For our latest Pod-Folio blog, we caught up with British crime writers and podcast hosts of Abir Mukherjee and Vaseem Khan. Abir is the Times bestselling author of the Wyndham & Banerjee series of crime novels set in Raj-era India, which has sold over 400,000 copies across the world and has been translated into 15 languages, and his books have won numerous awards including the CWA Dagger for Best Historical Novel, the Prix du Polar Européen, the Wilbur Smith Award for Adventure Writing and the Amazon Publishing Readers Award for E-book for the Year. Vaseem has written two award-winning crime series set in India. In 2021, Midnight at Malabar House, the first in the Malabar House novels set in 1950s Bombay, won the Crime Writers Association Historical Dagger. His latest book is The Girl in Cell A, a psychological thriller set in small town America. Vaseem is also the author of the upcoming Quantum of Menace, the first in a series featuring Q from the James Bond franchise.

Through their podcast Murder Junction Vaseem and Abir bring to life history’s most intriguing murders, true crime and fictional, in the company of the world’s best known crime writers. They make murder . . . fun.

What inspired you both to start the podcast? and how did you choose the name "Murder Junction"?

Abir: We’ve been podcasting together for almost seven years now. (It was completely my idea, but Vaseem doesn’t remember this because of his advancing years). We used to be the Red Hot Chilli Writers, but Vaseem felt we needed a fresh start now that we’re doing. Bit more true crime. The new title was his idea. I didn’t complain because, well, life’s too short as it is.

Vaseem: We realised there were almost no literary podcasts hosted by British Asian writers. And so we decided to throw our hat in the ring. We’re crime writers and so it was obvious we would have to go with a crime theme. We also both have a wicked sense of humour and so we use it to have a lot of fun with our guests. The title Murder Junction makes perfect sense; we discuss murder in one form or another on every episode - either fictional or true crime. The podcast is a meeting place for a lot of different takes on the genre – crime writing, fictional crime, and real stories of dastardly deeds.

Can you both share the process you follow when selecting and researching fictional stories and true crime cases for your podcast episodes?

Abir: We’re supposed to each research for or five cases a month and then discuss them and choose one for each episode. In reality, I forget till Vaseem shouts and then, in a panic I trawl the internet using key phrases such as ‘true crimes that Vaseem hasn’t heard of.’

Vaseem: We like the juicy stuff. So murders that captured the imagination, crimes that were sensations when they happened, but also crimes that lend themselves to an intriguing narrative. We love quirky true crime stories – such as the murder of pharaoh Rameses III, And when it comes to fictional stories, we leave that to the crime and thriller writers we invite on to talk about their latest books, which leads to both great storytelling about great characters, but also teary-eyed angst about how bloody hard writing books is.

As crime fiction writers what do you think are the key ingredients for creating a compelling true crime fiction narrative?

Abir: Tension. Pace. And intrigue. Most important is intrigue. A mystery always peaks peoples’ interest.

Vaseem: The key is to avoid doing the work ourselves. Which is why we often have our guests come on with true crime stories that have piqued their interest. Our guests are crime and thriller writers, so they have plenty of affinity with dark stories and what makes a good one. The key is compelling characters at the heart of the narrative, and a strong sense of mystery at the beginning of the story which we can unravel with our listeners. Of course, not everyone reads the instructions. Sometimes our guests wander off at tangents. For instance, one decided to talk about Sasquatch a.k.a. Bigfoot. Not exactly a true crime, but certainly a mystery!

The true crime podcast genre remains to be very popular at the moment, why do you think audiences are drawn to darker, crime-focused stories, whether they’re real or fictional?

Abir: In the west, we generally live quite sheltered, safe lives. We don’t normally worry too much when we walk out the front door in the morning. I think we sometimes crave a bit of danger, a frisson of fear. We get a buzz out of feeling that these things could happen to us ordinary people.

Vaseem: Crime fiction is the world’s most popular genre for a reason. Readers – and listeners – enjoy taking a walk on the wild side, i.e. exploring the darker side of human nature - but from the safety of their armchairs. There’s a reason Dr Hannibal Lecter is so popular, despite being a murderous cannibal. Few of us can pretend that we haven’t thought of killing someone at some point or another – but we wouldn’t dream of actually acting on that impulse. And that’s why we love true – and fictional – stories of criminal acts. Because, for that brief moment, we can let go the reins and step into those evil shoes.

How do you both balance the demands of producing and hosting a podcast with your other responsibilities, such as parenting, writing, or maintaining a day job, and what strategies have you found most effective?"

Abir: Basically Vaseem does the work and shouts at me. In seriousness, juggling many different priorities has become a bit of a way of life. I’m not sure I’ve mastered it yet though. One of my biggest feelings is guilt. Too often, I’m travelling for book events while my wife takes up the slack, looking after the kids.

Vaseem: We have no lives. The best strategy in such cases is avoidance. i.e. pretending that all the other things that need to be done don’t exist. Of course, our wives doesn’t appreciate this, but needs must . . .The other strategy, of course, is to be super organised. We’re experienced writers with big publishers and deadlines to meet; we haven’t let them down yet!

How do you engage your audience and encourage discussions about the stories you feature, especially when they blur the line between fact and fiction?

Abir: Humour, I think, is a very effective way of keeping your listeners engaged. But it needs to be deployed sensibly and sparingly, especially when the subject matter is dark.

Is there a guest/guests that you’d both like to have on the podcast this year?

Abir: Stephen King. We’ve had loads of celebrities on – people like Richard Osman and Ann Cleeves and David Baldacci. I’d love to interview Stephen King. He’s the boss.

Vaseem: We’ve interviewed the biggest names in the world of crime and thriller fiction, as well as well as plenty of lesser known but seasoned writers, and the occasional debut. The guests we most enjoy having on are those who get into the spirit of the podcast – which is to have fun while talking about murder. In the past we’ve interviewed the likes of Richard Osman, Ian Rankin, Val McDermid, Lee Child, Dean Koontz, Ann Cleeves, David Baldacci, Lord Jeffrey Archer, Rev. Richard Coles, Lisa Jewell… to name a few. We have a great line-up in the coming months including Radio presenter Simon Mayo and Scott Turow, legendary author of Presumed Innocent.

Can you tell us about any new and upcoming projects you both have in the coming weeks/months

Abir: Vaseem generally has ten books on the go at one, because he’s not human. I’ve got a new Wyndham and Banerjee novel out this autumn and a new thriller set in Mumbai out next year.

Vaseem: My latest book, just out, is the fifth in my Malabar House series, CITY OF DESTRUCTION. It’s 1950, Bombay, India and the country’s first and only female police detective, Persis Wadia, is on the trail of a political assassin’s accomplices. The trail takes her to Delhi, the former capital of British India. The book is available at all good bookstores and online. Later this year I have my first psychological thriller out – THE GIRL IN CELL A – set in contemporary small town America. And in October, the first in my series featuring Q from the James Bond universe hits bookshelves – QUANTUM OF MENACE. So an exciting year!

Thanks again to Abir and Vaseem for taking part in Pod-Folio. You can listen to their podcast Murder Junction HERE