Mistress of Bhatia House

In the latest of this strong historical series, Perveen Mistry witnesses a an accident as a child is accidentally burned at a gathering raising funds for a women's hospital. Though his ayah is also injured badly, trying to protect the boy, she is treated poorly by the boy's wealthy family. Worse yet, she is arrested and charged with abortion after taking an herbal potion provided by the housekeeper. Though Perveen, as a rare woman lawyer in 1920s India, doesn't take criminal cases, she can't help but try to aid the woman, who swears she wasn't pregnant and is falsely charged. Meanwhile, things are difficulty at home for Perveen. Her lawyer father isn't happy about the firm taking on a case that isn't in their usual line of work, and her sister-in-law has moved in with her colicky infant and is suffering from post-partum depression. Perveen is perplexed by her sister-in-law's change in personality and doesn't like having her sleep interrupted by a wailing child, but the real problem is that she's unable to have a happy marriage and a child of her own thanks to a disastrous failed union of her own (described in the first book in the series). returnreturnI love this series. The historical setting is fascinating, and the protagonist is an intriguing person. You can't help but learn a lot - about the Parsi community, colonial tensions, gender relationships, the law, and - in this case - the status of low-caste women and the struggle to provide women's health. There's a lot going on, but the plot never trips over itself. Here Perveen is allowed to be less than perfect, which is an interesting development. Altogether, a strong entry in a strong series.