Today it’s a pleasure to take part in The Khattak and Getty Blogtour to celebrate the fourth book, No Place of Refuge, in this spectacular series.
About the Author
Ausma Zehanat Khan holds a Ph.D. in International Human Rights Law with a specialisation in military intervention and war crimes in the Balkans. She has practised immigration law and taught human rights law at Northwestern University and York University. Formerly, she served as Editor in Chief of Muslim Girl magazine, the first magazine to reflect the lives of young Muslim women.
Her debut novel, The Unquiet Dead, won the Barry Award, the Arthur Ellis Award and the Romantic Times Reviewers Choice Award for Best First Novel. She has also written The Language of Secrets and Among the Ruins. She is a longtime community activist and writer. Born in Britain, Ausma lived in Canada for many years before recently becoming an American citizen. She lives in Colorado with her husband.
Follow @AusmaZehanat @noexitpress on Twitter, on Goodreads, on Amazon, Visit ausmazehanatkhan.com, Buy No Place of Refuge
About the book
The Syrian refugee crisis becomes personal for Inspector Esa Khattak and Sergeant Rachel Getty. NGO worker Audrey Clare, sister of Khattak’s childhood friend, is missing. In her wake, a French Interpol Agent and a young Syrian man are found dead at the Greek refugee camp where she worked.
Khattak and Getty travel to Greece to trace Audrey’s last movements in a desperate attempt to find her. In doing so, they learn that her work in Greece had strayed well beyond the remit of her NGO…
Had Audrey been on the edge of exposing a dangerous secret at the heart of the refugee crisis – one that ultimately put a target on her own back?
Review
This is the fourth in the Khattak and Getty crime series. Each of the books can be read as standalone books, however I would suggest reading the others just because they are such good reads.
This is definitely one of my favourite series and Khan is a superb writer. At the moment she is still underrated, but hopefully that will changed. She deserves recognition for the Khattak and Getty series and her writing in particular.
In this novel Khan shines a spotlight on the refugee crisis and the crimes leading on from said crisis. The crimes that we are all willing to just gloss over, because fighting about not letting them into our countries is more important then ensuring the safety of the vulnerable refugees in the midst of the few who aren’t. Let’s talk about the dark number of children who go missing. The girls, children and women who are trafficked and sold. This story tackles those uncomfortable topics.
The author isn’t afraid to take on controversial topics and more importantly topics that are making waves as we speak. There is also the way the family dynamic and structure is approached, which is at the forefront of Esa’s character development. His actions, thought-process and struggles are inevitably always linked to his culture, religion and the expectations his family has of him.
The combination of Esa and Rachel is sheer detective perfection. The differences create an imbalance between them which in turn are balanced by the friendship and professional relationship they have with each other. They are a pleasure to experience and read.
It’s a crime series written with the flair of literary fiction. The writing is spectacular, so I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this author to readers.
Buy No Place of Refuge at Amazon UK or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: No Exit Press; pub date 22 Aug. 2019. Buy at Amazon com
Read my review of Among the Ruins by Ausma Zehenat Khan
Read my review of The Language of Secrets by Ausma Zehenat Khan
Cheryl M-M's Book Blog 