Book Review: The Secret Keeper of Jaipur
The Secret Keeper of Jaipur by Alka Joshi
Publisher: MIRA
Publication Date: June 22, 2021
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Publisher’s Description:
It’s the spring of 1969, and Lakshmi, now married to Dr. Jay Kumar, directs the Healing Garden in Shimla. Malik has finished his private school education. At 20, he has just met a young woman named Nimmi when he leaves to apprentice at the Facilities Office of the Jaipur Royal Palace. Their latest project: a state-of-the-art cinema.
Malik soon finds that not much has changed as he navigates the Pink City of his childhood. Power and money still move seamlessly among the wealthy class, and favors flow from Jaipur’s Royal Palace, but only if certain secrets remain buried. When the cinema’s balcony tragically collapses on opening night, blame is placed where it is convenient. But Malik suspects something far darker and sets out to uncover the truth. As a former street child, he always knew to keep his own counsel; it’s a lesson that will serve him as he untangles a web of lies.
***This review might have mild spoilers for The Henna Artist.***
The Secret Keeper of Jaipur takes place about ten years after the end of The Henna Artist. Lakshmi and Dr. J are married and running a medical clinic in Shimla. Malik has graduated from an elite boarding school and is in Jaipur interning at Samir’s construction company. The company has been contracted by the Palace to build a fancy cinema.
Malik has left Nimmi, a humble tribeswoman that he’s started to form a relationship with, behind in Shimla. One of the reasons Lakshmi sent Malik to Jaipur is to get him away from Nimmi – she doesn’t think Nimmi is good enough for him.
The cinema collapses on opening night, injuring, and even killing, some of the people in attendance. Malik doesn’t buy the official explanation for the collapse and decides to investigate himself.
In this book Laksmi is a supporting character but she’s still up in everyone’s business, just like she was in The Henna Artist. The focus is mostly on Malik and Nimmi. It’s more plot driven than The Henna Artist since we already know most of the characters. (Although this could be read as a stand-alone because anything you need to know from the first book to understand what’s going on is explained.)
I thought The Secret Keeper of Jaipur was just as good as The Henna Artist. The mystery of who was behind the cinema collapse was well-plotted. I’m looking forward to the final book in the trilogy, The Perfumist of Paris.
My review of The Henna Artist is here.
