Margins
The Englishman's Cameo book cover
The Englishman's Cameo
2009
First Published
3.48
Average Rating
286
Number of Pages

Part of Series

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...
Avg Rating
3.48
Number of Ratings
212
5 STARS
14%
4 STARS
33%
3 STARS
42%
2 STARS
11%
1 STARS
1%
goodreads

Author

Madhulika Liddle
Madhulika Liddle
Author · 9 books

Madhulika Liddle is best known for her books featuring the 17th century Mughal detective Muzaffar Jang, although she is also a prolific writer of short fiction, travel writing, and writing related to classic cinema. The Muzaffar Jang Series: Madhulika’s best-known series of works are historical whodunnits featuring the 17th century Mughal detective, Muzaffar Jang. Till now, four books in the series have been published: The Englishman’s Cameo (2009) The Eighth Guest & Other Muzaffar Jang Mysteries (2011), Engraved in Stone (2012), and Crimson City (2015). In October 2021, Madhulika Liddle published The Garden of Heaven, the first novel of a four-novel series called the Delhi Quartet. This is a series of historical novels that will span 800 years of Delhi's history. The Garden of Heaven was long-listed for the Book of the Year (Fiction) Award of the annual Tata Literature Live! literature festival. In March 2023, Madhulika's The Pledge: Adventures to Sada was released. A fantasy adventure novel, this is the first part of a two-part series called The Mandala Purana, written in collaboration with film-maker Kannan Iyer. Short stories: Madhulika has written a range of short stories in different genres, including black humour, humour, crime and detection, and social awareness. Several of these have won awards (including the Commonwealth Broadcasting Association’s (CBA) Short Story Competition, for A Morning Swim, in 2003) or have been selected for anthologies. Her story, Poppies in the Snow, was longlisted for the 2015 Sunday Times EFG Short Story Prize. Short story collections: My Lawfully Wedded Husband & Other Stories. Black humour shorts, all of which have a twist in the tale. Woman to Woman: Stories. A collection of twelve women-centric stories. Madhulika is also known for her travel writing, which has been published in Rough Guides, National Geographic Traveller (India), Lounge (Mint), and other periodicals. In addition, she is a cinema buff and blogs (mostly about classic cinema) at www.madhulikaliddle.com. Awards and Recognition: CBA Short Story Competition – Honourable Mention (2002) for Love and the Papaya Man CBA Short Story Competition – Overall Winner (2003) for A Morning Swim Winner of Oxfordbookstore e-Author version 4.0 Sunday Times EFG Short Story Prize (2015) - Longlisted for Poppies in the Snow Book of the Year Award, Tata Literature Live! (2023) - Longlisted for The Garden of Heaven Starting 2022, Crimson City (Muzaffar Jang #4) is being taught as an elective to Delhi University students majoring in English

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