# The Widows of Malabar Hill

I watched the movie Casino Royale in a theater, seated next to a Bond superfan. Late in the movie, Bond enters a sportscar as the music swells. “Aw yeah, FINALLY!” the superfan exclaimed as the movie was signaling a car chase. I smiled because I had seen the movie once before, so I knew that Bond immediately crashes – there is no car chase in Casino Royale.

The Widows of Malabar Hill is the Casino Royale of mysteries. It is a richly told and well-researched story which sits at the intersection of so many different cultures, all carefully and thoughtfully represented. However, the actually mystery of this mystery book is a bit like the superfan’s movie experience. It comes late in the book and the tale really doesn’t have much interest in it – the mystery finally starts at page 120, only for the subsequent 50 pages to focus upon an unrelated flashback. It was my “Aw yeah, FINALLY” moment.

If a good mystery is full of twists & turns, then this book is more like the lazy curves of a gentle country road. This is less of a whodunnit and more a journey to understand the culprit’s motives, perhaps a whydunnit? I knew where this road was going long before the end, but it was a pleasant journey nonetheless.

Let’s hope the next one has a proper car chase though.