Persis Wadia, India's first woman police officer in 1950 (a little advance of reality) is a strong, warm and funny character, determined to prove her professionalism. I really enjoyed this classic murder mystery. As well as a great plot, it has real depth in the setting - the politics of independence, the last of the Brits still in India and the trauma of Partition.
Persis ignored him. She was still white-faced with anger. Partly her fury was directed against herself. She had been unforgivably rude, had upset her aunt, and for what? Had Darius's blundering really offended her so? Why was she so quick to take offence? Tact, caution, these were the hallmarks of a good police officer. A thin skin, fiery temperament: these qualities rarely went well with deductive reasoning.
