Patrick Radden Keefe is an excellent narrator and he doesn't disappoint with "Rogues". Have done the audible version of this book and enjoyed it. He takes you on a roller-coaster with rogues from different walks of life - their perspectives and his opinions on their crimes. He astounds with the level of detail only an investigative journalist can put together. A couple of stories (The worst of the worst, A loaded Gun) are compelling and make you think from a moral angle, a couple of them are inspiring (The Avenger, The Prince of Marbella) and will probably end up as movies down the line but the rest lack the punch and even Patrick cannot deliver. All-in-all an okayish read.

The Widows of Malabar Hill

 

This scintillating 1920's mystery carefully unfolds not only the layers of a murder mystery but also the intricacies and similarities of oppression of women in different cultures. Sujata Massey does an exceptional job of keeping the murderer under "wraps" till the end of the book. Even though it is set in two different time periods, it is a refreshing change from books that oscillate so much between past and present that the reader loses interest. It is heartening to see the protagonist grow from a gullible, gentle woman into a lawyer who unravels the web of lies at Malabar Hill with a shrewd mind. The characters of the book are simultaneously cliched and exceptionally rare which makes Perveen see the worst and best of the world at a tender age of 23. Really loved the characterisation of Perveen's parents who are exemplary in every sense of the word and remind me of my own parents who strived to carve a niche for their girls. All in all, thoroughly enjoyed the book and would recommend it to anyone who is in a mood for a good murder mystery.