Home › Fiction › The Star from Calcutta

The Star from Calcutta

by Sujata Massey

A murder investigation behind early Bollywood’s glamour

Regular price $23.86 USD
Regular price $39.77 USD Sale price $23.86 USD
Save 40%

Hardcover New English

Delivery to your door
In stock·Dispatches in 1–2 business days
Standard shipping* from $4.35
Standard shipping transit* 5–8 business days after dispatch

Faster options are available.

Rates and delivery estimates depend on your destination and item quantity. Estimates are informational only; the final shipping method and rate are selected at checkout.

Secure checkout
American Express Apple Pay DiscoverGoogle Pay Mastercard PayPalVisa
30-day eligible returns Returns & refunds policy

AlbakiReads Editorial

A murder investigation behind early Bollywood’s glamour

Set in Bombay in 1922, this installment brings lawyer Perveen Mistry into the emerging film world through a client’s contract dispute. A screening turns the legal assignment into a murder investigation when a guest is killed and the actress at the center of the dispute disappears. The film industry provides the setting for questions of reputation, blackmail, and divided loyalties, while Alice Hobson-Jones’s presence complicates Perveen’s efforts to understand what happened. The premise connects the mechanics of a mystery with the pressures surrounding a rising cinema scene and the relationships caught up in it.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • For readers of historical mysteries featuring women sleuths.
  • For readers interested in early Indian cinema and its social world.
  • For readers who enjoy mysteries that combine legal work with an investigation.

Themes

Early Indian cinemaLaw and client advocacyMurder investigationBlackmail and secrecyFriendship and trust

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

A movie censor murdered, a leading lady vanished--the glamour, romance, and intrigue of the beginnings of Bollywood come to vivid life in the thrilling new installment of the Perveen Mistry historical mystery series.

India, 1922: Perveen Mistry, the only female lawyer in Bombay, has secured her biggest client yet: Champa Films, a movie studio run by director Subhas Ghoshal and his wife, Rochana, the biggest name in Indian cinema. In the public eye, Rochana is notorious for her beauty and her daring stunts--behind the scenes, she has recently left the studio in Calcutta that made her famous, and the studio owner is enraged by what he claims is a breach of contract. Rochana needs Perveen's legal help to extricate Champa Films from the impending controversy.

To study Rochana's glamorous world, Perveen attends a special screening and brings her film fanatic best friend, Alice Hobson-Jones. But in the aftermath of the event, one of the guests is found dead, and to make matters worse, Rochana has disappeared.

To protect her clients, Perveen begins to investigate the developing murder case, peeling back the glitz to reveal a salacious web of blackmail, deceit, and romantic affairs. For the first time in their friendship, Alice seems to be keeping a secret from Perveen. Is she hiding key information about the night of the murder? Will Perveen be able to detangle the truth from lies while protecting herself--and her closest friend?
Shipping & returnsShipping options, delivery timing, and our return policy.

In-stock items normally dispatch within 1–2 business days. The ZIP-code estimator on this page is informational only; the final shipping method, price, and availability are confirmed at checkout for your full order.

For the initial delivery estimate we use these transit windows after dispatch: Standard 5–8 business days, Expedited 2–4 business days, and Priority 1–2 business days. Holiday delays are not included.

Eligible items can be returned within 30 days in accordance with our return policy.

Customer reviews