Job:- Author, Businessman and Theatre Director
Website:- https://ajaychowdhury.com
Instagram:- ajaychowdhury.author
Facebook:- ajay.chowdhury
X:- @ajaychow
Introduction:- Ajay Chowdhury is the author of six novels in the Detective Kamil Rahman his novels. He was the inaugural winner of the Harvill-Secker Bloody Scotland crime fiction award. His debut novel The Waiter and his third book The Detective were Sunday Times crime books of the month. His fourth book The Spy was longlisted for the Wilbur Smith Adventure Novel. His fifth novel The Invitation is a free interactive novel. His sixth novel The Shadow was shortlisted for the Eastern Eye Crime Novel of the Year 2026.
His most recent book is his first standalone novel entitled Eden Falls.
Current book? (This can either be the current book that you are reading or writing or both)
I’ve just started writing the eighth Kamil Rahman novel, which still feels slightly surreal. At the moment, all I know is that it’s about the pernicious influence of social media and is set in London’s East End. One of the joys of writing crime fiction is discovering the story as I go, so I’m excited to see where it leads. I’m also reading Len Deighton’s Billion-Dollar Brain, which is absolutely delightful.
Why do you think anti-heroes are so interesting to readers
The best anti-heroes are intelligent, charismatic and often strangely relatable, despite doing terrible things. They let us explore our darkest impulses from the safety of an armchair, which is both unsettling and oddly cathartic.
Which two anti-heroes or enemies would you invite to dinner and why?
Tom Ripley and Hannibal Lecter. I’d cook them a nice Indian meal (no liver), pour the Chianti and then sit back to watch the psychological sparring.
How do you relax?
Listening to music and watching television, mostly. At the moment I’m enjoying the Rolling Stones’ new album and Your Friends & Neighbours, which is enormous fun.
Which anti hero would you like to be on your side in a difficult situation.
Dexter Morgan. Assuming the person causing the difficult situation deserves it, his code should ensure everything works out rather well.
If you were to write a book involving an anti-hero where would you set it and why?
I already have. The Patriot, the next Kamil Rahman novel, is published in November. Its antagonist is a charming Sikh historian plotting an audacious theft of the Koh-i-Noor diamond from the Tower of London to return it to India. Much of the novel is told from his point of view, and writing someone so intelligent, persuasive with a powerful, if misguided, moral compass was a joy.
How would you describe your latest published book?
Eden Falls is my first standalone thriller and is a bit like Thelma & Louise at 100 miles an hour. A quantum physicist disappears, forcing his wife and his ex-girlfriend (who can barely stand each other) to race across America in search of him. Standing in their way is a tech trillionaire trying to weaponise AI, setting up a battle of immense power against determination, ingenuity and courage.
With Bad Apples: crime fiction’s enemies and anti-heroes theme at St Hilda's this year, who are you three favourite anti-heroes
Leaving aside the ones I’ve already mentioned, and broadening the definition to include master criminals, I’d choose Professor Moriarty, A. J. Raffles and Ernst Stavro Blofeld. They each embody a different kind of villainy: intellect, charm and sheer audacity.
Which 3 films or television series featuring anti-heroes would you rewatch and why.
If HAL 9000 from 2001: A Space Odyssey counts, then definitely HAL. It’s one of my favourite films, and HAL remains one of cinema’s greatest antagonists. I’d also happily rewatch The Sopranos and Breaking Bad any time. Tony Soprano and Walter White are two of the finest anti-heroes ever created.
What are you looking forward to at St Hilda's?
This will be my first visit, so I’m really looking forward to it. I love that the festival favours talks over panels, it’s equal parts terrifying and invigorating. And I suspect I may have a slightly different take on “Bad Apples” from some of the other speakers…
Eden Falls by Ajay Chowdhury (Vintage Publisher)
After the murder of his best friend, newlyweds Adam and Aisha cut their honeymoon short. But just as they are about to board a flight home from Delhi, Adam disappears at the airport – seemingly kidnapped – leaving Aisha stranded without her passport, her phone, or answers. When the FBI and India’s intelligence agency begin interrogating her, it becomes chillingly clear they know far more about Adam than she ever did. Her only clue is his final, haunting message: I’m sorry. Thousands of miles away, Sara Wolf, a scientist stuck on a dead-end project at Princeton, receives a message she never expected from her former lover. It contains two words: Help her. Bound together by suspicion, rivalry, and a man they both love, Aisha and Sara are forced into an uneasy alliance. Decoding Adam’s clues, they follow a trail that leads them across the United States - into a shadow world of weaponised AI, tech billionaires, and a secret no one is meant to find. Eden Falls is a gripping, high-stakes thriller that spans continents and asks how far we will go - and who we will trust - when the truth can destroy everything.
Information on how to buy online tickets can be found here. The programme can be found here.
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