Sujata Massey: The Widows of Malabar Hill, Soho Crime, paperback , 9781616959760

" The Widows of Malabar Hill" is set in 1920  Bombay with Perveen Mistry as the protagonist and the first female lawyer in India, daughter of a respected Zoroastrian family,  working in her father's famous law firm.

When her father is tasked to settle a wealthy muslim clients last will, Perveen is sent to talk to the three widows who allegedly signed off their inheritance to a charity. Perveen is soon convinced the widows were forced into signing  and when the murder of their guardian occurs, she is determined to protect the safety and financial future of the  women and their children. 

I would place the novel in the cozy crime sector as far as the plot is concerned but what made this such an entertaining read was the insight into Zoroastrian religion, the rights of women in 1920 India amongst Muslims and Zoroastrians society, the shifting political changes during that time in India and the crumbling of British rulership.