The Mistress of Bhatia House

Continued with the same flavour of the series and the ending was simply brilliant!Looking forward to the next book of the series soon.

I took my own sweet time reading this piece of murder mystery that also works as a pretty good historical fiction. Set in Mumbai, India in the 1920s, The Mistress of Bhatia House is the fourth book featuring Parveen Mistry who is Bombay's first woman solicitor.Parveen Mistry takes in a poor caregiver (or Ayah) in her house after witnessing her getting severely burned while trying to save the young master of the Bhatia House, when the Bhatia's were hosting the fundraiser for a women's hospital. The ayah— Sunanda is falsely accused of a crime she didn't commit and Parveen takes it upon herself to solve the mystery. When a murder takes place, Parveen realises that there's more to the mystery than what meets the eye.Sujata Massey has penned a brilliant and rich book filled with themes of classism and sexism. As Parveen forces her way into the case, she also faces problems with her sister-in-law and a newborn niece. The book covers a whole lot of family dynamics as well.We get to see how women were treated in the 1920s, with little to no care for their physical health. We also get to see how the British administrative treated the Indians (which genuinely reminded me of Lagaan) and as Parveen traverses her way through the case we empathise with her and feel her desperation at not being able to help because of these limitations set by the law and the society.

With every new book, I find myself getting more engrossed into the world artistically woven by Sujata Massey. Can't wait for the next installment of this series.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher for review and even though I did not read the Perveen Mistry volume in the sequence in which the author recommends it, the book left me charmed with the astute portrayal of life in old Bombay in the Parsi community.The book is about a wrongful conviction and outlines how the privileged class have always subjugated and trod upon the poor working class for their own personal benefit. In such a scenario, Perveen Mistry, a lawyer, emerges as the messiah who investigates the case and brings justice to the accused by bringing out the suppressed truth. In doing so, Sujata Massey gives us a dizzying glimpse of the old city and life of Bombay which harboured societal bias, misogynistic attitudes, gender/social prejudice, and adopted a narrow-minded view towards progress. Ms Massey adeptly showcases the corrupt society for what it is and points an unwavering finger at the dynamics of power that played out in that era.The language of the book is top-notch and immerses the reader in the lives of the Parsi community who were the mainstay of old Bombay. Ms Massey gives us a detailed sketch of the family dynamics of that era via the deep characterization that she exhibits in the book. But even though there is a mystery to be solved in the book, it is not a fast-paced, racy thriller. This book is more about emotions and gently chipping-away at the exterior of a façade in order to reveal the true interior.

I am a huge Perveen Mistry fan. There is just something about old Bombay and Parsi culture that draws me into @sujatamasseyauthor 's beautifully created fictional world.This particular one was about a wrongful conviction and how the rich leveraged their privilege to suppress the working class for their own benefit. Perveen Mistry, Bombay's first female solicitor takes on the case and finds her way to the truth bringing justice to the deserved.Everytime I read books by Massey, I get engrossed in the wonderful depiction of life in the pre-independence era. Massey has an eccentric way of bringing out the Parsi community's finest nuances. What I enjoyed reading most about is the different varieties of food and the architecture described.I am honestly holding my breath for the next book in the series to be out. I really want to see Colin and Perveen romancing through the book. 😁

This book is the fourth installment in the "Perveen Mistry investigates" series, with the female solicitor. Even though I've not read the previous ones (which I'll definitely do now that I've read this one), I decided to go blindly into the world of Perveen Mistry, the only female lawyer in the 1920s Bombay.Perveen is attending a lavish fundraiser for a new women's hospital specializing in maternal health issues when she witnesses an accident. The grandson of a wealthy and influential Gujarati businessman catches fire. Sunanda, the Ayah of the , saves the child. Later on she's arrested on trumped-up charges. Perveen bails her and takes her as her client and invites her to stay at the Mistry home. Situations are not quite well at the Mistry home, where Perveen's sister in law is struggling with adjusting to motherhood and Perveen's father is worried about taking too much personal responsibility for a client. Meanwhile Perveen is going through a personal crisis, a relationship with a handsome former civil service officer.The book talks about how the rich use their money and power and exploit the working class, and try to get away from things. It was an enjoyable, intriguing and gripping novel, with the perfect element of surprise and also because of it dealing with pre-independence India. The book deals with important themes like woman's rights and equality, class division, powerplay and corruption, issues still relevant till date. With storytelling at its finest, the book is a delightful read and has a captivating storyline, that will keep readers indulged. Love the artistic book cover as well!

I have become a bit of fan of these Perveen Mistry novels. I enjoy learning about life in the 1920's in India around the Bombay region. Very descriptive in all ways: people and social classes, women of those times, politics, city neighborhoods, history, Food! The author writes well, engagingly.The book arrived on time and in excellent condition.

I enjoyed the first three books in the Perveen Mistry series and was excited to read the fourth book. Regrettably, this book does not have the same charm as the first three books. The story is quite slow to get going and I found it difficult to get even halfway through the book. Some of the chapters are dragged out, and it was only until the last few pages that I found the book at all gripping. More importantly, whilst the subject matter of the book is incredibly important - today, as well as in 1920’s India - I felt the author has missed an opportunity to delve deeper into its social, cultural, legislative, ethical/moral implications. Her handling of it comes across as a bit blasé and not serious enough. I’ve loved the characters in the previous books, but at times in my his book, some (Colin Sandringham, for example) appear rather two dimensional. It also felt a little lazy that the Gulnaz/Rustom saga is left hanging, without mention, at the end of the book.

I love these books and would love to read many more. Linda Passaro, not Tom, who is my husband and gets my books on kindle. I hate it when I finish a good book, which I just have so I’m going to read no.3 in the series again.Thank you

Reading the Perveen Mistry books is stepping into a beautiful world completely foreign to me: the country, the era, and the societal norms. The writing allows the reader to step into this world and experience it wholly and deeply. The characters are interesting and reflective of the range of backgrounds that interact in this Imperial British colonial era in India. The story was complex and twisting, and is all tied together in the end. I gave 4 stars instead of 5 because as all was tied up at the end, I did feel some confusion along the lines of “who did what? And why?” Just trying to keep the characters and their motives straight. But it was a fun story, and immersive. I look forward to the next in the series!

Another Perveen Mistry novel rich with detail, giving glimpses into the many layers of Indian society determined by gender, caste, and religious affiliation etc. Much to think and further look into while following the story to solve a murder. Unfortunately (and this is murder for a murder mystery) the book I received is a misprint. Pages 231 to 278 are printed twice and pages 278 to 321 are missing