“Through Perveen, readers see an Oxford-educated lawyer from a privileged family plausibly contend with the sexism and racism of her time... and when Massey returns to the plot’s core mystery, she manages some nifty surprises. This is a transporting mystery.”
—Publishers Weekly
"While anchoring her novel in a mystery, Massey offers a striking depiction of India in the 1920s... A complex whodunit that also provides a fascinating immersion in a bygone era."
—Kirkus
Free Books for Canvassers!
Women’s rights are in a precarious position, and the coming election may end freedom for many of us. Sujata will send a signed book to any person in the US who will canvas for Kamala and other Democratic Candidates in any state, before November 5, 2024. Just email your name, phone, street address details, and a screenshot or similar link to the canvassing event that you helped with. (Feel free to send a photo of yourself at the canvas HQ!)
Your book application email should be directed to sujatamassey@mac.com with the subject line: CANVAS FOR KAMALA. And even if you don’t canvas…talking about voting with your friends and family is an important act, and I appreciate it deeply.
The Mistress of Bhatia House — Now Available in Paperback!
Bombay’s only female solicitor, Perveen Mistry, grapples with class divisions, sexism, and complex family dynamics as she seeks justice for a mistreated young woman in this thrilling fourth installment in Sujata Massey’s award-winning series.
WINNER – 2024 Agatha Award for Best Historical Mystery and Sue Feder Memorial Award (Macavity) for Best Historical Mystery
FINALIST – Shamus Award for Best Private Eye Novel
One of the Boston Globe’s Best New Books for Summer 2023:
“The new compelling installment in this excellent series following the adventures of Perveen Mistry finds our savvy solicitor frustrated by the limits of her own professional freedom as she tries to assist a young maidservant who may have been falsely accused of a crime.”
India, 1922: Perveen Mistry is the only female lawyer in Bombay, a city where child mortality is high, birth control is unavailable and very few women have ever seen a doctor.
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 an influential Gujarati businessman catches fire—but a servant, his young ayah, Sunanda, rushes to save him, selflessly putting herself in harm’s way. Later, Perveen learns that Sunanda, who’s still ailing from her burns, has been arrested on trumped-up charges made by a man who doesn’t seem to exist.
Perveen cannot stand by while Sunanda languishes in jail with no hope of justice. She takes Sunanda as a client, even inviting her to live at the Mistry home in Bombay’s Dadar Parsi colony. But the joint family household is already full of tension. Perveen’s father worries about their law firm taking so much personal responsibility for a client, and her brother and sister-in-law are struggling to cope with their new baby. Perveen herself is going through personal turmoil as she navigates a taboo relationship with a handsome former civil service officer.
When the hospital’s chief donor dies suddenly, Miriam Penkar, a Jewish-Indian obstetrician, and Sunanda become suspects. Perveen’s original case spirals into a complex investigation taking her into the Gujarati strongholds of Kalbadevi and Ghatkopar, and up the coast to Juhu Beach, where a decadent nawab lives with his Australian trophy wife. Then a second fire erupts, and Perveen realizes how much is at stake. Has someone powerful framed Sunanda to cover up another crime? Will Perveen be able to prove Sunanda’s innocence without endangering her own family?
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