Vaseem Khan gives crime readers several worlds to visit: contemporary Mumbai, post-Independence Bombay and the familiar territory of James Bond. His festival year moved between conversations about 007 and panels on the wider genre. Fans could follow a favourite investigator or enjoy hearing how other crime writers approached a shared question.
Quick facts
Best known for
The Baby Ganesh Agency, Malabar House and Q mysteries
Genre or subject
Crime fiction, historical mysteries and spy fiction
Khan writes recurring crime series and stand-alone suspense. The Baby Ganesh Agency novels take place in contemporary Mumbai; the Malabar House mysteries move back to 1950s Bombay. Those settings give readers different ways to follow an investigation through a city, with the past shaping one series and modern life surrounding the other.
The historical series centres on detective Persis Wadia, working in post-Independence India. Its first novel won the Crime Writers’ Association Historical Dagger. Alongside those books, Khan has taken Q from the James Bond world into a series in which the familiar character becomes the central investigator. That work opened another door for readers coming to him through spy fiction.
The sixth Malabar House book was issued by Hodder & Stoughton in January 2026. Zaffre published the next Q novel, The Man with the Golden Compass, on 22 October 2026. These are separate strands of a writing career that allows a reader to stay with an investigator or move into a new setting when curiosity leads elsewhere.
Where to start with their books
The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra
On the day he retires, a Mumbai inspector takes on the suspicious death of a boy and the unexpected care of a baby elephant. The first Baby Ganesh case gives readers both the city investigation and the unusual companion who will change his life.
Midnight at Malabar House
As India enters a new decade, a sidelined female detective receives the case of a murdered English diplomat. The opening historical mystery follows her through a politically charged investigation in a changing Bombay, introducing the officer who leads the continuing series.
The Girl in Cell A
A forensic psychologist tries to recover the faulty memories of a woman convicted of murder as a teenager. Set in a small American mining town, this stand-alone thriller gives readers a different setting and a mystery entangled with the past.
Festival appearances
For tickets, use the host festival’s official box office. Confirm the date, venue and access details before paying.
For a reader who follows a returning investigator, hearing writers compare how they bring people back can be a pleasure in itself. The Bond conversations offered something else: a chance to listen to writers working within a shared fictional world while making stories of their own.
Where to see them next
Vaseem Khan’s diary lists Stockport Noir on 30 January 2027, Bloody Barnes on 6–7 February, Coastal Crime in Southampton on 6 March and Festival in Marple on 14–16 May. 2027 dates and event information.
Plan your trip
If you are choosing a crime-festival weekend, build it around the subjects that make you want to listen. A conversation about a familiar fictional world and a panel about the genre can both reward a fan, but they need not be consecutive parts of a single reading project.
Bring a question about what makes you return to an investigator. It might be the character’s place in a city, the work they do or the people around them. Keeping the question away from the latest solution lets other readers enjoy the answer too. Leave a break afterwards if you want to browse another writer’s books.
The 2026 programmes featured Vaseem Khan at Bloody Scotland, Hay Festival, Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival; follow those guides for event information and practical visit details.
Will a festival talk cover all of his series?
Choose the subject that attracts you. The Bond conversations and the panels about crime writing gave listeners different ways into the year’s programme. You can enjoy hearing a writer respond to a shared subject without needing an account of every investigator he has created.
Where should I start reading his books?
The suggestions below offer the beginnings of two series and a stand-alone thriller. Choose contemporary city life, a historical investigation or a small-town psychological mystery. Beginning with the first case is a straightforward way to meet a continuing detective and their world.
How do I book a Vaseem Khan event?
Follow the host festival’s official box office. For a crime-festival stay, check whether your chosen session needs an individual ticket or is covered by a pass. Ask about access support before paying, then use the guide links below to plan the journey and your base.
