The Language of Secrets

November 30, 2015
Loosely based on a terrorist plot foiled by Canadian law enforcement in 2006, Khan’s engaging sequel to 2014’s The Unquiet Dead finds Esa Khattak, the head of Toronto’s Community Policing Section, investigating the murder of an estranged friend, Mohsin Dar, who, unbeknownst to him, infiltrated a Muslim terrorist cell that was planning a devastating attack. Khattak, who still mourns his late wife seven years after her death, struggles daily with his man-in-the-middle role between police and fellow Muslims. But as he and his personable partner, Sgt. Rachel Getty, sprint to uncover out what’s really going on in the cell led by the charismatic Hassan Ashkouri while being kept dangerously in the dark by Khattak’s nemesis, Ciprian Coale, about a larger antiterrorist operation, the stakes suddenly skyrocket with the engagement of Khattak’s headstrong sister, Ruksh, to Ashkouri. Those prepared to slog through the blizzard of poetry used to convey clues will be rewarded by a gripping climax in the snowy wilderness of Ontario’s Algonquin Park. Agent: Danielle Burby, Hannigan Salky Getzler.

December 1, 2015
Khan's winning Canadian cops return--and this time, it's really personal. Khan's hero, Detective Esa Khattak, a second-generation Canadian Muslim, and his young partner, Rachel Getty, are back from her debut novel (The Unquiet Dead, 2015) to investigate a terrorist cell planning a series of devastating attacks. The stakes for Khattak become agonizingly personal when an estranged friend is murdered by the cell, his relatively green partner goes undercover as a convert, and his difficult-at-best little sister becomes engaged to the cell's handsome, charismatic leader. Soap opera elements abound, but Khan's sophisticated grasp of the religious, political, and social issues at play grounds the narrative in a thoughtful dissection of the conflicting motives underlying the various players' actions; thoughtful to a fault, occasionally, as the characters tend to pedantically verbalize these complex ideas in lieu of engaging in recognizable human dialogue. Still, rhetoric comes with the territory, and the story functions effectively as a mystery thriller, as Khan deploys an impressive depth of knowledge about the subject matter (the cell's plot is based on a real-life scheme by the so-called "Toronto 18," an extremist group that intended to attack Canadian Parliament in 2006), trusting the reader to keep up with context cues when confronted by unfamiliar ideas and scenarios. The characters are well-drawn and pleasingly varied: Khattak is a compelling protagonist, a cerebral, reserved Muslim comfortable with his faith but not ruled by it, and the buoyant, hockey-loving Getty is an endearing foil. The cell members are afforded fully dimensional personalities and varied passions, ideals, and justifications for their actions; everyone has their reasons, Khan understands, and her nuanced exploration of those reasons elevates her second novel above the general run of detective fiction. A smart, measured, immersive dive into a poorly understood, terrifyingly relevant subculture of violent extremism.

COPYRIGHT(2015) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Starred review from December 1, 2015

Khan's The Unquiet Dead debuted to rave reviews. This second installment is about the pursuit of a jihadist cell (you can't arrest them until you have proof), the search for a killer, and lastly and most significantly, the infighting, much of it driven by prejudice, among Canada's law enforcement agencies. Essa Khattak heads the Community Policing Section, an odd-duck agency set up to negotiate the confused politics of Canada's Muslim community. But Khattak's job just makes him a target for enemies in Canada's Integrated National Security Enforcement Team (INSET--think: Homeland Security). All Muslims are suspect to them. Khattak's partner, Rachel Getty, is an attractive second banana: robust (she plays hockey on the side), devoted to her boss, and a competent, even inspired bloodhound. Khattak and Getty negotiate their way through one minefield after another, with only some of the traps set by the jihadists. Part of the search hinges on Khattak's knowledge of Arabic poetry, but this isn't a puzzle mystery; rather it is a novel of character and mores, and an exceptionally fine one. VERDICT A heartfelt novel for lovers of crime fiction and anyone interested in the complexities of living as a Muslim in the West today. [See Prepub Alert, 8/10/15.]--David Keymer, Modesto, CA

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 1, 2016

This follow-up to Khan's acclaimed debut, The Unquiet Dead, reunites readers with detective Esa Khattak, a thoughtful, reserved, practicing Muslim who heads Canada's Community Policing Section. Esa learns that his old friend Mohsin Dar, who has been killed on a camping trip, had been working undercover to investigate a terrorist cell planning an attack on New Year's Day. An involving study on the complexities of living as a Muslim in a Western country. For his next adventure, Esa will travel to Iran in Among the Ruins, which releases in February 2017. (LJ 12/15)

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2015

Head of Toronto's Community Policing Section, which addresses minority-sensitive cases, second-generation Canadian Muslim Esa Khattak is tapped by Canada's federal intelligence agency when an agent working undercover within a local terrorist cell is murdered. Khan's debut, The Unquiet Dead, got starred LJ and PW reviews.

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 1, 2015

Khan's The Unquiet Dead debuted to rave reviews. This second installment is about the pursuit of a jihadist cell (you can't arrest them until you have proof), the search for a killer, and lastly and most significantly, the infighting, much of it driven by prejudice, among Canada's law enforcement agencies. Essa Khattak heads the Community Policing Section, an odd-duck agency set up to negotiate the confused politics of Canada's Muslim community. But Khattak's job just makes him a target for enemies in Canada's Integrated National Security Enforcement Team (INSET--think: Homeland Security). All Muslims are suspect to them. Khattak's partner, Rachel Getty, is an attractive second banana: robust (she plays hockey on the side), devoted to her boss, and a competent, even inspired bloodhound. Khattak and Getty negotiate their way through one minefield after another, with only some of the traps set by the jihadists. Part of the search hinges on Khattak's knowledge of Arabic poetry, but this isn't a puzzle mystery; rather it is a novel of character and mores, and an exceptionally fine one. VERDICT A heartfelt novel for lovers of crime fiction and anyone interested in the complexities of living as a Muslim in the West today. [See Prepub Alert, 8/10/15.]--David Keymer, Modesto, CA

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.