Sometimes I wish I wasn't fascinated by the "who did it?" narratives of crime novels. Along the way, lots of blood, gore, pain is inseparable from violent crime, of course. Maybe I just ought to solve algebra problems instead. This one contains a ghastly narrative - read this if you have a strong stomach for torture, abuse, and female infanticide. Also, forget your romantic India travel plans. Just in case you aren't paying attention to how truly tragic the plight of women is in most of the world, this novel will forever fix it in your mind, if it doesn't turn you into a raving radicalized feminist.
Oops, and doesn't that ending seem to suggest that women themselves are complicit, and that attempts at real justice will fail? Is compassion capable of forgetting the past?
Nonetheless, an interesting, memorable, mostly well written book, singular as a crime novel. A bit repetitive, and it's helpful to Google the Indian terms and vernacular used. Enhances the story considerably - especially knowing that the heroine is considered by her mother to be a Sikh "princess".
First in a series. 
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