STARS OF THE BRITISH-ASIAN CRIME (WRITING) WAVE

Barrister Imran Mahmood, 52, rose to prominence with his critically-acclaimed debut, You Don’t Know Me, in 2017. It is due to air as a four-part BBC drama next month. The Liverpool-born criminal lawyer, who lives in south-east London, published his second novel, I Know What I Saw, earlier this year.

Khurrum Rahman grew up in west London where he bases his spy thrillers starring Javid Qasim, a small scale drug dealer who debuted in East Of Hounslow, 2017. The council IT worker, 46, lives in Berkshire with his wife and two children.

Saima Mir, 46, is a mother-of-three who grew up in Bradford, starting her career there as a journalist before working for the BBC. Her debut novel The Khan was published in January and has been optioned by BBC Studios.

Vaseem Khan, 48, from east London, works at University College London’s security and crime science department. His Baby Ganesh Detective agency novels about a retired police inspector with an elephant as a sidekick were inspired by ten years in Mumbai, where he met his wife. His new series, Midnight At Malabar House, started last year.

Amer Anwar grew up in west London where his Zaq and Jags thrillers are set. His debut, Brothers In Blood, took nearly a decade to get published but was met with critical acclaim.

Father-of-two AA Dhand, a pharmacist, grew up in Bradford, where his four Harry Virdee detective thrillers are set. The second, Streets Of Darkness, is being developed for a TV drama.

Kia Abdullah, 39, is an author and travel writer from Tower Hamlets, London, whose three courtroom dramas began with Take It Back in 2019.

JON COATES