1920s India: Perveen Mistry, Bombay's only female lawyer, is
investigating a suspicious will on behalf of three Muslim widows living
in full purdah when the case takes a turn toward the murderous. The
author of the Agatha and Macavity Award-winning Rei Shimura novels
brings us an atmospheric new historical mystery with a captivating
heroine.
This Deluxe Paperback Edition features: an interview with the author,
discussion questions, essays on the real-life inspirations behind the
novel, delicious recipes taken from the story, and previews of The
Satapur Moonstone.
Perveen Mistry, the daughter of a respected Zoroastrian family, has just
joined her father's law firm, becoming one of the first female lawyers
in India. Armed with a legal education from Oxford, Perveen also has a
tragic personal history that makes women's legal rights especially
important to her.
Mistry Law has been appointed to execute the will of Mr. Omar Farid, a
wealthy Muslim mill owner who has left three widows behind. But as
Perveen examines the paperwork, she notices something strange: all three
of the wives have signed over their full inheritance to a charity. What
will they live on? Perveen is suspicious, especially since one of the
widows has signed her form with an X--meaning she probably couldn't even
read the document. The Farid widows live in full purdah--in strict
seclusion, never leaving the women's quarters or speaking to any men.
Are they being taken advantage of by an unscrupulous guardian? Perveen
tries to investigate, and realizes her instincts were correct when
tensions escalate to murder. Now it is her responsibility to figure out
what really happened on Malabar Hill, and to ensure that no innocent
women or children are in further danger.
Inspired in part by the woman who made history as India's first female
attorney, The Widows of Malabar Hill is a richly wrought story of
multicultural 1920s Bombay as well as the debut of a sharp new sleuth.
