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The Mistress of Bhatia House
The Mistress of Bhatia House | Sujata Massey
16 posts | 9 read | 5 to read
Bombays 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 Masseys award-winning series. 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 womens hospital specializing in maternal health issues when she witnesses an accident. The grandson of an influential Gujarati businessman catches firebut a servant, his young ayah, Sunanda, rushes to save him, selflessly putting herself in harms way. Later, Perveen learns that Sunanda, whos still ailing from her burns, has been arrested on trumped-up charges made by a man who doesnt 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 Bombays Dadar Parsi colony. But the joint family household is already full of tension. Perveens 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 hospitals chief donor dies suddenly, Miriam Penkar, a Jewish-Indian obstetrician, and Sunanda become suspects. Perveens 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 Sunandas innocence without endangering her own family?
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review
KathyWheeler
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This is really the low end of the pick scale for me. I liked the setting and I like Perveen, but Massey seemed all over the place here, covering too many issues while ignoring the mysteries. The murder that finally happened wasn‘t that interesting, and I didn‘t understand the motive at all. #audiowalk

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KathyWheeler
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I will probably finish this book tomorrow, and I still haven‘t made up my mind if I like it. Today, I walked in the botanical gardens, so it was a slower walk than usual. #audiowalk

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KathyWheeler
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It feels like there‘s far more attention paid to Perveen‘s home life and the birth of her niece than is being paid to the mystery in this book. It‘s getting a little hotter outside again. #audiowalk

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KathyWheeler
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Every minute I was outside, I expected it to rain, but it didn‘t. My theory on that is that the rain knew I was prepared — I had my rain jacket with me. 😄. It was nice to be outside. #audiowalk

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KathyWheeler
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Short walk this morning since I had a physical therapy session in the afternoon. I‘m getting a bit more interested in the story, but I suspect there‘s probably still a murder or other serious crime to be committed. #audiowalk

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KathyWheeler
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I‘m just not getting into this as much or as quickly as I usually do with the books in this series. I‘m not sure why. I‘m sure it‘ll get more interesting soon. It rained several times today, so I walked at the rec center, but when I left it was nice, so I walked another mile. #audiowalk

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KathyWheeler
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Back in Perveen Mistry‘s world for my new #audiowalk book. After several days of rain and clouds, we had sunshine today, so my walk was nice, if a little warm because of the sun.

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Susanita
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Very interesting and enjoyable and sometimes infuriating story. I‘m looking forward to the next one, whenever it arrives! #serieslove2024

TheSpineView Fantastic!😍📖 6mo
33 likes1 comment
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Susanita
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1. Malice Domestic closing tea with a gift of the tagged book.
2. Nationals pet calendar cat picture when most months it‘s been a dog (also cute but not a cat).
3. New season of Welcome to Wrexham.
4. UMC eliminated the ban on LGBT pastors. I know some people who have been affected by this.
5. I just did early voting for the primary.
#5joysFriday

TheBookHippie #4 me too and I‘m so very happy for everyone!!! Love wins! 7mo
Sace #4 Same! 7mo
DebinHawaii A wonderful list of joys! 💛💛💛 I cheered too for #4 !!! Finally! Thank you for sharing & spreading the joy! 🤗 7mo
Suet624 These are fantastic! Baseball, soccer, religion and politics all in one post! 7mo
35 likes1 stack add4 comments
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CaitlinR
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I have really enjoyed the books in Massey‘s Perveen Mistry series. Set in 1920‘s India, the sense of place and history are fascinating and this, her latest, is a great read. Perveen, the only female lawyer in Bombay, is representing a woman falsely charged with the use of an abortifacient, and later with the murder of her employer. The truth revolves around white colonial greed. We get to know more about Perveen in each novel

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Blueberry
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4 ⭐. Fourth in the Perveen Mistry series.

#SeriesLove24 @Andrew65

Andrew65 Excellent 🎉🎉🎉 9mo
51 likes1 comment
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Blueberry
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Starting next.

TheBookgeekFrau That cover 😍 9mo
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Blueberry
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"Sisters will fight."

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MamaGina
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“Sunanda‘s whispered words were haunting—and all too realistic. Suddenly, Perveen hated the world they lived in—where men could violate women with impunity because they knew women were too ashamed to report them.”
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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BarbaraJean
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I completed my GR challenge last night with this one! 🎉The Perveen Mistry series is reliably good. This one leaned into some contemporary issues, progressive for the era it depicts, but didn‘t feel heavy-handed. I enjoyed the mystery, too—the reveal felt abrupt, but it all fitted together and resolved nicely (except for one subplot in the Mistry family side of the story). #SeriesLove2023 #CloakandDaggerChristmas - Set on a Different Continent

Ruthiella I read her debut for the same prompt! I‘m definitely going to read on in the series. 🎅🏻💀🔪🎄 11mo
BarbaraJean @Ruthiella I‘ve enjoyed each one in the series! The historical context is fascinating, and I like the way the author weaves in Perveen‘s story. 11mo
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Congratulations 🎊🎉 11mo
See All 6 Comments
TheSpineView Well done!🥳🥳🥳 11mo
mrp27 🎉🎉🎉 11mo
Andrew65 Fantastic, well done🎄🎄🎄 11mo
38 likes6 comments
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janeycanuck
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I love this series and I really enjoyed spending more time at the Mistry home in this instalment. I don‘t think I understand why the person who committed the murder did it. I totally get the overall motive but it didn‘t seem like it connected as well to the murderer compared to other characters. Maybe I missed something…