Perveen Mistry, is the first woman lawyer in Bombay, India. Born into a family of attorneys, Perveen rises above prejudicial difficulties in her schooling and a shattering of her heart to become a successful young solicitor with her father. One of their cases involves a complex situation of three widows whose husband has just passed away. The problem is deep and leads the reader into an intriguing story of the Parsis Zoroastrian culture in India during the early 1900’s. Sujata Massey has the talented gift of turning descriptive language into a lush, rich 1920’s India that showcases tempting smells, crowded, bustling streets in Bombay and a story that is so rich in culture that I couldn’t put it down. I have truly never read an author like Sujata Massey who has the talent to develop characters that are living and breathing on the pages, characters that you love or hate, but regardless. you know them well. I am a big fan of Sujata Massey after meeting her at a library convention years ago that lead me to begin reading her outstanding Rei Shimura series of mysteries. The series starts with The Salaryman’s Wife and I have read every book that she has written since then. After reading The Sleeping Dictionary, I didn’t think that she could get any better. Oh was I wrong, this book is one of the best that I’ve read in years. Wish I could give it 10 stars but I’ll just say that if you love to be immersed in another culture and love mysteries with strong characters, THIS is the book!

The Widows of Malabar Hill by Sujata Massey will be available January 9, 2018 by Soho Crime/Random House Publishers. An egalley of this book was made available by the publisher in exchange for a honest review.