Madhulika Liddle – författare

A poisoned paan, a non-government issue arrow and the cameo of a mysterious Englishman... Muzaffar Jang is 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, so bitter’ – called coffee to help him. A trail of clues leads him from Mehtab’s haveli out into the streets of seventeenth-century Dilli – rife with rumours of Dara Shukoh’s strange leanings and Prince Aurangzeb’s rebelliousness – into a conspiracy far more sinister than he had imagined...

Muzaffar Jang, maverick Mughal nobleman, returns to play detective in ten short mystery stories. It is the year 1656. Muzaffar Jang – that rare creature in Shahjahan’s Dilli, an aristocrat with friends in low places – is recovering from injuries sustained during his recent adventures involving two mysterious Englishmen and some reprehensible activities against the Imperial Exchequer. Muzaffar’s bruised shoulder has yet to heal when he finds himself catapulted into a series of mysteries: An elephant in the Royal Elephant Stables goes berserk and kills its mahout – or does it? A scholarly nobleman – but, oh, such a pompous bore – is left a very puzzling legacy by his father. An artist at the imperial atelier is found murdered next to one of his works. Muzaffar must pit his wits against treacherous noblemen and scheming traders, greedy villagers and lovelorn men – and women. But who knows? Before the year is out, Muzaffar may just meet his match…

Two years after the Taj Mahal is finally built, many secrets shroud its walls...In Agra to escort home the beautiful Shireen, Muzaffar Jang – maverick nobleman and ace detective – reluctantly finds himself at the centre of yet another murder investigation when Mumtaz Hassan, a prominent trader, is found dead under mysterious circumstances. The Diwan-i-kul, Mir Jumla, on his way to invade Bijapur, hands the task of finding the killer to Muzaffar. With almost no evidence to work with except an ambiguous scrawl on a scrap of paper found clutched in the dead man’s fist, Muzaffar knows he must find the killer before the Diwan-i-kul returns if he wants to save himself an invitation to a beheading. As he begins to uncover the dross beneath the golden opulence of the dead man and his murkily amorous past, Muzaffar chances upon another mystery: a long forgotten tale of a woman who vanished inexplicably one evening. Muzaffar Jang once again pits his wits against an array of potential suspects – even as he loses his heart... ''

A serial killer is terrorizing Dilli and Mughal nobleman and detective Muzaffar Jang might have finally met his match. In the spring of 1657, the Mughal armies have reached the Deccan, besieging the Fort of Bidar. Back home in Dilli, there is unrest: the empire seethes and stirs, and its capital reflects this turbulence. Muzaffar Jang, newly married to his beloved Shireen and trying to adjust to life as a husband, stumbles into the investigation of a merchant''s murder. Even as another crime – the kidnapping of a wealthy moneylender''s infant son – occurs, Muzaffar finds himself at odds with his brother-in-law, Khan Sahib, the Kotwal of Dilli. Things get increasingly puzzling as one murder follows another and, soon, it is clear that the streets of Dilli have a serial killer on the loose. Muzaffar, who soon finds himself at odds with the system as well as those closest to him, must follow his gut to unmask this audacious murderer, while trying to obey Khan Sahib''s warning: do not get in the way of the law. But has he finally bitten off more than he can chew?

A young girl finds herself looking on as her mother listens to the woes of the world, always offering a sympathetic ear and a shoulder to cry on—while harbouring a bitter secret few know of. A woman and her brother try to come to terms with the knowledge of their mother’s infidelity. In a flood in Assam, a family is ruined and their daughter finds herself sent off to an unseen bride¬groom in faraway Delhi. In a colonial bungalow in the heart of rural India, a lonely old woman notices the stark difference between her privileged life and that of the poor around her. But who, really, is more privileged? In the span of a bus journey, a prostitute and a nun find they have more in common than they had imagined. And in the snowfields of Kashmir, a young widow takes her revenge on the man who killed her husband in the only way she knows…

Written with sensitivity but unafraid to explore the hidden secrets and dark corners in ordinary lives, 'Woman to Woman' is a collection of twelve beautifully crafted short stories by award-winning writer Madhulika Liddle.