The Bombay Prince by Sujata Massey

 "The Bombay Prince” by Sujata Massey - Pre-independence whodunit!

This book was published by Penguin Random House India in 2021 and has 400 pages. This is Book 3 of Parveen Mistry series.

Parveen Mistry is the first female lawyer of India. Prince of Wales is visiting India. Freny Cuttingmaster, a Student of Woodburn college consults her on how to avoid being thrown out of college for not attending Prince’s procession. On the day of procession she is killed in the college.

Can the British solve the case impartially of the murder of a Parsi girl? Who is behind the murder? How is Praveen involved? Why? Whodunit?

The story is set in pre-independence India. There are British quarters in Mumbai. Parsi’s are seen as sympathetic to British. Wind of independence is blowing strong. Women are still not allowed to perform several duties including arguing a case in court. Hence, Parveen works as a solicitor and not a barrister. She and her father, Jamshedji Mistry, run a law firm. She is divorced but has tender feelings about Colin Sandringham, a British Civil Servant with defective right leg. It’s a time when speaking to a man was frowned upon. Her friend Alice Hopson-Jones (an English lady) works as professor in same college.

Since the story happens in 1920s, it’s slow. It’s neither a detective story with lot of investigation and deduction, nor is it a court room drama with smart arguments. It’s neither this nor that kind of story. Reader keeps anticipating that it will turn into either one of the two but it doesn’t. As a result, readers remain unsatisfied. The revelation of the reason of murder is also plain. Could have been much more dramatic. Identity of the perpetrator and the reason of murder is also not very convincing.

The book ends on a curious note with introduction of a freedom fighter. Perhaps, this character will appear in the next book of the series.

Why did I read this book? Curiosity about Pre-Independence mysteries. 

What I didn't like? Pace and climax. 

What did I like? Parsi set-up. 

Not a must read.

Bourne defiance by Brian Freeman

 "The Bourne defiance" by Brian Freeman - What’s defiance? 

This book was published by Head of Zeus- An Aries book in 2024 and has 400 pages. This is Book 18 of Jason Bourne series. 

American presidential elections are close. The race is heating up. One by one several Treadstone agents are being killed. Some one is cleaning up. All the agents are related to a secret operation called ‘Defiance’. Bourne doesn’t remember if he was ever associated with Defiance but he is attacked and survives. He decides to get to the bottom. He discovers that several unrelated persons are also being eliminated. Defiance was about an airliner that went missing mid air, never to be found.

What was Defiance? Why are persons related to it being killed? Is Iran involved? Who is behind this? Can Bourne get to the bottom?

The story starts with a lot of questions. On one side Bourne has to get to the bottom of the mystery. On the other, he has to try and keep his girlfriend Abby (an author) out of this and protect their relationship. But anyone related to Bourne automatically gets a target on their back. 

Author keeps the identity of mastermind under wraps for majority of the book. The readers are looking somewhere else and the mastermind is somewhere else. There lies his success.

One shouldn’t ask questions like, how everyone around Bourne dies but he survives?

Author has made Bourne younger. Now he is in his late thirties or early forties. So you have to forget the original trilogy and only take the concept of a spy who has lost his memory forward.

The end of the book is predictable and also appropriate. That gives the author something to continue the series.

Why did I read this book? Bourne novel after a long time. 

What I didn't like? Bourne remains anonymous in America.

What did I like? Hidden identity of the mastermind. 

Read if you like Bourne series.