I am incredibly excited that my first psychological thriller, The Girl in Cell A, is out today. The book releases in hardback (and e-book or audio) on 1 May 2025 in the UK, with the USA hardback to follow in July (though US e-book and audio are also out on 1 May). It is my first standalone novel, and my first thriller set in America. The story is as follows:

The book is set in the small mining town of Eden Falls, run by the Wyclerc dynasty and its ruthless patriarch Amos Wyclerc. Convicted of murdering Amos’s heir when she was just seventeen, Orianna Negi has always maintained her innocence. But there are holes in her memory, a blind spot over that fateful day. Did she really kill Gideon Wyclerc? And what happened to Gideon’s teenaged daughter, Grace, who vanished that same day, eighteen years ago? Forensic psychologist, Annie Ledet, is tasked with unlocking Orianna’s faulty memory and separating the real woman from the true crime celebrity she has become in the years since the killing. But as their sessions progress, Annie reaches into Orianna’s past to a shattering truth…

It has taken me three years to write this book. I am incredibly passionate about it and very very keen for you to read it. You can find an extract at the bottom of this newsletter. 

I would be immensely grateful if you considered ordering it. It is available from all good bookshops and online. Here are some order links: Waterstones / Foyles / Amazon / Blackwells / Bookshop.org / WHSmith  … and e-book from Apple / Barnes&Noble

Why might you enjoy reading The Girl in Cell A?

If you love a big meaty read with all the claustrophobia of a small town setting and the twists and turns of a psychological thriller then this is one for you. 

Don’t take my word for it. Here’s what some of the top thriller writers in the world are saying about the book:

Masterful. A beautifully written, twisting psychological thriller ~ CHRIS WHITAKER

A triumphantly mind-bending puzzlebox of a book that will have you questioning everything ~ RUTH WARE

A thrillingly written and carefully researched journey into the dark world of forensic psychotherapy, amnesia and murder. Complex, completely convincing characters and twist you’ll never guess. A masterful achievement ~ ALEX MICHAELIDES

Both epic family tale and riveting psychological thriller, The Girl in Cell A is an utterly absorbing story with an ending that will leave you reeling ~ SHARI LAPENA

‘A fabulous thriller where small-town America and the sins of its inhabitants make for a wonderful page-turner’ ~ STEVE CAVANAGH

A superb psychological thriller. What a mammoth task Vaseem has taken on and the fact that he pulls it off is astonishing. A terrific reading experience with a total shocker of an ending ~ LIZ NUGENT

Masterful. So clever I think it melted my brain. This clever, intense, beautifully written mystery about family, loyalty and lies had me frantically turning the pages and suspecting everyone. Impossible to put down ~ C.L. TAYLOR

An utterly captivating, multi-faceted psychological thriller that keeps you turning the pages. A real triumph! ~ B.A. PARIS

A triumph. A gripping thriller, a saga of a family and its terrifying secrets and a tale of redemption to break your heart ~ NICCI FRENCH

Vaseem Khan turns his razor sharp intellect away from the Indian subcontinent to the backroads of rural America, but the results are the same. A thrilling, thought-provoking, suspenseful novel that will keep you on the edge of your seat ~ S.A. COSBY

Epic, ingenious storytelling and a brilliantly realised small town setting where everyone is a suspect. A fantastic thriller ~ TM LOGAN

An epic crime novel with an evocative setting, a cast of characters who feel real and a multitude of twists and turns. If you liked The Silent Patient or All The Colours of the Dark, you’ll love this. ~ MARK EDWARDS

Once again, here are some order links: Waterstones / Foyles / Amazon / Blackwells / Bookshop.org / WHSmith  … and e-book from Apple/ Barnes&Noble

And don’t forget to let others know. If you wish to, do post about the book on social media, and spread the word.