India, Nov. 15 -- It is 1896. A ship docks in Bombay Harbour, and as the workers rush to unload the cargo, a scream rings out. A large black rat, frothing at the mouth, has bitten one of the men. Within weeks, fear engulfs the city as rats overrun it, and inhabitants fall sick and die. Dr Acacio Viegas is the first to raise the alarm; it is the plague. The only way to control it is to sanitise the city's slums, clean its drains, report any fever, and stay indoors. The British administration begin to roll out these measures, until warnings turn up at Doctors' House, where Maya Barton lives; notes that threaten those "interfering" with people's religion and customs. The notes are signed by the Native Society. Maya is soon hot on the trail of the Society, which leads to formidable characters ranged against all things "modern". Anuradha Kumar once again uses her talent for recreating a period setting, and engaging characters, to brilliant effect in this sequel to the acclaimed The Kidnapping of Mark Twain, her first Bombay Mystery....