Why is "cute" the first word that pops into my head about series based on murders filled with prostitutes, drugs, corrupt religious leaders, and gangsters? Maybe because it reads like it was written by someone who's never experienced anything other than the most stereotypical suburbs that ever existed without disruption. Still, this was a lot like the first - a quick, fun read with enough to enjoy to keep going with the series.

I think this book did have a slower 'get-go' than the first one, there were parts up to about half way through where situations seemed a bit mundane and I was wondering when we were actually going to start getting to the tension that I enjoyed so much in the first one. Then we started getting it but it felt like it wasn't obvious, it was very discreet almost.
Nevertheless, I did like this book. I love Kaveri's character as well as the side characters and I always enjoy a cozy easy-read mystery/historical fiction. I love the representation that this book brings to the genre.
The mystery in this one did feel a little bit more far-fetched? than the previous, like it wasn't twisty turny. I suppose that was because it was a bit more close knit.
However I would still give it 3.75 stars, because I did enjoy it, I will definitely read the next in the series, and it's probably a series I would recommend to the right people. I just wouldn't put it in my top 10, and that's okay.

Another fast-paced, page-turner of a book in the Bangalore Detectives Club series from Harini Nagendra. Kaveri is back, this time investigating a complex murder with plenty of suspects, while also taking the time to teach area women to read, and getting to know her mother in law better.
This novel takes you into the lives of those living in colonial India and touches on the themes of women's and workers' rights, rich versus poor, and family dynamics.
I look forward to Nagendra's next book in the series.

I liked the twist on who did it.

A couple pages into this sequel, I realized that the author is doing with this 1920s Bangalore procedural what Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö did with Martin Beck in 1960s Sweden, showing change of a traditional society via a detective's cases. This time, Kaveri, awaiting the results of her mathematics exam, solves a case brought to her by her previously disapproving mother in law--a family business, wicked stepmother, disgruntled step-daughter, a smarmy Swami and a growing cadre of allies drawn from the local women of all castes and religions, with an undercurrent of the Quit India movement and women's rights.

A good followup. In this one, a factory owner is murdered. Was it his second wife or his daughter? There's also a questionable swami as the second plot. The swami is a bit over the top but it's a good mystery. The end was a bit suspect because

Spoiler

why would the widow trust that hot-headed a step-daughter to have half the family wealth? She's already shown she messes things up.

Still, an enjoyable read.

I loved reading a book set in my hometown, but 100 years in the past. Good imagery, character development, and unpredictable twists. I wish it hadn’t lulled in the middle but the resolution was strong, and I’m excited for what the next book might entail.