I really enjoy this series even though it’s old fashioned and a little stilted because of the social norms of the 20s.

Perveen is great and I can’t wait to see what she gets up to next. ( )

Perveen Mistry is the sole female lawyer in 1920s Bombay, who gets drawn into investigating crimes instead of negotiating contracts. (So we have the Mistry mysteries; groan).

Perveen is consulted by Freny, a female student wanting to know if would be OK for her to boycott the visit of Prince Edward to Bombay. A few days later, on the day of the Prince's visit, Freny is found dead on the college grounds at about the time that everyone was watching the Prince's retinue.

This is an OK attempt at historical crime fiction with a different type of protagonist, but it's little more than that. The plot lacks any great complications, and Perveen spends a lot of the novel worrying about how her actions will look to others, which is not exactly exciting. ( )

I wish i knew more about Mumbai at the time. Good story. ( )

I’m a bit puzzled - I thought that Cyrus died in the second book. Can anyone confirm that for me (or confirm that he didn’t!)? ( )

The Bombay Prince by Sujuta Massey is a Soho Crime publication.

I love this series. Perveen is a wonderful character, and I was very much looking forward to this installment, though it took me a while to get it squeezed into my reading schedule.

This third installment is centered around the Prince of Wales’s visit to India. Protests are in the works, planned to coincide with the prince’s arrival in Bombay. Perveen is made aware of the protest when she is approached by a young Parsi university student, Freny Cuttingmaster, for advice about participating in the protest.

When Freny is murdered, Parveen feels responsible and launches an investigation into her death. Her efforts are fraught with danger, more so than usual, as the city has erupted in political unrest...

This installment is a bit of a slow mover, as the author lays out the political unrest of the times, but the tension builds, all the same as the atmosphere is quite unsettling. Perveen walks a tightrope in pursuit of justice, while also coping with her feelings for a man she will never be able to form a relationship with until the laws change.

Although there were times when the story was a little too wordy, and the momentum suffered as a result, but with patience, it becomes clear why it was necessary to include those passages, which didn’t seem all that important, at the time.

The conclusion was definitely a well-crafted surprise and I doubt anyone would have been able to guess the outcome in advance. I was pleased with other developments in the story, too- which could open possibilities for Perveen on both a personal and professional level. I’m curious to see how these threads will proceed and hope to hear from Perveen again soon.

4 stars ( )