Madhulika Liddle

A very entertaining & quirky collection of 12 short stories filled with twists and dark humor.

1. "Sum Total": A young woman, raised to be good & proper, finds a manner in which to deal with the people she is annoyed by.

2. "A Tale of a Summer Vacation": A young girl visiting her grandmother is witness to a love quadrangle.... Two sisters, one unhappily quiet the other gregarious silently love the man who loves another with consequences and a twist.

3. "A Brief Lesson in Trust": Do not ask the person you snubbed years ago in school, to help you out of a tight situation.

4. "Feet of Clay": Beware of the bakery man, he may not be as sweet as you believe.

5. "My Lawfully Wedded Husband": Her husband is boring, she begins an affair w/ a much younger electrician. Her husband fixes her toaster for her.....

6. "Number 63": An older neighbor's nephew & wife move in. #61 hears struggles & shouting. The neighbors move just before the police arrive.

7. "On the Night Train": A stranger on the night train tells a ghostly tale of death on the train.

8. "Hourie": The Madame escapes a fire w/ a special box, which she gives to Hourie for safe keeping... A man sweet talks & wheedles his way into Hourie's confidence..... The Madame has the last laugh.

9. "Silent Fear": A young woman working late is frightened to death by the tale of "The Office Ghost".. and then the "Ghost" leave s a message for the tale teller.

10. "St. George and the Dragon": A honest & much beleaguered office assistant working for a corrupt & philandering boss has his day.

11. "The Crusader": A loud young couple & man on a cell phone attend the movie "The Crusader", disturbing all others around them. In the lobby both the couple & cell-phone man each receive an "prize" envelope from the Crusader.

12. "The Howling Waves of Tranquebar": Two friends go off to visit Tranquebar, along for the ride is a visiting young German man. While one goes off to work, the other goes w/ the young German to the Castle museum, who regales with a story of murder & curses.....… (mere)

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...… (mere)

We were introduced to a dashing and handsome nawab in 'The Englishman's Cameo' by Madhullika Liddle. According to a wikipedia entry,
The Englishman’s Cameo introduces Muzaffar Jang, a twenty-five-year-old Mughal nobleman living in the Delhi of 1656 AD. Muzaffar ends up investigating a murder of which his friend, a jeweller’s assistant, is accused. The book became a bestseller in India, and was published in French by Editions Philippe Picquier, as Le Camée Anglais.
Muzaffar Jang is young, intelligent, futuristic and well read. His parents died when he was young. He was brought up by his wise and kindly older sister, Zeenat and brother-in-law. In the first book, Muzaffar takes upon himself the task of investigating a murder to help his friend.

Eighth Guest and other Muzaffar Jang mysteries is a collection of short stories featuring Muzaffar Jang as he goes about solving various mysteries. Although the stories can be read independent of each other, there is a thread of continuity between them.

Engraved in Stone is the latest novel in the series. Catching the eye of the high and mighty is not always an advantage, Muzaffar knows. When the Diwan-e-kul hands the task of finding the murderer of Mumtaz Hassan, a prominent trader, to Muzaffar, he is not entirely thrilled. One misstep and he could find himself on the gallows. Muzaffar sets off immediately, chasing after an elusive murderer before his trail gets cold.

He is aided by his loyal friend and cousin Akram. Not 'aided' really. Merely 'accompanied' by. Akram is a bit of a dandy and is happy being a pampered nawab with a good heart. I am always happy to see Akram by Muzaffar's side, he is good fun. I hope he is there in ALL of Muzaffar's books.

The USP of these books is the beautiful backdrop of historical Dilli. I love the descriptions of the bazaar, the clothes, the men (and women) and their manners, the food, the jewellery. I can feel the swish of their chogas and dupattas as they go about their business. Madhulika's sound knowledge of history and faultless language is what enhances this effect.

This time round, Muzaffar has a love interest as well. Beautiful Shireen was introduced to us in the last story of the previous book. Zeenat is keen on Muzaffar settling down with Shireen. Muzaffar is not sure about this, he has shadows in his heart, left by a previous love.

If you like historical fiction, you will love this book. As I did. The only bit of annoyance for me was the harping on the perfection of Shireen. I hope we will have no more of that in the future books. Madhulika's writing is so evocative that it brings the world of Muzaffar to life.… (mere)

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.… (mere)