The Star from Calcutta by Sujata Massey

THE STAR FROM CALCUTTA by Sujata Massey is the fifth mystery in the series  (see The Widows of Malabar Hill and others) featuring Perveen Mistry in 1920s India. Once again, the first female lawyer in Bombay is working a unique case, this time involving the moviemaking industry. Her client, Rochana, is a famous star originally from Calcutta and now in some danger as she and her new husband may lose their film company. Even Perveen and her friend Alice Hobson-Jones may fall under suspicion when a film censor is found dead after a screening they all attended. Massey offers suspense in an intriguing setting with likeable characters. THE STAR FROM CALCUTTA received a starred review from Booklist (“wonderful history-mystery read, filled with fascinating details both of the complexity of life in British India and of the workings of the 1920s film world”).   

I'll Make Me a World by Jarvis R. Givens

I'LL MAKE ME A WORLD by Jarvis R. Givens received a starred review from Library Journal and was the notable non-fiction LibraryReads selection for February. This text contains four essays and purports to share “The 100-Year Journey of Black History Month.” There is a great deal of history, including multiple images, and many stories related to figures critical to both the creation and the commemoration of Black History Week in 1926 and then Black History Month in 1976. However, the overall tone is quite scholarly and academic which could unnecessarily restrict readership. Givens is a Professor of Education and African and African American Studies and the co-founding faculty director of the Black Teacher Archive at Harvard University. He freely shares his personal experiences as a student and as a mentor. That personal history was quite interesting as well as the many more widely recognized historical anecdotes which he included. Givens feels passionately about this subject and that was evident in his research (Notes comprise about ten percent of this text and a detailed Index is included). Crafting an “abridged” version for high school students would be worth pursuing. 

Murder at the Wham Bam Club by Carolyn Marie Wilkins

Set in rural Illinois during the roaring 1920s, MURDER AT THE WHAM BAM CLUB by Carolyn Marie Wilkins has a fun, catchy title, but the story moved slowly. Wilkins seems to rely on quite a few stereotypes with a great deal of focus on being psychic and seeing auras. Honestly, that did not seem interesting after a while, especially with all of the repetition throughout the story. The main character, Nola Ann Jackson, is a young twenty-one-year-old widow who shares second sight abilities with her Aunt Sarah. When another young woman, Lilly, goes missing, from a school (Phyllis Wheatley Institute for homeless colored girls) that Nola Ann attended, the Director asks for help, implying that the police force will not give the case appropriate priority. I can readily see Nola Ann (as fearless as PBS’ Miss Scarlett) returning in future mysteries (and it does look like Let the Murderer Say Amen is scheduled for a July 2026 publication), but it is hard to always feel that she really is experienced enough or that local crime bosses and politicians would continue to listen to her. Readers interested in using “magic” to solve a puzzle would also enjoy the more modern day Lina Chern’s mysteries (Play the Fool and Tricks of Fortune).

The Last Man by Thomas Goodman

Selected this month for our local book group, THE LAST MAN by Thomas Goodman has won the 2024 Will Rogers Medallion Award and the 2024 Western Writers of America Spur Award. While fictional, this is based on real events surrounding the Santa Claus Bank Robbery of 1927 in Cisco, Texas. As the publisher says, “One bandit dies in the getaway. One is executed in the electric chair. One swings from a rope in a mob lynching. The last man finds a life he always hoped for … if only he can keep it.” This is a fascinating look at attitudes towards crime and prisoners in the 1920s, 30s and 40s. In fact, during the 1920s, “an average of four banks were hit each day in Texas.” That resulted in massive awards ($5000 which is $85,000 today) for dead bank robbers and “not a penny” for the capture of a live one. And when the attempted robbery goes violently wrong, with the death of lawmen and kidnapping, emotions run high. Library Journal says, "A captivating and creatively told true-crime novel, perfect for patrons who enjoy stories where truth is stranger than fiction." I especially liked Goodman’s reflection on the individuals and factors that impact our life and on second chances. He writes about the role of our fathers (or father figures) and about how we can each be there for someone else, concluding “All their joys and sorrows were precious scenes woven together in a tapestry far larger than any one solitary life.”

Knave of Diamonds by Laurie R. King

KNAVE OF DIAMONDS by Laurie R. King is the 19th book in the well-regarded Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes mystery series which began over thirty years ago with The Beekeeper’s Apprentice. This may be one of the best yet – it certainly is an engaging tale. Three main characters – Russell, Holmes, and Mary’s sometimes criminal uncle Jake – share the adventures and narration duties. The story is set in 1925, but hinges on the still publicly unsolved theft of the Irish Crown Jewels in 1907. Readers soon learn that both Holmes and Jake have an emotional stake in that event and it’s entertaining to see them “dance” around each other as they contemplate teaming up to find the jewels, all while looking out for Mary (who is more than capable of taking care of herself). I hope Uncle Jake returns for more mysteries and recommend KNAVE OF DIAMONDS and the entire series to mystery fans. An author’s note references the actual theft and provides additional background on historical figures who appear in the novel. A fun, quick read with bursts of Irish affability.

Mystery and Historical fiction ...

Switching between time periods seems to be a favorite vehicle of several recent mysteries, including:

HOW TO SOLVE YOUR OWN MURDER by Kristen Perrin is the top pick on the LibraryReads list for March and author Perrin’s adult fiction debut offers a diverting mystery set in an English country village. The events toggle between two time periods: mid 1960s and present day. In the past, teenager Francis and friends Emily and Rose receive a disturbing fortune about a death – it takes 60 years for the prophecy to be realized and Frances’ great niece, Annie Adams, sets out to solve the puzzle and inherit the estate. Both story lines are suspenseful with multiple complex characters and troubling occurrences. Despite the many suspects, though, there were abundant clues and the murderer was telegraphed fairly early. HOW TO SOLVE YOUR OWN MURDER also received a starred review from Booklist and indications are that cozy mystery fans will have more of Annie’s adventures to look forward to in the future.

THE SICILIAN INHERITANCE by Jo Piazza contrasts events in the 1920s and today in the Sicilian countryside. Serafina Marsala is an independently minded woman who learns to be a healer after her husband heads to America in the early part of the last century. On her own, Serafina was treated with suspicion and ultimately seen as a brutalized murder victim; her descendant and namesake, Sara Marsala, arrives to claim a property inheritance and to try to set her own troubled life back on track. There is much Sara does not understand about local customs and her innkeeper, Giusy, is often an unreliable source. Readers will empathize with Serafina’s long ago efforts to use her medical skills and to help the villagers despite many prejudices. A much weaker character who yearns to be more of a role model for her young daughter, Sara, too, faces grave physical danger. Filled with vivid descriptions of Sicilian life and culture, THE SICILIAN INHERITANCE received a starred review from Booklist. 

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.”

The First Ladies by Benedict and Murray

THE FIRST LADIES by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray is another wonderful and informative historical fiction collaboration by these two best-selling authors (The Personal Librarian).  This time, they are focusing on Eleanor Roosevelt and renowned educator Mary McLeod Bethune. Taking readers behind the scenes and musing about relationships and attitudes (“funny how the same women who talk with me about the advancement of women in a formal meeting space open to whites and Negroes pretend not to even see me in this social setting”), Benedict and Murray highlight racial tensions from the late 1920s to the mid-1940s. The public and private strength of both famous women is evident as well as the parallels in how each had to rely on her own fortitude to ignore hurtful comments and actions. As Bethune says, “their racism isn’t my problem. Racism belongs to the people who are racists.”  Weaving in other historical characters, like FDR, Lucy Mercer, Missy LeHand, Lorena Hickock, and even Billie Holiday lends authenticity and immediacy to the storyline which is told from alternating perspectives. THE FIRST LADIES received starred reviews from Booklist (“impeccably researched, relevant novel is a must-read and destined to be a book club favorite”) and Library Journal (“unshakable bond of sisterhood”); plus this title was a LibraryReads selection for June 2023.