The Mistress of Bhatia House by Sujata Massey

THE MISTRESS OF BHATIA HOUSE by Sujata Massey (The Bombay Prince) is the latest in the historical mystery series featuring Perveen Mistry, a female solicitor in India. Massey masterfully evokes 1920s Bombay and the rampant prejudice and discrimination faced by women, whether poor servants, like Sunanda, or highly educated and professional, like Perveen. Accused of Garbhapaat, knowingly causing an abortion, Sunanda is jailed until, by chance, Perveen intervenes and offers respite at Mistry House. It is difficult to find a male barrister willing to represent Sunanda and tensions escalate between Perveen and her father, who is also a lawyer and her business partner. The mystery becomes more complicated when a rich donor to a women’s hospital dies and multiple suspects turn to Perveen for guidance. The story is slow in places, but the echoes of today’s debates over women’s rights to make decisions about their own bodies cannot be ignored. Kirkus sums up THE MISTRESS OF BHATIA HOUSE  well: “A complex whodunit that also provides a fascinating immersion in a bygone era.”