Humankind, I like to believe, can be divided into two groups: one group swears by science fiction, the other cherishes only mysteries. I belong to the latter.' Thus begins C. M. Naim's homage to the writers who once provided generations of Urdu-speaking mystery-lovers hours of sleepless delight. Meticulously researched, this 'informal history' unravels how crime fiction first originated in Europe and North America in the nineteenth century, how Urdu writers responded to this new stimulus, and the rapid emergence of what then became the jasusi adab in Urdu. Described as 'wonder-inducing' and 'sleep-depriving, ' bearing titles like Khuni Chhatri (The Murderous Umbrella), Tilismi Burj (The Magic Turret), and Mistriz af Dihli (The Mysteries of Delhi), Urdu thrillers sold in the thousands.