Vaseem Khan talks to Paul burke about Quantum of Menace, The Girl in Cell A, Major Boothroyd 'Q', Quantum Mechanics, headhunters and out for a duck. Quantum of Menace: Q is out of MI6 . . . and in over his head After Major Boothroyd (aka Q) is unexpectedly ousted from his role with British Intelligence developing technologies for MI6's 00 agents, he finds himself back in his sleepy hometown of Wickstone-on-Water. His childhood friend, renowned quantum computer scientist Peter Napier, has died in mysterious circumstances, leaving behind a cryptic note. The police seem uninterested, but Q feels compelled to investigate and soon discovers that Napier's ground-breaking work may have attracted sinister forces . . . Can Q decode the truth behind Napier's death, even as danger closes in? Vaseem Khan is the author of two award-winning crime series set in India, the Baby Ganesh Agency series set in modern Mumbai, and the Malabar House historical crime novels set in 1950s Bombay. His first book, The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra, was selected by the Sunday Times as one of the 40 best crime novels published 2015-2020, and is translated into 17 languages. In 2021, Midnight at Malabar House won the Crime Writers Association Historical Dagger. Vaseem was born in England, but spent a decade working in India. In 2006, he returned to the UK and joined University College London's Department of Security and Crime Science, where he has helped manage the Dawes Centre for Future Crime. In 2023, Vaseem was elected Chair of the UK Crime Writers' Association. Recommends The Ministry of Time Kaliane Bradley Paul Burke is editor of Aspects of Crime, a CWA Gold Dagger judge and a contributor to crime magazines. His first book The Encyclopedia of Spy Fiction will be released in September, 2026. Produced by Junkyarddog Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices