The Satapur Moonstone by Sujata Massey.
This is the second book to feature Bombay lawyer Perveen Mistry (the first title in the series was The Widows of Malabar Hill).
Perveen Mistry is one of the few women lawyers in 1920's Bombay. Perveen is hired by the British government to negotiate with two women in a remote region who live in purdah (seclusion). The ladies in question are the mother and grandmother of an under-age maharaja, and they are disagreeing strongly about his education. Perveen is sent to Satapur to interview both queens and other persons such as the boy's tutor and the prime minister, and to try to get them to come to an accord about his schooling. But when she arrives, she learns that there is more at work here than just a feuding mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. Full of intrigue, poison, mysterious deaths, and exotic locations, this is a multi-layered mystery that also touches on issues of India's independence, women's rights, and the modern world barging into traditional societies.
For me, this second Perveen mystery was not as strong as the first. There were some thin places in the plot and far too many minor characters. Perveen seems clumsy and not as polished as she was in the previous book (and she also seemed to spend a lot of time clomping through the mud). But the setting, the time period, and Perveen herself are interesting enough to appeal to many readers.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC in exchange for a review.
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