Bombay’s red-light district is the scene of the crime, when gentle Inspector Ghote, ‘one of the great creations of detective fiction’ (Alexander McCall Smith), is forced to take on his most embarrassing investigation yet in this classic mystery – with a brand-new introduction by bestselling author Vaseem Khan.

Inspector Ganesh Ghote of the Bombay CID is in the worst trouble of his career so far. Given a task which at first seems merely embarrassing – that of escorting an aging British film star on a tour of Bombay’s notorious red-light district, the ‘Cages’ – he is, before long, confronted with something infinitely worse: murder.

But this isn’t the end of his troubles. For the sole suspect is none other than the Sheriff of Bombay: respected holder of the honorary legal office, an ex-Rajah and former captain of India’s cricket team. And he is a suspect only because Ghote had a swift glimpse of his face – as he hurriedly left a house of ill-repute.

The gentle but tenacious detective shudders to think of the investigation ahead of him. What humiliations will he have to suffer as he searches for proof, he wonders. What sights will he see? Who will he encounter? And – above all – how will he explain what he has learnt to his wife?