The Satapur Moonstone

Perveen Mistry #2

by Sujata Massey

The highly anticipated follow-up to the critically acclaimed novel The Widows of Malabar Hill .

India, 1922: It is rainy season in the lush, remote Sahyadri mountains, where the princely state of Satapur is tucked away. A curse seems to have fallen upon Satapur’s royal family, whose maharaja died of a sudden illness shortly before his teenage son was struck down in a tragic hunting accident. The state is now ruled by an agent of the British Raj on behalf of Satapur’s two maharanis, the dowager queen and her daughter-in-law.
 
The royal ladies are in a dispute over the education of the young crown prince, and a lawyer’s counsel is required. However, the maharanis live in purdah and do not speak to men. Just one person can help Perveen Mistry, Bombay’s only female lawyer. Perveen is determined to bring peace to the royal house and make a sound recommendation for the young prince’s future, but she arrives to find that the Satapur palace is full of cold-blooded power plays and ancient vendettas. Too late, she realizes she has walked into a trap. But whose? And how can she protect the royal children from the palace’s deadly curse?

Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Fiction, India, Historical, Mystery Thriller, Historical Mystery

349 pages, Hardcover

First published May 14, 2019

About the author

Sujata Massey is the author of historical and mystery fiction set in Asia. She is best known for the Perveen Mistry series published in the United States by Soho Press and in India by Penguin Random House India. In June, 2021, THE BOMBAY PRINCE, third book in the series, releases in the US/Canada and Australia/New Zealand; it will be published by Penguin India later the same month.

THE WIDOWS OF MALABAR HILL, the first Perveen novel, was named a Best Mystery/Thriller of 2018 and also an Amazon Best Mystery/Thriller of 2018. Additionally, the book won the Bruce Alexander Best Historical Mystery Award, the Agatha Award for Best Historical Mystery and the Mary Higgins Clark Award, all in 2019.

The second Perveen novel, THE SATAPUR MOONSTONE, won the Bruce Alexander Best Historical Mystery Award in 2020.

Sujata's other works include THE SLEEPING DICTIONARY (2013) and eleven Rei Shimura mysteries published from 1997-2014. For more about Sujata's books and a full events schedule, subscribe to her newsletter, http://sujatamassey.com/newsletter

Sujata lives in Baltimore, Maryland, with her family and two dogs. In addition to writing, she loves to travel, read, cook, garden and walk.

Reviews

[Annet · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved, loved this 2nd book about woman lawyer Perveen Mistry, set in the princely state of Satapur, tucked away in the remote Sahyadri mountains. India, 1922. Wonderfully engaging story, although fictional, a lot to learn, about for example purdah, women living separate and not speaking to men. This book is about the Satapur's royal family, whose maharaja died of a sudden illness, as well as his teenage son, died in a tragic hunting accident. The royal ladies (grandmother and mother) are in dispute over the education of the young crown prince and a lawyer's counsel is required. So Perveen travels to Satapur and the story unfolds... 4.4, absolutely loved it, more to follow, and already looking forward to the next book. Would definitely recommend this book to my friends here!

Here's the story: It is rainy season and Preveen travels to the princely state of Satapur as a curse seems to have fallen upon its Royal family, with the death of the maharaja and his son. The state is now ruled by an agent of the British Raj on behalf of the two maharanis, the dowager queen and her daughter. To solve their dispute over the education of the crown prince, Perveen travels to Satapur, determined to bring peace to the royal house and make a sound recommendation for the young prince's future. She arrives to find that the palace is full of cold-blooded power plays and ancient vendettas......

[Tammy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second in the series and not quite as strong as the first. In the 1920’s the female Bombay lawyer, Perveen, is unable to argue in court and works as a solicitor for her father’s firm. She is hired as a counselor to determine the education of a crown prince which is in dispute between his mother and grandmother, the dowager queen. The men of the royal family have tragically died so an agent of the state now rules the province. Once again, the women are observing purdah and once again Perveen is the answer the problem but encounters a web of intrigue. In this installment Perveen has lost some of her chutzpah and I had hoped the storyline would have varied from the practice of purdah which occurred in the first of the series. Will I read the third? Possibly.

[etherealfire · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this ARC in a GoodReads Giveaway. The Satapur Moonstone marks the second adventure with the formidable, delightful paid female solicitor (and unpaid sleuth), Parveen Mistry. This second effort, like the first one features great storytelling, fascinating characters and a smart, courageous heroine worth investing in, leaving me wanting more.

I can't wait to see where the next adventure takes us and I really hope a certain Colin Sandringham will be also be featured or at least hovering somewhere in the periphery next time as well!

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Satapur Moonstone by Sujata Massey is a 2019 Soho Crime publication.

This second installment in the Perveen Mistry series has Perveen traveling to Satapur in the remote Sahyadri mountains to act as a mediator between a widowed mother and her mother-in-law on behalf of a young crown prince.

The two ladies are locked in a dispute over the prince’s educational options and Perveen must decide what is best for the child.

When she arrives, after an uncomfortable journey, she finds things are not nearly as straightforward as she’s been led to believe. As it turns out, there are more serious concerns than the education of the crown prince.

Palace intrigue places Perveen in an untenable situation and her focus shifts to finding a way to protect the royal children, who appear to be in grave danger…

This is a well thought out, carefully plotted mystery. I love Perveen! She’s smart, very brave, but also very human and likable. She’s very ahead of her time, but must work within the confines of Indian law in the 1920s.

She doesn’t always get it right, and makes some amateur sleuthing mistakes at times, but I thought that made her character more realistic.

The author also does a fantastic job with time, place, and with the recreation of the political atmosphere of the time, describing the landscape and scenery, food, and dress so vividly it was like I was there.

I love palace intrigue, so the mystery was right up my alley, too. The suspense builds slowly at times, but the plot kept my mind working constantly. I was still completely blindsided by a stunning revelation that ratcheted up the tension considerably!

Overall, I think this series is only going to get better. Perveen is an outstanding character to build on- with a fantastic premise and time-frame that has plenty of potential and possibilities. Very much looking forward to book three!!

[Phrynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book in this series about the very likeable Perveen Mistry, one of very few female lawyers in India in 1922.

Perveen is sent to Satapur to help sort out educational provisions for the young future Maharajah. She is chosen specifically because of her gender since the child is in the care of the deceased Maharajah's wife and mother who are both in purdah. Unfortunately when she gets there she finds she is way out of her depth and that life in the palace is dangerous indeed.

As in book 1 there are wonderful descriptions of Indian life at that time. For Perveen's journey to Satapur she is carried by four men in a Palanquin which must have been indescribably uncomfortable and tedious. There is a railway line but since it was built no one has come forward to supply trains to run on it. At the palace there is no electricity or running water. India was being ruled by the British Raj but not a lot was being done to improve things.

I enjoyed the mystery in this book and was suitably surprised when the identity of the person responsible for the crimes was disclosed. The possible beginning of a romantic relationship for Perveen was a nice touch but it will not be an easy path to follow. I am looking forward to finding out more in the next book.

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perveen Mistry, India’s only female lawyer was headed from Bombay to the kingdom of Satapur, where the royal family had been decimated by the death of the king, and then his eldest son. Perveen was to listen to the young ten-year-old prince’s mother and grandmother who were at odds over the child’s education and future, making a recommendation which she would take back to Bombay when she returned. At eighteen the prince would take over the reins of the kingdom, but in the meantime, his education was of vital importance. Should he go to boarding school in England as his mother had?

The dowager queen and the maharaja’s widow were in purdah and could only see another woman – hence Perveen’s arrival. But there was much going on in the background and it wasn’t long before she felt unsafe herself. The royal prince and his sister, the princess, were delightful children, but would Perveen be able to keep them safe?

The Satapur Moonstone is the 2nd in the Perveen Mistry series by Sujata Massey and is set in 1922 in India. The rainy season with the lush forests surrounding the palace; the multitude of animals including the monkeys; the sense of danger lurking in every corner – once again it set a perfect tone in the story. I did find it a little less gripping than the 1st, A Murder at Malabar Hill, but I enjoyed it all the same. The tension rose in the last third of the book, while the rest seemed a gentle moving forward to the conclusion. Recommended.

With thanks to Allen & Unwin for my ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent follow-up to A Murder on Malabar Hill featuring female lawyer Perveen Mistry. Set in 1920s India, Perveen is a very rare female Indian lawyer, working in her father's law firm in Bombay. The British Government has requested that she visit the Royal palace in the tiny principality of Satapur to advise them on settling a dispute between the mother and grandmother of the current maharaja, a ten year old boy. His father and older brother both died prematurely in the previous two years and while his mother wants her son sent away to school to be educated and make friends, his grandmother feels he'd be safer kept at the palace.

The setting of this novel is what makes it so interesting. Not just the historical and political period between world wars, while India is ruled by the British Raj, but also the cultural aspects and the lush jungle location of the palace. Life in the palace between two widowed maharnis competing for dominance, the sights and sounds of the jungle as well as the description of the food all added to the atmosphere. There are also plots, poisonings, kidnappings and lives in danger to add plenty of excitement to the plot as well as hints of a possible romance. I'm already looking forward to the next instalment in this series to see what happens to Perveen next.

With many thanks to Allen & Unwin for an ARC of the book to read.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The palanquin was set down more gently than in the past, and Perveen emerged, wrapping her cashmere shawl over her shoulders before taking the brass cup of chai offered to her."

Perveen Mistry is on a mission initiated through the British government. It's India in 1922 and Perveen is a female lawyer, so very rare, in her father's firm in Bombay. Her journey takes her to the kingdom of Satapu nestled in the remote mountainside.

She is greeted by Colin Sandringham who is a British agent living at the designated post. Perveen, a Parsi woman, follows her customs and is cautionary in the gentleman's home. In the morning, she will travel to the Satapur palace to meet with the dowager queen and her widowed daughter-in-law in order to discuss the educational future of the young maharaja, heir to the throne.

Perveen must serve as a mediator between the two women. The dowager queen insists that the maharaja stay within the confines of the palace tutored by a near ancient teacher. The maharaja's mother insists that the young boy will benefit from attending a defined school. Perveen must be granted special entrance into the palace because both women practice purdah in which women can visit with other females but cannot show their faces to males outside of the family.

Sujata Massey does a remarkable job of surrounding the readers with the sights, the customs, the food, and the interactions of the Indian countryside. Massey takes us on that journey with Perveen as we experience a curse-like atmosphere within the palace and the unfortunate deaths that have occured there. Perveen knows that something is going on and she's determined to find out what it is......even at the expense of her own safety.

I will be playing leapfrog with this series as I ordered the first book, The Widows of Malabar Hill, as soon as I read the last page of this one. Massey's writing style pulls you in and the female lead character of Perveen is fascinating from 1922. She's multi-faceted with being a rare female lawyer while following her customs in her native land dominated by British rule. I'm already looking to the horizon for the next one in this thought-provoking series.

[K.J. Charles]

I loved the first book in this series about a female Parsi lawyer in 1920s India. This one suffers a bit by comparison. It's a brilliant setting--Indian Gothic, with murder and intrigue in the royal palace of a small princely state--and the evocation of place is excellent and vivid. The mystery is rather slow paced by contrast and maybe a bit thin. Second book syndrome is a thing. (So is pandemic reading slump, and I am having real trouble reading fiction atm, so it might be an 'it's not you it's me' as well.)

There is the start of a rather appealing romance and there's so much interest and scope here with Indian internal politics, colonialism, the rise of feminism and independence, etc, so I'm definitely sticking with the series.

[Rincey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably a 3.5 that is closer to a 3, but it gets the bump up for being the book to get me out of my reading slump. Watch me talk about the book in my October wrap up: https://youtu.be/GBIadx3UXFg

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this and love the setting, time period and reading about our main character, but the story is not as strong as in the first book.

[Marianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Satapur Moonstone is the second book in the Perveen Mistry series by award-winning British-born American author, Sujata Massey. When the governor’s top councillor offers Bombay’s first female solicitor, Perveen Mistry a small job in the Sahyadri Mountains at the tiny Princely State of Satapur, she’s a little hesitant.

The work, finding an agreement between the widow of the late maharaja and the dowager maharani regards the education and welfare of the prospective ruler, the ten-year-old maharaja, would not present a problem; working for the British Government, however, she finds distinctly unappealing.

But anticipating that it may lead to further such work for women in seclusion, she accepts. And apparently the scenery is spectacular, and cooler weather in October will be welcome. After a somewhat undignified arrival in the area, she meets the political agent, an Oxford-educated civil servant, Colin Sandringham, who is not at all what she was expecting.

During her stay at the Circuit House, Perveen meets some interesting guests, and has a chance to learn more about the people and situation at the Royal Palace. Concerns expressed in letters from the two women at odds have her wondering about the young prince’s safety.

Her concern is reinforced by the interviews she conducts at the Palace, after an unpleasant journey and a poor welcome. Perveen begins to entertain doubts about the accidental nature of the older brother’s demise the previous year. And when there is a death, she also worries about her own safety.

Massey gives the reader another interesting and intriguing historical mystery. The setting, a castle isolated by weather and terrain for months at a time, is different; the plot has plenty of twists and red herrings to keep the reader guessing right up to the dramatic climax; and lots of fascinating details, such as travelling by palanquin, the intricacies of succession rules, Royal etiquette and customs, and degrees of seclusion practised by Indian women, keep the reader enthralled.

While Perveen’s marital status still precludes any sort of liaison, there is a hint of a possible romance. The mention of 1922 in the back-cover blurb is puzzling, as the events clearly take place in October 1921, following directly on from the events of A Murder At Malabar Hill. This is excellent historical fiction and more of the plucky and appealing Perveen Mistry will be most welcome.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by Allen & Unwin.

[MAP · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another solid entry in the Perveen Mistry series. Perveen is called upon to settle a dispute between two majaranis over the education of the young maharaja, but there has been a spate of suspicious deaths and Perveen senses that the dispute is as much about the boy’s safety as it is about his education.

It’s a good mystery and I did not guess the culprit as the book does a good job of giving several options that could all be reasonable. I enjoyed the relationship growing between Colin and Perveen and her attempts to navigate royal protocol while continuing to do her job.

[Karl]

This book is an ARC (Advanced Uncopyedited edition). I purchased this book at a retail outlet. It was not given or sent to me for a review. I wanted to read this book. The publication date is May 2019.

[Julia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved THE WIDOWS OF MALABAR HILL, the first in the Perveen Mistry historical mystery series set in 1920s Bombay. Unfortunately, I was bored and disappointed in Massey's follow-up, THE SATAPUR MOONSTONE. Massey relied yet again Perveen helping women in purdah (seclusion in the zenana). There was no further character development in this one either. In THE WIDOWS OF MALABAR HILL, there's not only a mystery to solve but you delve into Perveen's past. In addition, because Perveen went to Satapur, you didn't have all the supporting characters that you had come to love in the first one. The mystery, too, was uninspiring and I felt like nothing happened until the last 50 pages or so. I'm not sure if I'll invest time in reading the third installment in this series, since I disliked this one so much. I seem to be in the minority here, though, as this book has received mostly rave reviews.

[Nora Currie]

I enjoyed everything about this book until I found out that one of the characters suffered from depression and that hit too close to home since I suffer from depression as well. I don’t know if I will be continuing with this series after reading this book.

[Sahitya · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is probably more of a 3.5 rather than 3 and I’m again lamenting the fact that GR doesn’t have half star ratings.

I’ve been very excited to read the sequel to the very fascinating new series starter The Widows of Malabar Hill, but I had to wait this long to receive the copy from the library. This one turned to be an engaging read as well, but maybe not at par with the first.

The pacing of this novel is slow and steady as I expected it to be. The main change is that this one takes place completely out of Bombay, in a small princely state in the Sahyadri mountains. There were a lot of excellent descriptions about the landscape, the flora and fauna, weather changes and the different methods of travel within this princely state, and I felt totally mesmerized by it all. I could almost feel that I was traveling right alongside Perveen and it made for a very atmospheric read. We also get to know quite a bit about the Indian Civil Service, how the British and the princely states coexisted and how the administration meddled in Royal matters, particularly in the case of succession. We also get some interesting observations on caste system and discrimination that exists across religions, and insight into the plight of Anglo-Indians. There is also the mystery part, which I thought was written quite well. The author gave us enough misdirection that I couldn’t guess the culprit almost till the end.

The highlight of the first book for me was Perveen. While we got to know more of her personal history along with her current efforts to work as a solicitor in the previous installment, so much of that personal touch was missing here. Her being chosen to talk to the queens due to purdah is pretty repetitive but the events that follow definitely felt more ominous. She is also much more in danger this time around and she felt the fear, but she also took her responsibilities seriously and acted with a lot of unexpected calm in distressing situations, which was pretty impressive. My only bone to pick is that we don’t see a lot of character development for her, except a few instances when we see her longing for some sort of companionship and wanting to get out of the clutches of her marriage. Colin, the political agent was nice guy but he was a bit too laidback and didn’t seem to be taking his job very seriously. However, he didn’t seem to be suffering from the usual misogynistic ideas of the time and treated her with a lot of respect, which I really liked. None of the other characters left too much of an impression on me, except perhaps choti rani Mirabai who had to fight both deep personal losses and antagonistic family members to ensure the safety of her children and better administration of her state.

Overall, this was a moderately engaging read with a great sense of place, but seemed to suffer a bit from the second book syndrome. I still like the main character a lot and can’t wait to see more of her professional pursuits in future books. If you would like to read interesting mystery novels set in pre-independence India featuring a Parsi female lawyer who has to fight for her right to practice law, you should definitely give this series a try.

[Jessica Woodbury · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had hoped to come back to the Perveen Mistry books in print and enjoy myself more and happily I did. (I very much disliked the audiobook of the first novel.) I was pleased that the setting here moved to somewhere new and we got to see Perveen mostly on her own. Part of the pleasure of this kind of book is diving into a piece of history I don't know well, exploring a whole new set of customs and beliefs, and we get a very different world here than we did in the first book, looking at the Hindu ruling family of a princely state that is still under British control.

[Sujata Massey]

Perveen leaves Bombay to travel to the mountains of Satapur, where she investigates the safety of a young Maharaja. Is the royal family cursed, or is there treachery afoot? "Well researched and convincing." --THE WALL STREET JOURNAL. "The sequel is as lovely as the first." --MILWAUKEE JOURNAL-SENTINEL.

[Madhulika Liddle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Perveen Mistry is sent on a commission by the British, of the Kolhapur Agency, to meet the two cloistered maharanis of the Satapur state. Perveen’s mission is to gauge how best to serve the state’s interests, especially as regards the education of the ten year old maharaja, Jiva Rao, now the heir to the throne after the unexpected deaths of his father and his elder brother. En route, Perveen stops at the circuit house, where she meets the somewhat unusual and enigmatic English civil servant Colin Sandringham, and makes the acquaintance of an assortment of local officials and other folk. And then on to the Satapur Palace, where Perveen finds that there’s more to it than meets the eye.

I had really liked the first Perveen Mistry mystery, The Widows of Malabar Hill, so I was looking forward to this one. But The Satapur Moonstone was a bit disappointing for me. While Sujata Massey evokes the realm of the petty maharaja well, and one gets an idea of how relations were between the British and the princes, the ‘mystery’ fell flat. It seemed to me that Perveen’s unearthing of the identity of the dancer was a bit of a shot in the dark; the climax, when it came to the rajmata, was inexplicable (why did she do what she did?) and some of the red herrings weren’t plausibly accounted for. There were a couple of characters who came across as solid suspects, but whose past actions, in the final analysis, weren’t explained satisfactorily as far as I was concerned.

Plus, there’s the occasional slip-up. Perveen doesn’t seem to recognize yoga when she sees it, which I find a little odd, for an Indian. (She also can’t sit cross-legged, also odd for an Indian, especially one fairly young, but that I can forgive). And the writer doesn’t seem to realize that cholera is spread through contaminated water, not by coming in contact with an infected person.

That, though, I don’t hold against Massey; it’s nitpicking on my part.

But the rest of it: no, not as good as The Widows of Malabar Hill.

[Janelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This second book about female Bombay lawyer Perveen Mistry in 1920s India is as good if not better than the first! Especially towards the end I found it very difficult to put it down. She travels to the mountains and a princely estate to advise on the education of a young maharaja being brought up by his mother and grandmother who disagree on his future.
I learn so much about Indian customs including women’s lives and rights but it is introduced throughout the story without sounding like a lesson. So the writing is excellent, the characters are fascinating and the mystery keeps you guessing. Brilliant read.

[Karl Jorgenson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A clever story, set in turbulent but fascinating 1921 India. Purveen, India's only female solicitor, is hired by the Brits to resolve a secession crisis in the princely state of Satupur. It turns out that the British takeover of India is only partial: there are dozens of independent states ruled by royalty. They pay tribute to their British overlords, and the arrogant British presume to tell them how to run their micro countries. The book is rich with the complex caste and class system (the Brits must have loved that, given that the highest caste, royalty, would be ranked by the Brits at just below junior government clerk.) Purveen belongs to a high caste, but still has to bow and scrape to royalty, even when the royalty in question is a tin-pot prince in a primitive, rain-forest fiefdom the size of Manhattan. But Purveen's bigger problem is the one she's always struggling to overcome: both British and Indian society are run my men who see women as mothers or servants. As with the previous book, Purveen uses her intelligence and determination to persuade or out-maneuver the rampant sexism. The mystery is well anchored in the ritual and customs of this archaic society, giving the reader a priceless opportunity to experience this exotic time and place.

[Barb in Maryland · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars, rounded up. The author does a great job evoking a remote corner of India--vivid descriptions of a place far from Perveen's cosmopolitan home in Bombay.

The mood of the book is almost gothic--Perveen is constantly on edge while at the palace, what with talk of poisonings. The mysterious deaths of the maharani and his eldest son are still being questioned; the younger maharani fears for the life of her surviving son, Jiva Rao. Everything comes to a head when young Jiva Rao disappears. Was he kidnapped? If so, by whom?

The final section is full of action, with a dramatic climax. All very exciting.

I enjoyed this a lot even though there were one or two small mysteries that weren't solved. Indeed, there was one small one that was mentioned several times and then forgotten in the final wrap up.
I must have read the last quarter of the book three times looking for the answer and never could find it. A minor annoyance but still... I would have expected the editor to catch something like that.

[Diane Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too little mystery and then the book was over. Honestly, at times I found the reading tedious.

[Jamie Canaves · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great Historical Mystery! (TW suicide)

I love this historical mystery series and if you’re already a fan of Perveen from the first book I don’t see any reason why you wouldn’t also enjoy this one. The first half of the book does a great job of bringing the Satara mountains in India to life during 1922. You see not only Britain’s colonialism in India but also the caste system and the different religions. Massey does a really good job of showing a lot through Perveen’s travels and interactions as she takes on a job where she’ll have to intervene and decide where a future ruler will go to school until he’s old enough to lead. The mystery part starts once she’s at the kingdom of Satapur and discovers not everyone believes the royal family members’ deaths were accidental…and her own life seems to be in jeopardy. From there, the tension builds and builds into an explosive ending. I love that Perveen is smart and thoughtful and introspective and willing to fight for what she believes. This is a great series for historical mystery fans and a perfect introduction to mysteries for fans of historical fiction who have previously shied away from the crime genre.

--from Book Riot's Unusual Suspects newsletter: https://link.bookriot.com/view/56a820...

[Jeanette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this one. More character development of depth and more adventure than in Perveen #1. Most other reviewers felt the opposite. But I relished such journey methods and the general working between enemies for some kind of compromise than only a who dun it plot.

The purdah and dozens of other various religious restrictions are quite the eye opening crux here. Not only the Hindu caste system by any means is singularly restrictive and at times devoid for a path to communication.

This is a series I will continue if there are more. Colin is memorable too. And the Circuit House neighbors enthralling interesting to me. Build your own electric interesting-beyond only the flapper style and gear.

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second in the series of a female Parsi lawyer, Perveen Mistry, in 1922 India. Agreeing to temporarily represent the Kolhapur Agency, the colonial British government's arrangement of Western India's 25 feudal and royal states, she travels from Bombay to Satapur Palce. She has been brought in to settle a dispute between two maharanis, the dowager queen and her daughter-in-law, over the education of the 10-year-old maharaja. As the women observe purdah (women and children live separately from men and only can be visited by other females and only be seen by male relatives), Perveen is tasked to visit and make a recommendation. She is introduced to Colin Sandringham, the youthful colonial representative, who had been denied entry to the palace, and other locals and visitors. I loved how Colin embraced the Indian culture - practicing yoga, learning the dialects, adopting the clothing and cuisine, and mapping the region. However, the palace is anything but safe, as the the father and older brother of the child ruler have died within the past three years, the queens are at odds, the child's life is in danger, and poison concerns abound. While wonderfully atmospheric, thoroughly researched, and well plotted, at times Perveen got on my nerves. She is an Oxford educated solicitor but was constantly making one assumption after the other and jumping to conclusions, instead of looking at the evidence, asking or following up on her questions, and considering other alternatives. I am looking forward to the next installment.

[Lyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow – – The Satapur Moonstone definitely deserved the five stars I gave it which I rarely give. But the story was so intricate, the characters so real and interesting and involving, and the mystery so hard to solve that it deserved that accolade. I do not usually read books set in India in 1921. But I read the book description and it was too tempting not to try. The heroine is a Farsi lawyer in Bombay in her father's law practice. India is still a colony in the British empire at this time and not only Muslim but also some Hindu women observe purdah, which is the practice of keeping women separate from men, somewhat like a harem. So after the death of the reigning maharaja and his eldest sone, when two maharani's, a mother-in-law and a daughter-in-law, have different ideas about what should happen to a young prince’s education, Perveen Mistry is hired to go and help settle the dispute. But of course nothing is that simple. Soon it becomes clear that the previous heir’s death is suspicious. And someone at the Palace may be using poison. In fact the whole situation becomes poisonous. And calls for bravery and derring-do. I highly recommend this for anyone who enjoys a good and I mean intricate and deep and hard to solve mystery and also outstanding cast of characters. I doubt you will be disappointed. The only thing I'd like to know is who stole the camera? ‘-)

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. A great second book in this series! If you haven't read the first book, I'd encourage you to start with that one--both are excellent. Perveen Mistry is a wonderful heroine, and the cases she's called upon to investigate ends up being fascinating, as she uncovers deeper interpersonal dynamics that don't immediately meet the eye. Like the last one, this starts out rather slow, but it consistently held my interest, and near the end it *really* gets going! I'm very much hoping the hint of potential romance we saw in this book becomes A Thing in the next one 😍

This article has some really interesting background about the woman who was the inspiration for Perveen Mistry.

[Laura Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lttle slow to start but interesting contextual history of India in the 1920s and a plot that gets increasingly engaging.