The new Moghul Emperor Shah Jahan reigns over a colossally wealthy empire of 100 million souls. Yet to gain his throne he has followed the savage 'throne or coffin' traditions of his ancestors - descendants of Genghis Khan and Tamburlaine. Ever since the Moghuls took India, brother has fought brother and sons their fathers for the prize and Shah Jahan has been no exception.As his reign dawns, now is the time for Shah Jahan to secure his throne by crushing his enemies. Instead, devastated by the death of his beautiful wife Mumtaz, he becomes obsessed with building an epic monument to their perfect love - the Taj Mahal. His overwhelming grief isolates him from his sons and he does not see the rivalries, indeed hatreds, building between them. When he falls ill, civil war breaks out - ruthless, murderous and uncontrollable - and the foundations of the empire itself begin to shake.

As the seventeenth century dawns, the vast Moghul Empire finally encompasses the entire Indian subcontinent. But despite controlling unimaginable wealth and ruling over a quarter of the world's population, the Moghul dynasty finds itself in increasing peril. Devastated by the death of his beloved wife, the once ruthless Shah Jahan has all but abandoned his throne. Where he should be protecting his power, he has instead devoted himself to constructing the elaborate Taj Mahal, a tribute to his wife's memory. Aging, ill and blinded by grief, the Shah cannot see the enmity building between his own sons—ambitious hatred so strong it could bring down the entire empire. Accurate and compelling, Alex Rutherford's The Serpent's Tooth is filled with strikingly human characters and heart pounding action, bringing India's bloody history to life.