Radhika (Radhi) Zaveri has returned to her family home in Mumbai from the US following the collapse of her relationship and being stricken by writer’s block. The Temple Hill district of the city is one of the most elite areas in the city and she was hoping this would prove to be a restful chance to reset her life.

Meeting up with her pregnant best friend Sanjana and her family is a good first step, but her plans are quickly derailed when Sanjana’s father commits suicide by taking a massive overdose of pills and putting a plastic bag over his head.

Something feels wrong to Radhi – none of his behaviour before his death indicated suicide. Suspicious behaviour abounds and everyone in the family has something to hide. But can Radhi help her friend find the truth about her father’s death?

So, as I said in my last review, I’ve been struggling with finding a really good read this month. Every book, bar one, had disappointments in it, but my author buddy J S Savage unwittingly gave me an idea. He said he was planning on reading the entire longlist for the CWA Whodunit Dagger, but wouldn’t have time. So I thought, hey, I could do that.

So I looked at the list, and realised I’d already read four of them – Murder At The Chirstmas Emporium, A Case Of Mice And Murder, Everyone On This Train Is A Suspect and Murder At The Matinee. Eight books in a couple of months (along with other commitments) seemed a bit fo a challenge, but I figured the list would be a good place to start. There were two books that caught my eye that were the second in a series, so I figured why not try the first of these series?

This is the first of these reads and it reminded me a lot of an historical mystery. I don’t know much about present day Mumbai – yes, I know, I’m full of surprises – so the location, the people, the traditions, the language make me feel like in a different world. Admittedly there were a couple of times when I felt like a glossary would have helped – there’s an incident about a missing amount of money and I couldn’t get a handle on how large an amount it was, for example. So given my predeliction for historical mysteries, this boded well.

Add in a strong protagonist and it looks like we’re on to a winner. And don’t get me wrong, this is a very enjoyable read. The author has clearly put some thought into their world building and Radhi’s journey as she falls into the role of investigator felt very logical and satisfying.

Having said that, there are some times when I felt that it dragged a little, and some of the tricks being played on the reader were rather recognisable. What’s the servant up to? Is the extremely suspiciously behaving character guilty? I doubt any armchair sleuths will break a sweat deciding the answers to these questions, and at the end of the day, the murderer, while clued, did feel rather inevitable.

Nonetheless, a very enjoyable read from an author who I plan to revisit soon. Definitely worth your time.