Book Review: A Murder at Malabar Hill by Sujata Massey By Nimandra Gunasekera
Source:Brisbane 4EB Sri Lankan Newsletter – Dæhæna – December 2021
Three widows living in seclusion, a grizzly murder and a sleuthing young lawyer.
A Murder at Malabar Hill is the first of the Mistry series by Sujata Massey, following the trials and triumphs of Perveen Mistry; a female solicitor in 1920s Bombay.
Perveen’s foray into the legal profession is not without hurdles.
Frustrated by being the target of relentless bullying by her peers and Professors, Perveen quits her law degree at the Government Law College in Bombay.
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Following a brief but turbulent marriage into a fellow Zoroastrian family and scarred by her experiences in more ways than one, Perveen escapes to study law at Oxford. Four years later, armed with her degree, Perveen joins her father Jamshedji Mistry’s successful legal practice in Bombay. Unable to appear in Court as females are not permitted to the Bar,
Perveen finds herself being the paper-pusher of Mistry Law until the firm is appointed to execute the will of Mr Omar Farid, a wealthy mill owner who has left behind three widows and three children. When Perveen examines the paperwork, she learns that all three wives have signed over their full inheritance to a charity.
Do they really understand what this means? What future will they have with no income and no assets? With her own history, Perveen is well aware of the injustices written into the legal system that disadvantage women. Perveen worries that the Farid widows are vulnerable to exploitation by Mr Faisal Mukri, the guardian with a shadowy
past appointed by their late husband to manage all household affairs.
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Given the unique position of being a woman and solicitor affords Perveen access to the secluded windows in a way her father could never have. As Perveen moves within the widows’ inner circle, she comes dangerously close to the truth and tensions escalate to murder. Perveen must figure out what is really happening on Malabar Hill as unknown forces attempt to thwart her efforts and threaten her very life.
Massey paints a vivid picture of life in India at the beginning of the 20th century. The narrative is filled with historical information, cultural nuances and beautiful descriptions of the sites, sounds, tastes and smells of Bombay, without ever losing its fast pace. A winner of multiple literary awards, A Murder at Malabar
Hill is a must-read for anyone who enjoys historical fiction with an Agatha Christie-esque murder mystery.
Nimandra Gunasekera
Nimandra works in the oil and gas industry, enjoys reading
and dabbling in a bit of writing
