Crime writer Vaseem Khan tells us why Mumbai is central to his novels

Updated On: 24 June, 2023 08:32 AM IST | Mumbai | Fiona Fernandez

Vaseem Khan, author of Baby Ganesh Agency series and Malabar House crime novels, recently became the first non-white Chair of the UK Crime Writers’ Association in its 70-year history. The British author talks shop, and why Mumbai is the star in his plots

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Vaseem Khan

His first book, The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra, was a Times bestseller and has been translated into 15 languages. Vaseem Khan was born in Newham, but spent a decade in India, and his crime novels, the Baby Ganesh series and the Malabar House series are popular with Indian readers. Recently, he was conferred with the Chair of the UK Crime Writers’ Association (CWA), which is the oldest and largest association of crime writers in Europe. It exists to promote crime writing and crime writers. He elaborates on the expectations, “It is to chair the association for the next two years, following in the footsteps of world-famous crime writers like Ian Rankin and Dick Francis. As the first non-white writer in this role in its 70-year history, my main responsibility is to spread the gospel, to tell writers of all backgrounds and from all countries that crime writing is an open field. If you like murder — come and join in!”

Khan and his boss Terry Brewer in Mumbai in 2000