Blackwater Falls

Written by Ausma Zehanat Khan

Narrated by Fareeda Pasha

Girls from immigrant communities have been disappearing for months in the Colorado town of Blackwater Falls, but the local sheriff is slow to act and the fates of the missing girls are largely disregarded. At last, the calls for justice become too
loud to ignore when the body of a star student and refugee—the Syrian teenager Razan Elkader—is deliberately positioned in a mosque.

Detective Inaya Rahman and Lieutenant Waqas Seif of the Denver Police are recruited to solve Razan’s murder, and they quickly uncover a link to other missing and murdered girls. But as Inaya gets closer to the truth, Seif finds ways to
obstruct the investigation. Inaya may be drawn to him, but she is wary of his motives: he may be covering up the crimes of their boss, whose connections in Blackwater run deep.

Inaya turns to her female colleagues, attorney Areesha Adams and Detective Catalina Hernandez, for help in finding the truth. The three have bonded through their experiences as members of vulnerable groups, and now they must work
together to expose the conspiracy behind the murders before another girl disappears.

A gripping thriller from one of the genre’s finest writers, Blackwater Fallsexamines a series of crimes within the context of contemporary American politics with searing insight.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Nov 8, 2022
• ISBN: 9781705072127

Ausma Zehanat Khan

AUSMA ZEHANAT KHAN holds a Ph.D. in international human rights law with a specialization in military intervention and war crimes in the Balkans. She is the author of the award-winning Esa Khattak and Rachel Getty mystery series, which begins with The Unquiet Dead, as well as the critically acclaimed Khorasan Archives fantasy series. Her crime series featuring Detective Inaya Rahman begins with Blackwater Falls. She is also a contributor to the anthologies Private Investigations, Sword Stone Table, and The Perfect Crime, and the former Editor-in-Chief of Muslim Girl magazine. A British-born Canadian and former adjunct law professor, Khan now lives in DC with her husband.

Reviews for Blackwater Falls

[maret5g · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Crime book with a dose of racial and political issues.Detective Inaya Rahman and Lieutenant Wasaq Swif of the Denver Police are investigating the murder of a seventeen year old Syrian girl. She was strung over the door of a mosque and they suspect it could be a hate murder or maybe jealousy from her colleagues. During the investigation process, other Somali girls appeared to be missing and they were not aware about it. The investigation gets complicated and they're faced with community disengagement.I was absorbed in this mystery from the beginning. It felt like every time the investigation got closer, the pieces were falling apart. Nobody cooperated and even families of murdered girls didn't want to be involved. This new series with ambitious characters and dynamic crimes, will please the fans of Ausma Zehanat Khan's books.

[Star Gater · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Thank you NetGalley and RB Media for accepting my request to audibly read and review Blackwater Falls.

Author: Ausma Zehanat Khan
Published: 11/01/22
Narrator: Fareeda Pasha
Genre: Multicultural Interest -- Mystery & Thrillers

High expectations that left me unfilled. This is the first book in a new series, and that appealed to me. The genre of multicultural interest fit with my personal reading goals for 2023. Unfortunately, I am left with more questions than answers.

None of the cultural references were explained, and that is what I was looking for. I wasn't in a position to Google things. Raghead was used in a way that I knew it was not nice. However, a little reference as to why I expected. Several times showing hair was an issue, why? There were so many whys, it made the story harder to follow. This is the first book in a series. The stories are going to be different than commonplace Mystery & Thrillers.

There are several conversations with regards to religion, Muslim, Christian and I think at one point Catholicism. (I had trouble with the narration.) Elements of faith, with religion equalled political involvement. I understood, and had the author not touched on these elements, I would have questioned why. Again, the reader was expected to have knowledge? If that is true, the audience is certainly limited.

There is profanity dispersed throughout.

My problem with the actual protagonist was the relationship and actions she had with those in authority. I wasn't buying her dialogue. I worked my whole life, and never argued with a supervisor nor did I ever go against policy.

While obviously I was bothered with several issues, I did find the mystery to be written for smart people. It wasn't juvenile nor was it like every other mystery on the shelf.

For those well-versed in cultures you may enjoy this.

I'm giving this 2.5 stars and after a lot of thought am rounding up. My issues are with no explanations on the cultural references which is what the book is marketed on.