Book Recommendation: Murder in Mahim

Posted On July 22, 2024

Hi Readers! How are you all doing? Weekends in Mumbai have been amazing lately. It’s always raining non-stop and I have been reading non-stop to complement the pleasant weather. I am already reading five books, and yet I started a new one yesterday and finished it today. Murder in Mahim by Jerry Pinto was a book I received from Champaca bookstore when I had subscribed to a mystery book box. So, I didn’t really choose to read it nor had I heard of it. But, surprisingly, I liked it!

~~GOODREADS DESCRIPTION~~

A young man is found dead in the toilet of Matunga Road station, his stomach ripped open. Retired journalist Peter D’Souza joins the investigation with his friend Inspector Zende and is drawn into a world of secret desire, blackmail and unspoken love—a world that he fears his son may be a part of. Driven as much by fear and empathy as by curiosity about men who seek men, Peter tries to track down the killer, with some help from the flamboyant Leslie Siqueira, ‘the Queen of the Queen of the Suburbs’. But time is running out.

Jerry Pinto’s new novel—set in Mumbai, the city he writes about like no other—is a gripping murder mystery. It is also a compelling exploration of loneliness, ambition and greed in the great metropolis.

~~THOUGHTS~~

“They want that money. And in most cases, the only thing they have is the body.”

Usually when I read a book, I like to read the core genre content for 85% of the novel and prefer some kind of social commentary for the remaining 15%. And, I absolutely love it when the two are gelled together in a way that still stays true to their respective qualities. I found that brilliance in Murder in Mahim. There are multiple murders, sex workers and corruption, and revolving it all are the sentiments of the people who are labelled different, all happening in the underbelly of Mumbai, the city that really never sleeps.

The mystery aspect of the book felt like I was watching a Crime Patrol episode. I felt that way perhaps because most of the characters were poor and had to resort to earning an income by selling their body. Or maybe because it was set in typical Mumbai locales like train stations and chawls. Or it could be because the motives were so humane and obvious to understand. While it was somewhat predictable, the shedding of information at the perfect time with good writing was what made it an unputdownable read for me.

A large part of the book revolves around sex, money and corruption. There is a murder of a young man in a train station toilet who was a sex worker. He ended up dead because of blackmail and corruption involving the police. And that happened because gay men cannot come out of the closet, so they resort to having sex in nondescript locations. The themes of guilt, shame and gender identity are written in context of the Indian mindset. And, we also read it from a gay man’s educated well-to-do parents’ perspective who are getting to understand how to communicate with their son. I think there was a lot of focus on these areas, all written with nuance in a way that wasn’t too preachy and also not too in the way of a good murder mystery.

~~TO READ OR NOT TO READ~~

If you decide to pick this book, I will only ask you to not have high expectations. It’s not a great book but it’s a good one. It’s not some master thriller with unpredictable ending. It’s also not like the American or British mystery novels we usually read. So, if you are looking for that, this one is not it. If you loved watching CID and Crime Patrol, then you should read this book. If you are looking to get out of a reading slump, then this one might do the trick. If you want to read this book as an LGBTQ in India, then you won’t find a lot in it. All in all, it touches on various things but never digs deep into any one. But, it’s definitely worth it if you like Jerry Pinto’s writing. I have rated Murder in Mahim by Jerry Pinto at 4/5 stars!

Until next time,