Award-winning writer, comedian, and former junior doctor Adam Kay is at his best in his debut work of crime fiction. Perhaps best known for his bestselling memoir, This Is Going to Hurt, and its BAFTA-winning BBC adaptation, his latest blends his signature humour with a witty and utterly unhinged tale of sleuthing and mental health. It’s equal parts outrageous and engrossing—and performed by superstar narrator Andy Serkis, it makes for an incredible experience in audio.

You’ve written a number of memoirs and children’s audiobooks, but this is your debut work of adult fiction. Did you approach the writing process differently for this new genre? What first drew you to crime and mystery?

I can’t be the only doctor who sat through the occasional medical school lecture thinking, "That would be a good way to kill someone." Well, I hope I wasn’t. And writing a thriller felt like the most socially acceptable thing to do with some excellent murder methods. In terms of the writing process, the biggest shift for me was thinking about satisfying twists, which involved a dozen redrafts as well as about a thousand Post-it notes. You don’t want the listener to guess what’s happened in chapter one or, equally, for them to get to the end and feel conned because you didn’t leave them enough breadcrumbs to work it out.

You’ve long performed your audiobooks. Have you found that you write with the audiobook version in mind? How has that shifted your writing process?

I’ve learned valuable lessons each time I’ve recorded one of my books, the chief one being: “Don’t write words you won’t be able to pronounce later.” It turns out I can’t really say the word “prescription”—it seems to turn to cement in my mouth halfway through. Given my first book, This Is Going to Hurt, was set in a hospital, this wasn’t exactly ideal. I had to basically rewrite as I narrated, replacing it with other words. That’s reasonably acceptable if it’s a book you’ve written, but I suppose people might have a few axes to grind if voice actors started improvising Dickens.

A Particularly Nasty Case’s audiobook is performed by Lord of the Rings actor Andy Serkis. Were you very involved in the casting process? What made this the right voice for this story?

Most of my previous work has been based on my diaries, so the voice came quite easily—because it was mine. A Particularly Nasty Case has lots and lots of voices in it, and I can only do one of those, and even that one’s not great. I was delighted to come across this “up-and-coming actor” Andy Serkis who seems to have quite the knack for narration, as well as being straight-up hilarious. Remember his name: I predict this young man will have a good career ahead of him.

A Particularly Nasty Case blends elements of sexuality, mental health awareness, and the complexities of navigating the NHS into a funny, fast-paced whodunit. What do you hope listeners take away from this story?

I imagine that when most of us go to see a GP or spend time in hospital, we’re not really thinking about what’s happening in the doctors’ private lives. Now, I’m not suggesting that all medical staff are on the verge of a mental health crisis, are constantly huffing cocaine at work through a nasal spray, or are obsessed by solving crimes on the flimsiest of evidence, but I hope it makes listeners realise that the people who keep us afloat are real people. They have all the usual domestic problems, plus are trying to work in increasingly difficult conditions, often very long hours, with little support, perhaps with mental health struggles of their own and the stigma that often brings.

Can you share any details about projects that you’re working on next?

I’m currently working on a sequel to my first children’s fiction title, Dexter Procter: The 10-Year-Old Doctor, and a TV adaptation has just gone into production, with a bafflingly stellar cast. I’m also planning my next murders. Fictional ones, obviously. (Mostly.)

Are there any audiobooks or podcasts that you’re currently listening to now or took inspiration from while you were writing A Particularly Nasty Case?

I tried to avoid thrillers of any description while I was writing, in case I inadvertently turned into an Agatha Christie tribute act. But now that I’m out the other side, I’m back in the game. Recent favourites include Lucy Foley’s The Guest List and Chris Whitaker’s All The Colours of the Dark. But, to be honest, the majority of audiobooks I listen to are in the car—currently Jack and the Beanstalk and Other Stories, read by Lenny Henry and Sheridan Smith. I pretend it’s for the children, but they’re actually a nice change after all that murder. Until you realise how many fairy-tale characters actually end up meeting grizzly ends. They’re a bloodbath!