• The Widows of Malabar Hill

  • By: Sujata Massey
  • Narrated by: Soneela Nankani
  • Length: 14 hrs and 34 mins
  • 4.2 out of 5 stars (1,663 ratings)

Access a growing selection of included Audible Originals, audiobooks, and podcasts.
You will get an email reminder before your trial ends.
Audible Plus auto-renews for $7.95/mo after 30 days. Upgrade or cancel anytime.
The Widows of Malabar Hill  By  cover art

The Widows of Malabar Hill

By: Sujata Massey
Narrated by: Soneela Nankani
Try for $0.00

$7.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $21.49

Buy for $21.49

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

Introducing an extraordinary female lawyer-sleuth in a new historical series set in 1920s Bombay!

Bombay, 1921: Perveen Mistry, the daughter of a respected Zoroastrian family, has just joined her father's law firm, becoming one of the first female lawyers in India. Armed with a law degree from Oxford, Perveen also has a tragic personal history that makes her especially devoted to championing and protecting women's legal rights.

Mistry Law has been appointed to execute the will of Mr. Omar Farid, a wealthy Muslim mill owner who has left three widows behind. But as Perveen is going through the paperwork, she notices something strange: all three of the wives have signed over their full inheritance to a charity. What will they live on if they forfeit what their husband left them? Perveen is suspicious, especially since one of the widows has signed her form with an X - meaning she probably couldn't even read the document. The Farid widows live in full purdah - in strict seclusion, never leaving the women's quarters or speaking to any men. Are they being taken advantage of by an unscrupulous guardian?

Perveen tries to investigate, and realizes her instincts about the will were correct when tensions escalate to murder. Now it is her responsibility to figure out what really happened on Malabar Hill, and to ensure that no innocent women or children are in further danger.

Inspired in part by a real woman who made history by becoming India's first female lawyer, The Widows of Malabar Hill is a richly wrought story of multicultural 1920s Bombay as well as the debut of a sharp and promising new sleuth, Perveen Mistry.

©2018 Sujata Massey (P)2018 Recorded Books

Featured Article: Whodunit Whizzes—A Shortlist of the Best Mystery Authors


Who doesn't love a good mystery? Listening to mystery audiobooks is a great way to feel some semblance of order in an often chaotic world. The clues are there for you to solve along, and by the end, it will all come together in an incredibly satisfying manner. There’s a formula to the genre, sure, but the best mysteries still surprise you and often subvert expectations. These mystery writers take the genre to a new level. Here's our pick of their best listens.

What listeners say about The Widows of Malabar Hill

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    731
  • 4 Stars
    583
  • 3 Stars
    260
  • 2 Stars
    47
  • 1 Stars
    42
Performance
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    804
  • 4 Stars
    380
  • 3 Stars
    169
  • 2 Stars
    77
  • 1 Stars
    70
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    694
  • 4 Stars
    511
  • 3 Stars
    213
  • 2 Stars
    37
  • 1 Stars
    38

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Irritating performance

I would have enjoyed this book much better had the reader not been emoting in a large way with each sentence! It spoiled the writing for me completely.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Excellent young heroine(s).

I kept mentally correcting this narrator on many names in the story. The plot(s) and characters are well developed. Satisfactory ending. Strong female characters. The subject of male/female segregated Muslim households is explored in some depth, as is long-standing Muslim marital law. I enjoyed this book and will continue to read this author's works.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

loved!

I really enjoyed this book, I couldn't put it down. The narrator did an amazing job!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great Story!

I really enjoyed this story! Great narration! The narrators had me from the beginning and I never lost interest throughout the book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Enjoyed it!!!

I loved learning about how Zoroastrians became Parsis in India. Their culture, as well as Muslim family customs, was enlightening. The story was great as well.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderful book, disappointing performance

Some of the most odds were even mispronounced, and tonality was irritating. However, the writing was wonderful.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

interesting story

Thoroughly enjoyed the storyline and the characters. Really appreciated the cultural components. The narrator is excessively animated, tainting the experience a bit.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Intense cultural immersion!

Took a bit to get going, but wonderful descriptions of early 20th century India through the eyes of the minority populations—Islamic and Parsi (Zoroastrian). Especially focused on the various challenges of being a woman in that time; marriage/family dynamics, voluntary seclusion (and some involuntary), having to be driven or accompanied… Plus, shades of dynamics between the local and British populations, and among the various groups. Am intrigued to see where this series goes, but it’s a rich and detailed world! Highly recommend!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Worst narration ever

Story is good, but I’ve given up the audiobook because of the narrator. The narration is delivered in an American accent, for an unfathomable reason, and every! single! sentence! of the narration ends in an exclamation mark, according to the reader. I expected breathless squealing at any second, and finally just gave it up.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Engaging and clever

Well-written, the novel incorporates history and social issues with a complex plot. Though it can seem predictable it is a pleasure to listen to.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

8 people found this helpful