The Mistress of Bhatia House

In 1922 Bombay, Perveen Mistry, the city’s only woman lawyer, attends a fundraiser for a women’s hospital. When the hostess’s young son Ishan is burned in an accident, Sunanda, his nanny, risks her own life to douse the flames. Nevertheless, Sunanda is blamed for not watching Ishan more carefully. Later, as Perveen attends to court business, she sees Sunanda being led away to jail with other prisoners, having been accused of drinking an abortion-inducing tea—a criminal offense. Perveen takes Sunanda’s case pro bono, uncovering foul play, deadly plots, and surprising twists along the way. This fourth installment in Massey’s Perveen Mistry series (following Bombay Prince), skillfully narrated by Sneha Mathan, is a complex murder mystery featuring government and police corruption, blended with a powerful portrait of sexist and racist practices in 1920s India. Mathan enhances the production with her lilting delivery and distinctive character voices.