Harini Nagendra

I thought that the pace was incredibly slow. The Prince of Wales did not enter the plot until two thirds of the way into the story. Death threats against him are supposed to be what the story is about, per the publisher. Several murders did occur throughout the story though. Kaveri relied on social functions that she went to with her husband in order to meet people and ask questions for her investigation. While I am sure this was realistic for the era, it didn't make for an exciting read. The setting was prominent to the telling of the story. The reader learns alot about gender roles, Hindu rituals and the foods of India. It was fun to get reacquainted with the characters but, for me, it was a very slow read.… (more)

This is a cozy mystery set in 1920s India. The author is a Professor of Sustainability who lives in Bangalore.

A young bride, Kaveri, has moved to Bangalore to be with her new husband Ramu. Kaveri is smart and forward-thinking and loves solving calculus equations. Ramu is a doctor at the local hospital. She is afraid Ramu will be firm and traditional in his views but finds him kind and progressive. Ramu introduces her to the English hospital director Dr Charles Roberts, and his wife Daphne. While having dinner at the Century Club they discover a man has been murdered, Ponnuswamy the local pimp.

Kaveri becomes obsessed with helping Deputy Inspector Ismail solve the crime.

This was an enjoyable read which provided some background to the area, including recipes at the end. I struggled somewhat with the number of characters and their names, probably due to listening to the audiobook version. It would have been easier to keep track on a different format. I don’t really like murders when the motivation is blamed on mental health, as it seems a little cliche and perpetuates a misconception.
I would also have liked to see more development of their relationship as it was brand new but didn’t feature greatly. There were also a few inconsistencies such as speaking about her love of complex calculus when she is solving a simple arithmetic problem, and they both seem very modern for the era. Nevertheless these small things aside, Kaveri was a likeable character and I would happily read another of her adventures.… (more)