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, besleging 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?

Crimson City is set in the spring of 1657. The Mughal armies under Aurangzeb and Mir Jumla are
besieging the Fort of Bidar, and Dilli is full of rumours of what's happening down in the Deccan. In the
neighbourhood of Muzaffar Jang's house, a cloth merchant is found mysteriously murdered and nobody
can come up with any plausible motive for his killing. Muzaffar would like to investigate, but his
brother-in-law, the Kotwal of Dilli, puts his foot down and tells Muzaffar not to interfere. Meanwhile,
other crimes are committed: a money lender's infant son is kidnapped, a prosperous and influential
nobleman is found dead, and yet another man is killed in Muzaffar's mohallah. Crimson City uses the
serial killer theme, but weaves in other, shorter episodes too. This was done to give readers a feel of the
turmoil in Delhi at the time. The Empire was in a state of ferment, and the capital was, I think, bound
to reflect it.

Madhulika's best-known series of works are historical whodunnits featuring 17th century Mughal
detective Muzaffar Jang. Muzaffar Jang first appeared in print in a short story, Murk of Art, in the
anthology, 21 Under 40,[1] published by Zubaan Books in 2007. The first full-length Muzaffar Jang
novel was published by Hachette India in 2009 as The Englishman's Cameo. As of 2021, four books in
the series have been published.

The Englishman's Cameo [2] 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.[3]
Both editions received numerous favourable reviews, with Pradeep Sebastian of Business World[4]
writing: "Its intimate picture of life in Emperor Shahjahan's Dilli resembles a delicate. Mughal
miniature... and Zac O'Yeah of Deccan Herald [5] describing the book's "originality and freshness as
its strongest point. Gargi Gupta, for the Hindustan Times, [6] wrote: "The Englishman's Cameo is a
fast-paced yarn written in snappy prose. It also succeeds in evoking the Mughal era through its manners,
fashions, jewels and architecture. There's blood, dead bodies every 50 pages or so, and even a love
interest to keep readers hooked."

The Eighth Guest & Other Muzaffar Jang Mysteries [7] is a collection of ten short mystery stories set
in the latter half of 1656 AD, following Muzaffar Jang's successful solving of the case of The
Englishman's Cameo. These stories are set against varying backdrops, including the Imperial Atelier, a
traditional Mughal garden, the sarai built by the Princess Jahanara in Delhi, and the Royal Elephant
Stables. Included in the collection was the first Muzaffar Jang short story (Murk of Art), reprinted in
this collection as The Hand of an Artist.

Engraved in Stone, [8] the third book in the series, is set in Agra. When a wealthy and influential
merchant named Mumtaz Hassan is murdered, the Diwan-e-Kul, Mir Jumla (who is in Agra, en route
to the Deccan, where he's been sent on a campaign) assigns Muzaffar the task of finding the culprit. In
the process, Muzaffar stumbles across another mystery which is as old as Muzaffar himself.

Crimson City. [9] the fourth Muzaffar Jang book, is set in Delhi during early spring, 1657. While the
Mughal armies besiege Bidar in the Deccan, Muzaffar comes up against a series of murders In his
neighbourhood, as well as other unconnected crimes, including the abduction of a moneylender's infant
son, and the death of a wealthy nobleman in the bath house he himself had built. Madhulika has written
a range of short stories in different genres. Several of these have won awards (including the
Commonwealth Broadcasting Association Awards Short Story Competition, for A Morning Swim, in
2003) or have been selected for anthologies. In 2016, one of her stories, Poppies in the Snow, was
longlisted for The Sunday Times EFG Short Story Award [10] Her first collection of contemporary
short stories was published as My Lawfully Wedded Husband and Other Stories in 2012.

……………………………………………………..
Since it an imagined story set in the distant past and must accurately, convincingly, and deeply describe
the selected period and its civilizations, historical fiction is a challenging genre for authors to undertake.

It necessitates intensive, creative rebuilding and significant investigation. The author must be familiar
with the period in question before imaginin it and building a plausible setting for it. And it is in this
area that the literature of Madhulika Liddle excels. Her

All

Muzaffar Jang series books stand out as outstanding instances of excellent historical fiction. We are
taken on a tour of 17th-century Delhi, Dilli, or Shahjahanabad as Muzaffar Jang, a nobleman,
investigates a variety of crimes, some minor and some more serious. While it is still difficult to write a
credible crime thriller set in modern times, the fact that this book deals with such a series of murders
planned in Delhi in Mughal times, well before Aurangazeb, makes it all the more interesting.

This is because it is difficult to write a book in this genre set 0586 a period that the author has only
"theoretical" knowledge of. And believe me when I say that Madhulika Liddle's Crimson City does not
let down on the fronts of either crime thriller or authenticity (as it is era) (in that it is an extremely
competent book in M is set during the Mughal this genre).

Plot

Crimson City, her most recent book, is no exception. As we encounter a subdued and controlled
Muzaffar Jang, Dilli comes to life. After three months of marriage to the attractive Shireen, he is
gradually adjusting to her existence in his life.
These are tumultuous times, and the greater macrocosmic events are having an impact on everyday
Dilli- wala life by causing ripples and disturbance. Several seemingly unrelated killings and a few
disappearances have shaken the city of Dilli, but are they truly unrelated?

Muzaffar Jang is fascinated by the deaths going on around him and eager to get involved, but he is also
hesitant to conduct his research

without restriction because of the simmering conflict he has with Khan Sahib, his brother-in-law who
serves as a father figure to him.

Muzaffar Jang resolves the straightforward story through basic deduction and intelligence. Through his
insightful conversations with 20:23 Shireen and his friend Akram, in which the author leaves many
hints, we get a glimpse inside the detective's mind and how it functions.

Shireen also plays a bigger part in Crimson City, just as Muzaffar Jang's character did between the last
novel and this one. She pokes him, prods him, speaks to him, and is feisty enough to of her research.
go outside and conduct some, Even in the detailed passages that reproduce the city going about its daily
business, there are tense muscles to the story. Short phrases that say a lot are abundant, and the grammar
and structure are excellent.

Conclusion

The novel is the ideal fusion of detective fiction and history. Although being the fourth book in the
series, the characters and plot are not complicated to grasp. You can read it without having read any of
the other chapters because it stands alone as a stand-alone novel.

The book is going to make you fall in love with Muzaffar who was quite ahead of his time i.e. respected
and appreciated women with brains. He loved his wife because she was smart and helped him solve
mysteries. The book is going to make you fall in love with Muzaffar who was quite ahead of his time
l.e, respected and appreciated women with brains. loved his wife because she was smart and helped him
solve mysteries. Go ahead and peruse the novel before going to Purani Dilli if you wan become
infatuated with it.

////////////////////////////////////////////

Muzaffar jung

He is who we as readers might understand to be the protagonist or the hero of the narrative. Aside from
being an authorlal spokesperson for political and religious liberalism in the text, he is also built up very
much in the tradition of the detective hero from the European Golden-Age of Detective Fiction. A lot
like Sherlock Holmes, he uses his sharp observation and deductive skills to solve the cases of murder
and kidnapping that he is faced with in the text. His observational and deductive skills are on clearest
display when he is confronting the threat of Lakshminarayan's son Nandu being kidnapped.

Khan sahib

Muzaffar's brother-in-law, Khan Shaib is a functionally important character in the narrative. As

Suraj bhan

He is introduced to the reader as a competent, methodical and reliable man from the moment Muzaffar
walks upon him and the chowkidar trying to open the lock to Aadil's house. The chowkidar takes a
while to recover from his surprise but Suraj Bhan is quicker than him. Muzaffar is also all praise for
Suraj Bhan' s methodical approach in searching for anything missing in Aadil s house. In fact, Muzaffar
impressed by the man's efficiency joins him in taking an inventory of the items at Aadil house.

Women's
Ameena Bibi

very fire time as a woman She is introduced to the reader for the seemingly lacking in sophistication
and refinement standing outside the murdered merchant Aadil s house attempting to satisfy her morbid
curiosity. Muzaffar does not take long to recognise her as a tough and resilient woman who is also very
sharp and has her wits about her. When she is surprised by Muzaffar in the street outside, her hand
immediately tightens s on her cane

Shireen

Muzaffar s wife Shireen is described in the text as a woman who is his equal, both intellectually and
morally. She is also an able companion and guide providing him with help wherever necessary. She is
also an intelligent woman as is evident from the time when she is able to infer Khan Sahib' s unhappiness
at Muzaffar accompanying him to the scene of Aadil s murder, merely from Muzaffar s recounting of
his experiences of the day to her.

Nilofer

Although Liddle' s novel is filled with strong women characters, Nilofer is probably the strongest of
them all. When Shireen Initially introduces her to both Muzaffar and the reader, we are inclined to think
that she is a supremely vain woman only concerned with her appearance and ornamentation

…………………….

muzaffar Jang returns in his third story, ‘Crimson City’; this time there are murders committed in his
neighbourhood.

Crimson City is set in the spring of 1657. There is a serial killer in Dilli and Jung, 26, newly married to
Shireen, is not allowed to investigate the crimes by order of his brother-in-law cum guardian, the Kotwal
of Dilli, Khan Sahab. Mysterious that, meanwhile other crimes are committed—a money lender’s infant
son kidnapped; a prosperous and influential nobleman found dead; and yet another man killed in Jung’s
mohallah, the turmoil is evident owing to the Mughal Empire’s state of agitation at the time.
Crimson City uses the serial killer theme along with weaving in other shorter episodes. The interesting
part about the setting is the good old-fashioned detective work. There are no advanced technologies like
DNA Analysis or fingerprint scanning or facial recognition or even basic chemical tox-screening.
Muzaffar and the Kotwal rely solely on observation, deduction and tedious detective work. While the
investigation comes across as tedious, it gives the readers the opportunity to solve crimes along with
Jung; especially the kidnapping episode of the infant in which the reader can guess the culprit before
Jung’s announcement of the same.

The biggest win for the book would be its historical accuracy. Lengthy descriptions of Delhi in Mughal
era; the Chandni Chowk, the Jama Masjid, the hammams, the sarais and more give a vivid idea on the
daily lives of the people during that time. However, that his no feat for Liddle who has always been a
history buff and has extensive knowledge of Mughal India.

The high point of the book is the second murder as Liddle creates a scene like the quiet before a storm;
Jung sensing the unrest in peace… his wife, the beautiful Shireen has been gone for long while he was
in his siesta, and just as he heads out of his home there are screams and chaos everywhere. Intriguing
parts such as these are intermittent throughout the book leaving the reader with inconsistent involvement
in the story.

………………

The author have painted a vivid and extremely captivating picture of a 17th century Dilli (New Delhi,
currently knows as) when it was under the rule of Mughal empire. Henceforth, the author has not only
captured the major historic events of that century but have also depicted each and every architecture, ally
and houses in that fashion. In a nutshell, the 17th century Dilli is not only fascinating and gorgeous but also
bit puzzling with so many narrow streets and back alleys. The readers are in for a treat as each and every
details are laid out so intricately that it will feel like they are transported to that era. The setting is in perfect
sync with that of the story line.

The mystery is absolutely riveting, gripping and mind blowing, that will keep the readers on the edge of their
seats. The mystery builds up with a fast pace that doesn't even provide a single fleeting moment to the readers
to look away and anticipate on their own. Yes there are lots of twists and turns that makes the mystery more
deeper with suspense and fear. Away from the world of technology, Muzaffar solves the mystery with logic
and intelligence, thus making it interesting to see an old fashioned modus operandi of a detective.