In the last hundred years and more, Indians have made impressive contributions to world literature. No Indian, however, has ever had the distinction of producing a worldwide best-selling thriller.

Till date, none of us have been able to generate the particular magic that arises from the intellectual ability to weave a gripping plot, the emotional sensitivity to create realistic and likeable characters, the skill to build up suspense, and the sophistication of flawless idiom, which results in the resounding "Give me more!" of an enormous population of readers round the globe.

Vikas Swarup's first book of fiction, Q&A, the story of how the beguilingly named Ram Mohammad Thomas, a penniless waiter, became the biggest quiz show winner in history, came close. Five years later, his new novel Six Suspects is a murder mystery that gives the pace of a thriller to social commentary.

Critics of Q&A used the word "trite" - and they may well apply it to Six Suspects. However, it did to me something no book has done for 20 years and more - kept me up till 3 am. 

Amid mind-glazing hot suspense, Six Suspects addresses ground-level issues of our culture including corruption and evil in politics, our preening world of glamour, the hypocrisy of high-profile godmen, the Indian government's colonisation and subsequent ruin of indigenous tribes, the strivings of our newly emergent middle class, the role of our journalists in shaping our civilisation and more — and even briefly features the "servant problem", the Bhopal gas tragedy, and Guatanamo Bay. In all, making it a book I will hang on to for my grandchildren to read, as something that will sustain their interest while it gives them a vivid glimpse of the world in which I once lived.
Vikas Swarup was born in Allahabad to an illustrious family that includes several prominent lawyers. He joined the Indian Foreign Service and has served in Turkey, the US, Ethiopia, and Great Britain. He is presently in Pretoria as Deputy Indian High Commissioner to South Africa.

Your first book Q&A was a phenomenal success. It's even appeared on lists like the Exclusive Books' 101 best novels of all time! It's likely that this one will do even better. You call yourself "a diplomat who writes". Isn't it time you started calling yourself a writer?
I have always felt that a writer must have a body of work to boast of, not just a single novel (unless, of course, you are Harper Lee or Margaret Mitchell). I'll wait to see the reaction to Six Suspects before I start calling myself a writer who is also diplomat!

Tell us something about your life as a diplomat.
It is quite an interesting life. You get posted to different countries for a period of up to three years and immerse yourself in a new culture. It gives you a much greater understanding of that particular part of the world than you would get as a tourist. Besides, the new, dynamic India is the flavour of the world right now and there couldn't be a better time to be an Indian diplomat and have the honour of representing the country.

Do you have specific times at which you write? How badly do you get distracted by the other priorities in your life?

Unlike other writers with day jobs who are able to write in the crevices of the day, I can only write when I have a clear horizon in front of me, meaning several hours without any interruptions. So I usually write on weekends and holidays. I try to strike a balance between my life as a writer and my role as a diplomat, a husband and a father. So what may seem as distractions are also responsibilities that I need to shoulder.   

You were a storyteller even as a child? Tell us a bit about this please.
I grew up in a joint family with two brothers and lots of cousins. Being the eldest among them, they invariably came to me for entertainment (in the pre-colour TV and internet era) and I would dream up all kinds of stories to regale them. I remember once I even produced a hand-drawn comic book for 'in-house' circulation!

Yours is a family of lawyers, what took you to the world of international relations? Did you always know you would be a writer?
I never dreamt of being a writer. No one in my immediate family has written a novel, though my grandfather and father have written several books on law. But I was always a voracious reader and that fascination with books perhaps led me eventually to try my hand at fiction.

Something about your wife's paintings, please. Have your children inherited the creative gift?
Aparna, my wife, is a figurative artist. She is now dabbling in several mediums, including screen-printing and image art. My two sons, Aditya and Varun are also quite creative. Aditya has a talent for writing, while Varun is learning the guitar and aspires to become a rock musician!

Who are your favourite authors?
While growing up, I read all kinds of authors, from Franz Kafka and Albert Camus to Alistair MacLean and Irving Wallace. But my favourite genres were mysteries and thrillers. That is why the most important consideration for me is to ensure that my books are readable and have the consistency of a page-turner. Nowadays my reading is quite eclectic. I like works which have strong narrative voices. I am particularly interested in the novels of Haruki Murakami, JM Coetzee and Paul Auster.

Tell us something about Slumdog Millionaire, the movie version of your first novel Q & A.
I am told that filming has been completed by Danny Boyle and the film is now in post-production. The producers hope it will be released in the UK this fall and in the US next spring, but it all depends on the distributors, the final cut etc.

I've really nothing to do with the movie. All I know is that Ram Mohammad Thomas (he has been named Aamir in the film) is played by a young British-Indian actor called Dev Patel (who is apparently a star on a BBC serial called 'Skins') and Anil Kapoor plays the quiz show host. I can confirm that the film is quite different from the novel.

Who would be your first choice of director if Six Suspects was to be made into a movie? Would you prefer a Bollywood blockbuster or an Oscar winner?
BBC is very keen on the film version of Six Suspects, though I haven't given the rights as yet.
Ideally, I would love two versions of Six Suspects, a Hindi one for all of India and an English one for the international audience, I'm told it doesn't work this way. Whoever options the book apparently takes global rights.  

The characters in Six Suspects are from different segments of society. All are so well described, with the environment, appearance, and language of each one as distinct and recognisable as to almost make them clichés. Which of these people and situations are from your experience, and which developed through reading and research?
I have tried very hard to make the six suspects not seem like stereotypes, by giving them very distinct personalities. Where, for instance, would you encounter a Nietzsche-spouting sex bomb, or an American like Larry Page? Although all these characters are products of my imagination, aspects of their personality are bound to have been influenced by people I have seen in real life or read about. But reading and research can only take you up to a point. To get under the skin of your characters you have to put yourself in their situation and that is only possible through the quality of empathy.

In Six Suspects, you've covered the current social situation in India with great thoroughness. Are you now considering a book based in a different period of history - or perhaps something set in one of the other countries you have lived and worked in?
I am thinking of a new book which will not be set in India at all. But it is too early to talk about it — I'm still conceptualising and haven't started writing yet.