Engraved In Stone

Madhulika Liddle

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 to Shireen.