THE MISTRESS OF BHATIA HOUSE

The only female lawyer in colonial Bombay again turns sleuth to aid a hapless servant.

Before presenting a party on June 1, 1922, that celebrates wealthy Uma Bhatia’s founding of a charity hospital, Massey reveals the lamentations of Oshadi, the elderly housemistress of the Bhatia domestic staff, over the constant friction between Uma and her sister, Mangala. At the party, attorney Perveen Mistry meets India’s only female obstetrician-gynecologist, Dr. Miriam Penkar, but the celebratory mood is marred when the clothing of Uma’s young son, Ishan, catches fire. Sunanda, a young servant who rushes to dowse him, is scolded by Mangala, who says she should have been watching the boy. Perveen notices that Sunanda herself has been badly burned. A few days later, while collecting a bail refund, Perveen is shocked to see that Sunanda is now under arrest. Her alleged crime is taking “an oral abortifacient,” abetted by Oshadi. Sunanda’s pleas of innocence prompt Perveen to step up immediately to represent her. She naturally enlists the help of her new friend Miriam. Sunanda’s situation has clear resonance a century later. This complex case is just the tip of an iceberg whose corruption is progressively revealed by Perveen’s investigation. As tradition dictates, Perveen lives with her parents; a buoyant subplot follows the family’s adventure with the arrival of new baby Khushy, daughter of Perveen’s brother. While anchoring her novel in a mystery, Massey offers a striking depiction of India in the 1920s, complete with maps, detailed descriptions of the customs of the time, and a panoramic cast of characters from every social stratum.

A complex whodunit that also provides a fascinating immersion in a bygone era.