So... Quantum of Menace is shortlisted for the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year #TheakstonsAwards @harrogatefestivals.bsky.social Final award is partly decided by vote, so if you can bring yourself to vote for me again... you can vote here: www.harrogatetheakstoncrimeaward.com/vote

I'm at the beautiful Colchester Library for the @essexbookfest ... Ben, the lovely librarian, asked if I'd like a cup of tea. I said I'd rather have a massive bar of chocolate...Like Willy Wonka he magically produced one... Hopefully I won't eat it all and be sick before my talk.

In the latest episode of MURDER JUNCTION @radiomukhers and I dissect the history of skyscrapers and the most famous books and films featuring hi-rises... all in aid of Abir's 'towering' new book THE PINNACLE, out this week... Tune in now: podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/e...

When I was young many of my favourite books had the puffin logo (Puffin is the children's imprint of Penguin Books). Today, I saw a puffin in the wild for the first time. I was tempted to put on my David Attenborough voice... I resisted.

A full house at Shetland Noir for a thorough grilling by the ever warm and generous Ann Cleeves ... I may have wandered off topic once or twice but a stern look was enough to make me behave. Almost behave.

Do you love Outback Noir? On 20 July, I'll be in conversation with Garry Disher, "King of Australian Crime", for his first ever UK tour. We'll be chatting about murder, place & (possibly) Crocodile Dundee ... His latest: Mischance Creek ... Tickets here: www.waterstones.com/.../london-t...

At Hay Festival I was on live episode of BBC Front Row with Val McDermid, Jack Thorne (creator of Adolescence) and Welsh national poet Hanan Issa, marshalled by Samira Ahmed. I spoke about QUANTUM OF MENACE and may have mentioned Sean Connery's nether regions. Listen: www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

LAST DAY to vote ... for shortlisting for the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year. QUANTUM OF MENACE is longlisted... shortlist decided partly by a vote... If you'd like to vote for me, you can vote here: www.harrogatetheakstoncrimeaward.com/vote .... Thank you!

Currently at the Hay Festival in a sweltering Hay-on-Wye. Speaking later! Hay is one of the world's largest literary festivals and yet it takes place in a small and picturesque Welsh market town. Somehow they accommodate a huge influx of enthusiastic book lovers from all over the globe. Incredible!

Forget the Makerfield by-election! Vote to shortlist for Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year. My novel QUANTUM OF MENACE (featurg Q from the James Bond franchise) is longlisted - & here is Q's dog with the longlisting mug ... Vote here: www.harrogatetheakstoncrimeaward.com/quantum-of-m...

Last day... 20% off on pre-order of THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN COMPASS, 2nd in Q series. Q investigates the murder of a tech millionaire... Book is out Oct 22. Ordering from Bookshop.org supports local bookshops. USE CODE: PREORDER20 ..DEADLINE MIDNIGHT 17 MAY tinyurl.com/5ejxvcye

This is rather cool... Turning up to catch a train and seeing my book on a poster at the station (and on the train!)... And if you haven't read it yet, let this poster persuade you... Small town murder mystery featuring Q from the James Bond franchise. Go on, live a little... geni.us/quantumofmen...

1/2 - People often ask me: what was the book that inspired you to write? Well, it was this. Guard! Guards! by the late, great Sir Terry Pratchett. Came across it aged 15 in a library. Decided to write my own comic fantasy aged 17 and send in to agents...

Another shortlist for QUANTUM OF MENACE. Capital Crime FINGERPRINT AWARDS for Overall Crime Book of the Year ... always risky doing something new, so grateful for the way this one has been received. Award is decided by YOU! If you'd like to vote for me VOTE HERE: www.capitalcrime.org/fingerprint-...

Yes, it's temporary, but lovely to see QUANTUM OF MENACE at No. 1 in three categories - British Detective Stories, Espionage Thrillers and Cozy Mystery - perfectly captures the book - small town murder mystery, dry humour, with Q from the James Bond franchise. Options! geni.us/quantumofmen...

Voting day! Get out there, people, and exercise your right to select your local councillors. Local decision-making directly impacts local services (such as libraries!) and your local environment. So well worth finding the time to vote today. Democracy in action!

Lovely meeting at @ZaffreBooks to chat THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN COMPASS, out Oct 22. The second outing for Q, with another small town murder to solve ... Campaign soon underway. There'll be thrills, fast cars & ... biscuits. Never too early to pre-order: tinyurl.com/4ha8vx99

Lovely visit to Market Deeping recently for the @deepingsliteraryfestival ... A great community hub centred around the local library, a team of enthusiastic murder-lovers organising the fest, and lots of avid readers.... Oh, and did I mention the MASSIVE cake they baked with all our book covers on?

How old is MI6, Britain's Secret Intelligence Service? Who was the first chief of the agency? What did MI5 once recommend if you wanted to be a spy? ... Find out on latest episode of MURDER JUNCTION with myself & @radiomukhers.bsky.social ... Tune in here: tinyurl.com/2kyv2jjs

For the @takefivetostopfraud campaign I wrote a crime fiction short story that highlights how scams can catch any of us out... LISTEN TO THE STORY HERE: soundcloud.com/takefivetost... & LEARN HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM INVESTMENT SCAMS HERE: www.takefive-stopfraud.org.uk//protect-you...

QUANTUM OF MENACE is longlisted for Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year 2026 Shortlist is via a vote... THIS IS WHERE YOU COME IN! ... If you'd like to vote for me, you can vote here: www.harrogatetheakstoncrimeaward.com/quantum-of-m... .... Thank you! #TheakstonsAwards #TheakstonsCrime

Have you ever been investment scammed? ... Delighted to be involved in this anti-fraud campaign with @takefivetostopfraud for #TakeFiveWeek26, I’ve written a short story about an investment scam to show what to look out for FIND OUT MORE: www.takefive-stopfraud.org.uk/read-between...

What does a scientist do when he’s thrown out of MI6 and discovers that his childhood friend has died under mysterious circumstances in his small home town? He investigates … QUANTUM OF MENACE - featuring Q from the Bond franchise playing amateur detective. Some options here: geni.us/quantumofmen...

@newhambookshop.bsky.social has been my local bookshop for 40 years. Lovely to have a window dedicated to the paperback of Quantum of Menace.. As you can see , I was sent off to read by the amazing artists. They obviously didn't trust me with a paintbrush: geni.us/quantumofmen... ...

Paperback launch day for QUANTUM OF MENACE! Here's me banging on about it. Small town murder mystery. Q from the James Bond franchise acting as amateur detective. Cryptic clues. Dry humour. What more do you need? Check it out in bookshops/supermarkets. Some options here: geni.us/quantumofmen ...

This is cool! ... My psych thriller, THE GIRL IN CELL A, is long-listed for @The_CWA KAA Gold Dagger. Murder mystery set in small town USA, unreliable narrators & twists galore. Fancy new cover for the upcoming paperback too. Check it out: www.waterstones.com/.../vaseem-k...

Cricket in England in early April. Where else would you wear a winter hat to play a summer sport?..Cricket signals the start of book festival season so for forthcoming weekends either I'll be posting about the highs and lows of amateur cricketing or speaking at book fests. Both tend to involve cake.

Great event in Crawley with Mark Billingham, ably chaired by Derek Farrell. A library with the most incredible staircase Ive seen in a while, a knowledgeable crowd & a local bookseller. We threw around some risqué jokes, chatted crime & sorted out the world's problems. Not bad for an evening's work.

This is firmly in the realm of 'you couldn't make this sh*t up.' Though, obviously, my next novel will now have to include a crime fighting tuktuk ... www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

All hail the Finns! I love the look of this Finnish edition of one of my Malabar House novels.... If you want to know why the Finns are reading them... dip in! The first in the series is Midnight at Malabar House.

If you love a locked room murder mystery, an exotic location, and some intriguing history... THE EDGE OF DARKNESS is for you! ... 1951, Naga Hills, India. A headless corpse at the crumbling colonial-era Hotel Victoria... Some buying options here: vaseemkhan.com/the-edge-of-...

Last day 25% off @Waterstones ... On two of my paperbacks out this year.. Use code: FEB26 .. Psych thriller THE GIRL IN CELL A here: www.waterstones.com/book/the-gir... .. or 1950s historical locked room mystery THE EDGE OF DARKNESS here: www.waterstones.com/book/the-edg... ... Those covers! ...

Increasingly seeing articles like this. I still remember a short time that I was unemployed many years ago - it really is soul crushing. I feel huge sympathy for young people today, trying to make headway in the world. It's frightening & no easy fixes. I wish them all good luck.

It's not just raining rain... it's raining discounts! Courtesy of those lovely people at @Waterstones ... 25% off beautiful QUANTUM OF MENACE paperback (23 Apr) & THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN COMPASS (22 Oct) - use code FEB26.​ Pre-order paperback here: waterstones.com/book/quantum...

Off to the brill #granitenoir this weekend, in the sparkling Granite City of Aberdeen...Talking all things Quantum of Menace, Q and James Bond with Kim Sherwood & Bryan Burnett.. The last time I was in town I had a showdown with a seagull..Tickets here: www.aberdeenperformingarts.com/.../granite-...

25% off ... THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN COMPASS... From now till the 20th of Feb, you can pre-order the second Q mystery for 25% off at Waterstones - just use the code: FEB26 ... Q (& Bond) are back with another small town murder to solve ... Click here: www.waterstones.com/book/the-man...

"...historical fiction at its finest" ... DAILY MIRROR & DAILY EXPRESS on THE EDGE OF DARKNESS ...1951, Naga Hills, India. A headless corpse inside a locked room at the Hotel Victoria. Murder, history & mystery... Options: vaseemkhan.com/the-edge-of-...

Paul McCartney doodling John Lennon and George Harrison... Not bad! ... One of the exhibits at British Library's Treasures Gallery. Wandered around it one evening last week. Worth a look. There's also a Jane Austen exhibit... Did you know she wrote a History of England aged 15?

An In Conversation event last night at @bloodybarnescrime with BBC Security Correspondent Frank Gardner. We talked politics, thriller writing and James Bond. Basically set the world to rights.

"A rollicking mystery" ... MAIL ON SUNDAY's turn to say nice things about THE EDGE OF DARKNESS ... 1951, Naga Hills, India. A headless corpse inside a locked room at the Hotel Victoria. Murder, history & mystery, against a jungle insurgency. Options: vaseemkhan.com/the-edge-of-...

A big thank you to @lovereadinguk.bsky.social & Liz Robinson. THE EDGE OF DARKNESS is a PICK OF THE MONTH ... "...the history of the time weaves its way through the pages, a wonderful addition to a truly fabulous series." ... Buy options here: vaseemkhan.com/the-edge-of-...

Loved this v. fun chat with two absolute reprobates...

Today's Page One Extra: @vaseemkhanuk.bsky.social returns to talk writing in the James Bond world & his latest Malabar House book. Plus, we discuss some of his favourite books & wonder about character names... (apologies to Pauls everywhere) Watch: youtu.be/i1f2KiBCSIs Listen: linktr.ee/ukpageone

Walked into one of our offices at the UCL Department of Security and Crime Science (where I work when I'm not writing) recently... Took one look and quietly walked out again. Some questions are best not asked.

A lovely evening yesterday at the @wallingfordbookshop ... It's been 10 years since my last visit & it was wonderful to see people I'd met then & who'd followed my books through the years. Plus ... cake! [A cake that appears in Quantum of Menace, no less.] Thank you to all involved :)

A mood lit farewell to the incredible @EmiratesLitFest ... Highlight: a talk by Nobel Prize in Literature winner Wole Soyinka, wonderfully articulate at 91, urging writers to think of their work as activism... Looking at the state of the world right now, this seems sage advice.

Intense Macbethian witches energy in the Dubai desert as @RuthWareWriter @louise_candlish & @freya_north avidly read THE EDGE OF DARKNESS.. 1951, Naga Hills, India. A headless corpse inside a locked room... Find out why they're (pretending to be) engrossed! vaseemkhan.com/the-edge-of-...

On a panel in Dubai about history & stories with historian @bettany_hughes .. Apparently her contract says she has to have mango juice before event.. She denies it! ..I did the honours.. The panel was terrific fun & I learned that the first ever poet was a woman named Enheduanna.

Its publication day for THE EDGE OF DARKNESS, 6th in the Malabar House series ... 1951, Naga Hills, India. A headless corpse inside a locked room at the Hotel Victoria. Murder, history & mystery, set against a post-independence jungle insurgency. Options here. Thnx! vaseemkhan.com/the-edge-of-...

Fireworks, fountains & a week of too much food... All part of the incredible Emirates Airline Festival of Literature in Dubai. I haven't been back for a few years - nice to see how the fest has evolved, with a large contingent of Arabic authors this year, to go with the international contingent.