The Indian subcontinent is chafing under British rule, and Bombay solicitor Perveen Mistry isn’t surprised when local unrest over the royal arrival spirals into riots. Edward VIII, Prince of Wales and future ruler of India, is arriving in Bombay to begin a four month tour. Sujata Massey is back with this third installment to the Agatha and Mary Higgins Clark Award-winning series set in 1920s Bombay. The narrator was generally quite good but the Indian names are still hard to decipher.Bombay’s first female lawyer, Perveen Mistry, is compelled to bring justice to the family of a murdered female Parsi student just as Bombay’s streets erupt in riots to protest British colonial rule. There’s also lots of talk of food and clothes and I suppose hat’s what some reviewer was referring to when they commented on the good research. Imo, there’s too much romance, or the possibility of it, in the novel along with a “history of manners” which, I suppose, enables very conservative women of today to feel emancipated and outraged. The main plot concerning the independence movement and some attacks is well done. I found the way legal matters were handled in India at this time interesting. But the point of the book is women’s rights and readers will sympathize with that kind of resolution to Perveen’s dilemma. The concept of “no-fault” divorce, when it was introduced in California in 1969, was a revelation so the talk between Colin and Perveen where he mentions no-fault divorce is totally anachronistic and I don’t know if others noticed it but I certainly did. Perveen and her father become “persons of interest” to the police.īut Freny was very much in favor of independence from the British Raj, and she also may have a boyfriend in the political circle which supports it. Pure cleanliness of the highest importance. Although Perveen helps with the parents and the police etc, her behavior is runs the risk of being scandalous while the parents try to have complete privacy for their official mourning. When her body is turned over she is found to have a serious wound on her face. This difference is important throughout the novel as Parsi’s have strict behavioral expectations.ĭuring the parade for his majesty, Freny “falls” from a nearby balcony and dies. Like Perveen’s family she is Parsi (descended from Persians) which is why Freni visited her. This novel opens with Freny Cuttingmaster, a young woman from a local college, coming to visit Perveen about college rules and legal consequences if she is involved in protests during the Prince’s upcoming visit.
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