Vaseem Khan Books In Order

Publication Order of Baby Ganesh Agency Investigation Books

Publication Order of Malabar House Books

Publication Order of Anthologies

Vaseem Khan is a British crime novelist that writes stories set in India. The author is best known for the ‘Baby Ganesh Detective Agency’ novels which feature a law enforcement officer from India and his baby elephant.

+Biography

Vaseem was born in 1973 in the London Borough of Newham. His resume makes mention of stints at Corbon School in Upminster, Newman College and the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Vaseem studied Accounting in college, though it was from the hotel management arena that the author earned his living. Vaseem used his abilities to participate in the planting of numerous eco-friendly hotels around India.

Working as a management consultant at the time, Vaseem’s work saw him spend a decade in India. It was during his time there that he wrote his first ‘Baby Ganesh’ book.

Vaseem was surprised to find that agents and publishers were hungry for his particular brand of storytelling and it wasn’t long before the author earned a four-book contract.

Vaseem believes that he is a stark example of the success that can manifest from perseverance. ‘The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra’, Vaseem Khan’s first novel, was published in 2015.

However, the book did not mark Vaseem’s first attempt at writing. Publishing was a dream that Vaseem held since he was a child. It took him two decades of writing and collecting rejection slips before he finally got his big break.

As such, Vaseem isn’t always patient with aspiring authors who talk about their publishing dreams but are all too quick to give up when they get their first rejection letter.

Despite the rapid success the author has attracted, Vaseem Khan is not a full-time writer. He has a job that he loves at University College London, specifically in the department of Security and Crime Science.

Vaseem works with scientific experts to find new ways of fighting crime and detecting criminals. Vaseem finds the work rewarding. Working with the world’s best experts on policing and security gives him plenty of inspiration for his ‘Baby Ganesh’ stories.

+Literary Career

Vaseem Khan was seventeen when he wrote his first novel. Vaseem was certain that the book held the keys to his financial future. It took him a while to realize just how terrible that particular novel was.

But even that realization did little to discourage Vaseem who proceeded to write several novels over a twenty-year period. Suffice it to say, the author’s journey to publishing success was no picnic.

Many aspiring authors are in awe of Vaseem’s ability to write while holding down a full-time day job. Vaseem imputes his ability to maintain optimum levels of productivity both at his day job and with his writing to his insomnia.

The author has no problem waking up early in the morning to get his writing done before heading off to work. And the fact that it takes him two hours to get to and from work by train each day means that he has plenty of time to do revisions.

Vaseem Khan’s determination manifests clearly in everything he does; his first published novel was the result of many years of practice.

In creating the concept for the ‘Baby Ganesh’ books, Vaseem’s objective was to produce stories that immersed readers in Indian culture. The author loves detective fiction, and some of his favorite books are memorable to him because of the detectives portrayed within in.

So Vaseem was determined to create a memorable detective of his own, a hero readers would gladly follow through multiple books. The years Vaseem spent in India and the interesting people he met allowed him to slowly but surely bring ‘Inspector Chopra’ to life.

Vaseem wrote Chopra to be a quintessential Indian. The idea of bringing an elephant into the equation came later. Vaseem loves elephants. He thinks they are intelligent and majestic.

Adding a baby elephant into the story and making him Inspector Chopra’s partner gave Vaseem Khan’s first novel that extra spark it needed to separate from the competition. Vaseem admits that he was aware of the impact the baby elephant would have on the marketplace.

The author knew that the detective genre was very crowded. He realized that giving readers a warm and charming character to cheer for would make his novels a standout, and he was right.

It did not take Vaseem that long to garner the attention of Euan Thorneycroft (A.M. Heath). The literary agent helped Vaseem refine his manuscript and then found him the perfect publisher.

Despite his relatively busy schedule, Vaseem has never shirked his writing duties. When he has a book he wants to produce, Vaseem always finds the time to crank out at least a thousand words every single day.

+The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra

Inspector Chopra has a case on his hands. It shouldn’t matter to him because he’s just retired, but what can he do? A boy drowned and no one seems particularly interested in solving the clearly suspicious death.

If that wasn’t enough, Chopra has been stranded with a baby elephant. But Chopra is nothing if not stubborn. Once he puts his mind to the task of solving his murder case, nothing will stop him.

Inspector Chopra’s investigation takes him to Mumbai. There he learns that an elephant is exactly what he needs to get to the bottom of things.

This book introduces readers to Inspector Chopra, a man of high integrity whose rigid sense of morality and justice hasn’t always made him popular. Following a heart attack, Chopra has decided to retire early.

However, his attempts at finally kicking back and relaxing are upended by a case that finds him on the day he’s supposed to retire.

+The Perplexing Theft of the Jewel of the Crown

The Koh-i-Noor diamond is one part of the British Crown Jewels that people have killed each other to possess over the centuries. As such, when the Crown Jewels are brought to Mumbai for viewing, security is a top most priority.

That doesn’t stop the Koh-i-Noor diamond from being stolen. And the theft happens the very day inspector Chopra decides to visit the exhibition. Unfortunately for the culprit, Chopra has a nose for trouble and he makes it his goal to hunt the diamond down before it disappears.

Chopra is joined on the trail by his trusty elephant of a partner.

2 Responses to “Vaseem Khan”

1. Daniel: 2 years ago

   I an wondering. Here it is stated that Vaseem Khan spent time in India but there is no reference to the ten years he lived in Pakistan or that his mother was Indian and his father Pakistani, both of whom left the Punjab around the time of Partition. I got this information from the bit about the author in Midnight at Malabar House, a most interesting and refreshing book to read.

   Reply
2. Chad Dickie: 3 years ago

   I came across the audiobook version of “The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra” on the Cloud Library app. I loved it!

   I’m a big fan of Christie, Conan Doyle, and other, newer English mystery authors. I found this story unique and quite funny. I live in Canada so understand some of the references to English societal influences. While listening to it I was checking out Mumbai maps and photos online. This story makes me want to visit BOM.

   Thanks for the entertaining experience; much appreciated.

   Reply