Reviews tagging 'Police brutality'

The Bombay Prince by Sujata Massey

7 reviews

rieviolet's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

I'm really liking each installment in this series. The book is a real page-turner; the writing style isn't astounding but it is perfectly functional and immensely readable.

I appreciated the rich historical and cultural elements that recreated the setting of 1920s Bombay. Like the previous books in the series, there is also an interesting exploration of themes such as colonialism, sexism, and religious differences.

I've grown fond of the main character Perveen, so I enjoyed following her story, how she started making a name for herself professionally, as well as taking steps in her private life. I'm very keen to keep reading her adventures. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Colonisation, Sexism, and Violence

Moderate: Racism, Police brutality, Murder, Suicide attempt, Medical content, and Grief

Minor: Child death, Ableism, Pregnancy, Blood, Religious bigotry, Mental illness, Vomit, Racial slurs, Rape, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, and Sexual assault

bessadams's review

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Death, and Murder

Moderate: Sexism, Sexual assault, Pregnancy, Gun violence, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Blood and Police brutality

skudiklier's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

I'm really enjoying this series, and I'm excited another one is coming out soon! I like how each mystery is theoretically readable on its own, but if you read them all in order you get more out of the characters and their evolving relationships. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief and Death

Moderate: Suicide attempt, Murder, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence

Minor: Vomit, Pregnancy, and Police brutality

swaanderer's review against another edition

mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Colonisation, Violence, Police brutality, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Pregnancy, Racism, and Medical content

themaddiebee's review

adventurous inspiring medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Murder

Minor: Police brutality and Sexual assault

kimveach's review

informative mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

I liked this book but felt it was slower than the first two mysteries in the series.  

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Content Warnings

Minor: Bullying, Grief, Medical content, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Suicide attempt, Violence, and Murder

allisonwonderlandreads's review

mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

The Perveen Mistry series continues to dive deeper into the experience of colonial power in 1920s India. In this third entry, the Prince of Wales' tour of India is accompanied by protest, riots, and police brutality. The historical and political threads of the plot were powerful, the beating heart of the narrative. It was impactful to see how Perveen struggles with the different political beliefs within her family circle and her own wish for Indian independence. The story features examinations of how race, class, and gender further complicated experiences of the freedom movement. Perveen faces fear and violence as tensions rise, and she must carefully consider her own safety, her reputation as the first woman solicitor in Bombay with the hope of a legacy for other women, and her moral, political views.

While the political heartbeat was steady and strong, the mystery meant to serve as the engine for this narrative fell a bit short for me.  I continued to enjoy the legal details of the series. In this one, we accompany Perveen to a coroner's inquest, which was fascinating to see play out. However, I felt the mystery investigation stalled out in favor of broader commentary, and it lacked the punch of the previous two books in that regard.

From the character front, Perveen continues to be an inspiration and a complex, ambitious protagonist I love to cheer for. In terms of her personal life, I felt like the story in this book made little progress compared to its two predecessors. Her family and romantic relationships teetered onwards, stuck at various impasses due to the more pressing political concerns. While this was fair, I missed that more personal touch of involvement in Perveen's life. It did seem that the book was preparing us for future conflict with the potential for a love triangle. I look forward to seeing it play out, and I have my fingers crossed for a happy resolution for Perveen.

I'm deeply invested in this series. This just doesn't happen to be my favorite installment. To be fair, the first two books set an incredibly high bar. I still found the historical, sociopolitical commentary valuable and highly recommend the series.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism

Moderate: Colonisation, Murder, and Violence

Minor: Child death, Grief, Murder, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, and Suicide attempt