The Widows of Malabar Hill is a mystery set in Bombay, India in 1921. It’s not a romance. Romance does not go well for the main characters. However, it’s a very good female-centered historical mystery. The story takes place before Independence and before Partition, during a period when the Indian independence movement was gaining traction. The sense of rapid social change on many levels pervades the novel.

The story follows two plotlines. In 1921, Perveen, a young female solicitor from a supportive Parsi Zoroastrian family becomes concerned about three Muslim widows who have signed their inheritance over to charity. Perveen is unable to appear in court (hence the title of solicitor instead of lawyer) but she is able to do investigations, handle wills, and so forth. Because the women live in full purdah, it’s easiest for them to deal with Perveen as opposed to other lawyers and detectives (the women can talk to other women face to face, but they can only talk to men through a screen). When Perveen interviews the widows, she discovers that each of them thought they were agreeing to a different thing for different reasons. Perveen is concerned that the widows may be being swindled – and an ensuing murder doesn’t ease her mind on that score. Perveen ends up investigating the murder as well as the potential fraud.

The other plotline takes place in 1916 and 1917, when Perveen, then a bullied law student, meets Cyrus, a charming single young man from Calcutta. Perveen and Cyrus both belong to Parsi Zoroastrian families, but Perveen’s family describes itself as “modern” whereas Cyrus’ is more traditional and his mother is very devout. Perveen marries Cyrus and moves in with his family in Calcutta, only to realize that the Cyrus who courted her is very different from Cyrus after marriage. Perveen has to figure out how to manage, and then how to escape, from an abusive marriage in a society that will not allow her to divorce her husband or leave him without his consent.

I loved this picture of Bombay and Calcutta as places inhabited by people from all over the world, with a vast number of religions and religious expressions, in a time of intense social change. Not only is there diversity in terms of historical and ethnic and religious background, but there is also diversity within those backgrounds. For instance, two different Parsi Zoroastrian families are depicted as having VERY different ideas about religious practice. Similarly, everyone has a different idea about what roles are appropriate for women in and out of the home, even people who share a religion.

The sensory aspects of life in Bombay and Calcutta come through beautifully. The cities and locations within them are described not just in terms of sight but also in terms of architecture, smell and taste. There’s a LOT of food in this book and it made me incredibly hungry. Have any of our readers had falooda? Is it as good as it sounds? Would you come over and make some for me? Thanks!

The mystery itself was not that compelling to me – however, to be fair, I often encounter that problem with mysteries and I believe it’s usually more a matter of personal interest than a failure on the part of the story. I’m almost always more interested in the setting and the characters than in the actual plot.

Luckily this book has a fascinating setting and great characters, especially Perveen and her friend Alice. I felt that the friendship between Perveen and Alice was shortchanged and I hope it will be explored further in other books (The Widows of Malabar Hill is intended to be the first book in a series). The book felt like the pilot for a TV show – the balance between the murder storyline and the Cyrus storyline was off, the women in Purdah could have been more fully developed, and Alice felt like a character who was waiting for her spotlight in a future book. Over all, however, I loved this book for its atmosphere and the focus on the relationships between women.