not become a postmodernist screed, a possibility many authors would not have resisted and many publishers would have insisted on. If you are like me–tired of people preaching the identical ideology as diversity–you will appreciate the author's light hand in her treatment of historically distant cultures.

I genuinely loved this book and hope it becomes a series. Looking forward to many more hours or intrigue and reading pleasure.

The story starts very slowly with lots of references to the past that are indecipherable until later in the book. Also, lots of Indian words that were impossible to figure out and too time consuming to keep looking them up. There is a SMALL glossary after the last page of the story and before the acknowledgements page. After 100 pages, the story picks up and becomes much more interesting. This story takes place in the early 1900's and chronicles the rigid social structure for women. Unfortunately, there are still women in the world forced to endure similar restraints.

Based on the first female attorney in India, Parveen Mistry, gets involved in solving the mystery of the guardian of Muslim widows for whom she and her father are legal representatives. She’s Parsi and friends with the daughter of a high-powered British government employees. Add in the world of Muslim women, a multicultural view of India is the backdrop for the story. Set in the 1920s, even the British had a very limited view of what women could do, although it was far more progressive than the Muslim and Parsi. Weaving all this cultural information into the storyline, enhanced the story greatly. I look forward to more Parveen Mistry mysteries.

I enjoyed the historical and cultural aspects of The Widows of Malabar Hill as well as the character of Perveen, a young woman trying to find her way in a patriarchal society. Perveenis is modeled on India's first woman lawyer, Cornelia Sorabji, a Parsi who practised in the 1920s . The plot is well structured and the main character is a sympathetic one. The book seems to be the start of a promising historical mystery series.

I enjoyed meeting a new type of character in Perveen Mistry, a Parsi lawyer in 1920s Bombay. I hope the author writes another book featuring Perveen. On the less positive aspects of this book: I felt it was too slow-moving at times and too long. The pace seemed faster when Perveen was married to Cyrus years before. The conclusion of the mystery was not really all that much of a surprise. So, if the author tightened up her writing and moved the plot along more quickly, I think the second Perveen novel will be much better.

Excellent description and sense of time and place and character. It's easy to feel Perveen's frustration with the constraints upon her because she's a woman and the sense that times are changing but not fast enough. Because of the slow pace and the strong "female angle" and the romance, I doubt most male readers would get into this book - but I could be wrong.

A really well-crafted mystery steeped in an unusual setting, the 1920s in Bombay. I particularly enjoyed the food and sight/sound/smell descriptions. It's a very rich reading experience. I also enjoyed learning about Parsi culture, which I had never read about before.

Very different setting of Bombay, India in the 1920s - and the first female lawyer. I learned a lot while enjoying the story. This is the first in a new series - and I will definitely be on the lookout for more books in this series. It was also the first time I've read anything by this author, so I'll gladly be reading earlier books she's written - while awaiting the next book featuring Perveen Mistry.

This book held my interest for several reasons. It was not only well written with several intriguing plot twists, it was informative as well. The author managed to tell a gripping tale of murder and intrigue while informing the reader about the religious and cultural practices of India during the British rule.

I totally enjoyed a glimpse into the customs and lifestyles of a country that I may never be able to visit. The story was delightful and kept my interest. Sorry I am terrible at writing reviews, but since I took the time to write this one, you can be sure that The Widows of Malabar Hill is a good read.

This is indeed a rivetting historical tale of Bombay in the 1920's. This is of course fiction soundly based on fact. Treatment of women at that time and place supplies the main theme. It works well as a mystery. Above all, this is a marvelous introduction to a new series. The author is well known for her stories of Japan. I'm sure that these stories of India will be the equal.

Just finished reading this book. I hope the author will write more books with the main character Perveen. The history was fascinating and the mystery intriguing. I felt like I was in 1920's Bombay, thank you for writing this excellent book.

The esoteric background and setting of THE WIDOWS OF MALABAR HILL—a novel about a Zoroastrian (Persian) family law firm that represents traditional Muslims practicing polygyny (multiple wives) and purdah (seclusion of women in their homes, behind the veil) in 1921 Bombay, India—simply defeated me. It seemed like every paragraph contained an unfamiliar religious, cultural, historical, legal, linguistic, or food term that required the author to take the time to define it.

Also, I couldn’t really wrap my head around the actions of the female lead character (Purveen), who is modeled on the real Oxford-educated woman who was Bombay’s first female solicitor (in 1923). Purveen seems to need an escort and/or her father’s permission to so much as cross the street (she is criticized for going to the nearby bakery by herself to speak to a vagrant). Yet she takes it on herself, when working on a will, to investigate a suspicious request from a deceased client’s estate administrator, and then to fight for the rights of the deceased client’s widows who are signing away their mahr (promise of being taken care of if their husband dies).

In addition to the difficult subject matter (for what is supposed to be a cozy historical mystery), the book is typeset in a way that makes it very difficult to read. (Probably the lines are too long for the size of the type, or there isn’t enough leading between the lines.) That is the book designer’s fault, not the author’s, but my eyes kept giving out as I struggled to pay close attention to the difficult text. Author Sujata Massey, who has written a number of award-winning novels, deserved better treatment from the publisher. But for all of the above reasons, I found this novel unreadable.

This is a thoroughly enjoyable book and Purveen Mistry is a delight - and hopefully one that will delight for years to come. Ms. Massey lifts the veils, literally and figuratively, from the culture in order to delight and educate. Simply a joy to read.

The author wove an interesting story using laws that govern the actions of women in India. At times, though, the switch back and forth in time was hard to follow. In all it was the best way to tell the story of the women involved.

Oh, I do hope Sujata Massey writes another novel with Purveen. Loved this book and the heroine. It’s beautifully written and the story line pulls you right in. The legal side of laws in India are definitely different. Highly recommend mended read.

Based on the first female attorney in India, Parveen Mistry, gets involved in solving the mystery of the guardian of Muslim widows for whom she and her father are legal representatives. She’s Parsi and friends with the daughter of a high-powered British government employees. Add in the world of Muslim women, a multicultural view of India is the backdrop for the story. Set in the 1920s, even the British had a very limited view of what women could do, although it was far more progressive than the Muslim and Parsi. Weaving all this cultural information into the storyline, enhanced the story greatly. I look forward to more Parveen Mistry mysteries.

Very different setting of Bombay, India in the 1920s - and the first female lawyer. I learned a lot while enjoying the story. This is the first in a new series - and I will definitely be on the lookout for more books in this series. It was also the first time I've read anything by this author, so I'll gladly be reading earlier books she's written - while awaiting the next book featuring Perveen Mistry.

I loved this book. Parveen Mistry is a great character and my hero. I can't wait to read the next book! I learned so much about different Sects and Religion in India. Historical Murder mystery a it's best.