I Am Reading: The Golden Monkey Mystery by Piu DasGupta
The Golden Monkey Mystery by Piu DasGupta 👉
| Publisher: | Nosy Crow |
|---|---|
| Publish date: | 15 January 2026 |
“The tip of a knife blade brushes the Baron's chin…”
The Golden Monkey Mystery follows Roma, a resident of Miss Oliphant's School for Young Ladies in Bengal, who longs to make her way to medical school. But this is a time when women were not allowed to be doctors, and Roma – clever, well-read, fearless, and desperate to make her mark on the world – is stuck. Until one day, she glimpses an extraordinary animal…
In her attempts to return it to its home in the Himalayas, Roma takes on all sorts of danger – ruthless bandits, ferocious beasts, and men chasing after a valuable, cursed jewel that haunts Roma's dreams – the Snakestone…
Following Piu DasGupta's excellent debut Secrets of the Snakestone, this is a prequel that stands by itself. You don't need to have read the first book, though there are one or two nice links. Instead, this is all about Roma and her friends, and their world.
The author does a brilliant job of explaining this world. Details about the animals, plants and people are dropped in smoothly, creating a vivid setting. Some books try to batter you over the head with The Theme, but DasGupta conveys the messages of independence and women's rights brilliantly and naturally, by simply showing how they matter. I loved the use of traditional medicines, with clear explanations of why they are, in fact, medically accurate – just ignored by colonial science. The villains aren't stereotypes, either. In fact, they probably see themselves as heroes, in their own way.
The writing is smooth and beautiful, the story gallops along, and Roma is a brilliant heroine. I absolutely loved this book, and I can't wait to see where the Snakestone goes next!
Many thanks to Nosy Crow for my copy of this book.