The Secret Keeper of Jaipur by Alka Joshi

.My Rating: 4.8

1969 Lashmi directs the Healing Garden of Shimla. Her young charge, Malik has just met a young widow, Nimmi, when he leaves to apprentice at the Jaipur Royal Palace to work on their latest architectural project, the state-of-the-art cinema. The book starts with opening night of the Cinema and a horrific tragedy of the balcony collapsing and killing and injury many people. Malik tries to understand what has happened to cause this unexpected tragedy.

I loved The Henna Artist - which you don't have to read first but it does tie in beautifully to this book. Joshi brings the characters of Lashmi and her husband Dr. Jay, Nimmi and her two children as well as young Malik and all the people, India and the politics of the Royal Palace. So well done.