Muzaffar Jangis that rare creature in Mughal Emperor Shahjahan’s Dilli –an aristocrat with friends in low places. One of whom, Faisal, stands accused of murder. When the body of Mirza Murad Begh is found stabbed in the chest, lying in a water channel in the Qila, poor Faisal is the only one around. But what of the fact that, minutes before his demise, the victim had stepped out of the haveli of Shahjahanabad’s most ravishing courtesan? Could not the sultry Mehtab Banu, and her pale, delicate sister, Gulnar have something to do with the murder? Determined to save his friend, Muzaffar decides to investigate, with only a cup now and then of that new-fangled brew– ‘Allah, sobitter’–called coffee to help him. A trail of clues leads him from Mehtab’s haveli, out into the streets of seventeenth-centuryDilli–rife with rumours of Dara Shukoh’s strange leanings and Prince Aurangzeb’s rebelliousness– into a conspiracy far more sinister than he had imagined...

Liddle does a Heyer for Shahjahanabad. Set in Shahjahanabad, Muzaffar Ali is a detective by a chance. To protect a friend, he is drawn to solve a murder. What I liked it author is indeed well aware of era, the language carefully chosen to create the feel of the period. This, precisely, may be a bane for most readers. Plot is carefully laid out - there are interesting characters and twists and turns you desire in a mystery. Yet where the book lacks is the end. The climax arrives with a whimper and is over too soon. I wish the promising buildup had a deserving finish. Yet, I would pick up second book Muzaffar Ali series. ( )