On April 27, 1959, Commander Kawas Nanavati stormed into Mumbai's swishy Jeevan Jyot building, and shot dead his English wife, Sylvia's, lover. But Prem Ahuja's name was bloodied more brutally at the prolonged trial, and throughout this crime passionel's after-life in films and books. It was easy to demonise the Sindhi businessman who had seduced the wife of the Navy's most promising officer. Since the perfidy took place while the upright Parsi commander was out defending the country's waters, it was not just immoral, but in today's terms almost anti-national. Nanavati's Rottweiler lawyer and Russi Karanjiia's Blitz had managed to paint the killed lover in 50 shades of black. So while researching the first non-fiction book on this near-mythic case, I was keen to see if there was any grey. I kept drawing blanks. His only, also unmarried sister, Mamie had passed on, and no relatives were to be found. Then I hit pay dirt in the most unexpected quarter.

I had asked the many-splendoured Gerson DaCunha for help in recreating the Bombay of the 1950s. When I told him why, he went, "Ah, the Nanavati case! I used to party with Prem Ahuja!" I almost fell at his feet in gratitude.