The Bombay Prince by Sujata MasseyMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Hooter: India's only woman solicitor braves it out in a man's world in pre Independence Mumbai this time around dealing with a murder, a political conspiracy and the revolution.
Stand alone, this might not have been the best Sujata Massey book I have read so far but having read through the first two, I feel heavily invested in the growth of Perveen Mistry's career over the books and from that perspective, Sujata doesn't disappoint building on a la Agatha Christie style on a strong woman protagonist finding her way in the world.
Against the backdrop of the visit of the Prince to India - a historical event, a young Parsi girl is found dead - suicide / murder / accident ? As Perveen tries to unravel the various characters involved whilst dealing with the day to day patriarchy makes for an interesting read into the history of a living and breathing Mumbai from the lens of the upper middle class specifically the Parsi community. Mohd Ali Jinnah makes a guest appearance too in this book courtesy the circles our protagonist is a part of.
As a whodunnit, I find the plot underwhelming but if you mix up the character growth, a historical lens, social commentary of the 1920s era , Sujata Massey continues to impress.
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