
The Craft of Noir
Vaseem Khan, Ram Murali and Bee Rowlatt in conversation with Yasser Usman
Watch event again now
This event took place on 15 June 2025
Watch the video
The Craft of Noir
Vaseem Khan, Ram Murali and Bee Rowlatt in conversation with Yasser Usman
Watch event again now
This event took place on 15 June 2025
Live Streamed from the British Library as part of Jaipur Literature Festival London.
‘Noir’ tends to evoke the imagery of sleazy, dim alleyways and striking characters with moral indifference. At this session that spotlights crime novels and psychological thrillers, we dive into the minds of those who craft noir. Vaseem Khan is the current Chair of the UK Crime Writers Association and author of two award winning crime series. His upcoming psychological thriller, The Girl in Cell A, is set in a small-town America, where a woman wrongly convicted of murder fights to uncover the truth behind her past. The multifaceted writer Ram Murali practises law and works with film and television development, production, and distribution. His debut novel, Death in the Air, offers a mesmeric mix of mystery, suspense, and social commentary through Ro Krishna, an American of Indian descent. Bee Rowlatt’s works span award-winning travelogues, bestselling books, and West End theatre. She crafts narratives that blend wit with social commentary, as seen in her sharp debut novel, One Woman Crime Wave, about a babysitter who unravels the carefully constructed world of middle-class privilege. In conversation with Yasser Usman, they discuss their distinct individual takes on noir and the art of crafting suspense.
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