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Blackwater Falls #2
Blood Betrayal
A complex and timely mystery, Blood Betrayal proves once again that Ausma Zehanat Khan is a writer at the peak of her powers.
In Blackwater Falls, Colorado, veteran police officer Harry Cooper is hot on the heels of some local vandals when the situation turns believing one of them has a gun, Harry opens fire and Duante Reed, a young Black man, is killed. The "gun" in his hands was a bottle of spray paint. Meanwhile, in nearby Denver, a drug raid goes south and a Latino teen, Mateo Ruiz, is also killed.
Detective Inaya Rahman is all too familiar with the name of the young cop who has seemingly killed Kelly Broda. Kelly is the son of the police officer John Broda, who led a violent attack on her when they were both in Denver. No one is more surprised than Inaya when John turns up on her doorstep, pleading for her help in proving the innocence of his son.
With the Denver Police force spread thin between the two cases, protests on both sides of the cases begin. Inaya and her boss Lieutenant Waqas Seif have their work cut out for them to consider the guilt of the perpetrators and their victims. Harry was by all accounts an officer dedicated to the communities he was this shooting truly a terrible mistake? Duante was, to some, a street artist with no prior record, but to others, he was a vandal. Mateo was either in the wrong place at the wrong time, or a dangerous drug dealer. In either case, was lethal force truly necessary?
Forced to reckon with her own prejudices and work through those of her colleagues around her, Inaya must discover the truth of what really happened on one fateful night in Blackwater Falls.
In Blackwater Falls, Colorado, veteran police officer Harry Cooper is hot on the heels of some local vandals when the situation turns believing one of them has a gun, Harry opens fire and Duante Reed, a young Black man, is killed. The "gun" in his hands was a bottle of spray paint. Meanwhile, in nearby Denver, a drug raid goes south and a Latino teen, Mateo Ruiz, is also killed.
Detective Inaya Rahman is all too familiar with the name of the young cop who has seemingly killed Kelly Broda. Kelly is the son of the police officer John Broda, who led a violent attack on her when they were both in Denver. No one is more surprised than Inaya when John turns up on her doorstep, pleading for her help in proving the innocence of his son.
With the Denver Police force spread thin between the two cases, protests on both sides of the cases begin. Inaya and her boss Lieutenant Waqas Seif have their work cut out for them to consider the guilt of the perpetrators and their victims. Harry was by all accounts an officer dedicated to the communities he was this shooting truly a terrible mistake? Duante was, to some, a street artist with no prior record, but to others, he was a vandal. Mateo was either in the wrong place at the wrong time, or a dangerous drug dealer. In either case, was lethal force truly necessary?
Forced to reckon with her own prejudices and work through those of her colleagues around her, Inaya must discover the truth of what really happened on one fateful night in Blackwater Falls.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published November 7, 2023
34 people are currently reading
8442 people want to read
About the author
Ausma Zehanat Khan
18 books923 followersAusma Zehanat Khan is a British-born Canadian living in the United States, whose own parents are heirs to a complex story of migration to and from three different continents. A former adjunct professor at American and Canadian universities, she holds a Ph.D. in International Human Rights Law, with the 1995 Srebrenica massacre as the main subject of her dissertation. Previously the Editor in Chief of Muslim Girl Magazine, Ausma Zehanat Khan has moved frequently, traveled extensively, and written compulsively. Her new crime series debuted with 'Blackwater Falls' in November 2022. She is also the author of 5 books and 1 novella in the Esa Khattak/Rachel Getty mystery series, including the award-winning 'The Unquiet Dead'. And she is the author of The Khorasan Archives fantasy series, beginning with 'The Bloodprint'. She has also written a middle grade non-fiction book called 'Ramadan'.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 203 reviews
October 7, 2023
Blood Betrayal brings back Inaya Rahman, a Muslim detective in the Community Response Unit in Denver. She is surprised when John Broda, one of the police officers that harassed her so badly in Chicago she moved to Denver, shows up asking her to help clear his son’s name. His son, Kelly, is a young patrolman in Denver and has been accused of shooting a young Latino man. Meanwhile, Inaya’s boss, Seif, is investigating another officer involved shooting in Blackwater Falls of a young black man. The CRU’s goal is to investigate police interaction with the community, specifically to see if violence is warranted. As such, they are often at odds with the police who want to believe all actions, no matter how violent or even deadly, are justified.
Areesha, a civil rights lawyer, also returns, representing the mother of the young black man. As does Cat, Inaya’s partner.
There’s a lot of internal thought processes that all three women go through. We watch them try to meld their religious beliefs, their beliefs about prejudice and persecution with their jobs. Each is also dealing with family, romantic and/or marital issues. It makes for a much deeper story than the typical police procedural. The characters are fully fleshed out and interesting in all their complexities.
The two different investigations did keep the plot moving forward at a brisk pace. I enjoyed the resolution for both murders. It will be interesting to see where the series goes next.
I don’t feel that this would work well as a stand-alone.
My thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance copy of this book.
Areesha, a civil rights lawyer, also returns, representing the mother of the young black man. As does Cat, Inaya’s partner.
There’s a lot of internal thought processes that all three women go through. We watch them try to meld their religious beliefs, their beliefs about prejudice and persecution with their jobs. Each is also dealing with family, romantic and/or marital issues. It makes for a much deeper story than the typical police procedural. The characters are fully fleshed out and interesting in all their complexities.
The two different investigations did keep the plot moving forward at a brisk pace. I enjoyed the resolution for both murders. It will be interesting to see where the series goes next.
I don’t feel that this would work well as a stand-alone.
My thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance copy of this book.
October 27, 2023
Blood Betrayal is essentially a police procedural / mystery, but with a difference. The setting is the Denver, Colorado area, specifically a town named Blackwater Falls and the two main characters are police officers with the Community Response Unit and they are both Muslim. The area has seen racial and religious tensions in the past (see the first book in the series, titled Blackwater Falls) and that hasn’t changed much. This book centers on two different police shootings of young men, one black and one Latine. A continuing story arc involves the corruption of the local sheriff and the dominance of a white supremacist motorcycle group. One of the two Muslim detectives is female, so you can add misogyny into the mix!
I loved the characters of Inaya Rahman, the Muslim police detective, and her boss, Seif, who has downplayed/hidden his Middle Eastern heritage. They make quite an interesting pair. We get more backstory about both of their families this time. Inaya’s dad is Afghan and her mother Pakistani. Seif’s dad was Palestinian and his mother Iranian. Seif’s two younger brothers live with him and are a bit hot-tempered. All of this is relevant to the story.
I really enjoyed several of the side characters as well, such as Cat (Caterina) Hernandez, Inaya’s partner, and Areesha Adams, a black community activist lawyer. They both play large roles in both books.
The audiobook was narrated beautifully by Fareeda Pasha. I bounced between the audiobook and the ebook for this title, which was very convenient and allowed me to keep going with the story, finishing it in just a few days.
Thank you to Recorded Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to an advance copy of this audiobook and to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance reader copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
I loved the characters of Inaya Rahman, the Muslim police detective, and her boss, Seif, who has downplayed/hidden his Middle Eastern heritage. They make quite an interesting pair. We get more backstory about both of their families this time. Inaya’s dad is Afghan and her mother Pakistani. Seif’s dad was Palestinian and his mother Iranian. Seif’s two younger brothers live with him and are a bit hot-tempered. All of this is relevant to the story.
I really enjoyed several of the side characters as well, such as Cat (Caterina) Hernandez, Inaya’s partner, and Areesha Adams, a black community activist lawyer. They both play large roles in both books.
The audiobook was narrated beautifully by Fareeda Pasha. I bounced between the audiobook and the ebook for this title, which was very convenient and allowed me to keep going with the story, finishing it in just a few days.
Thank you to Recorded Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to an advance copy of this audiobook and to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance reader copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
August 15, 2023
I just got an email with this ebook via Net Galley since I reviewed the first one!! I can’t wait. So excited to dive back into this world!
*****3.5*****
This book wasn't as strong to me as the first one but mostly because there were two mysteries, not one, the book focused on more characters, and the political/controversial topics were foregrounded more. I also felt like the descriptions and action scenes were a bit clunky.
That all being said, though, I still really enjoyed this book! It was fun to be with the characters again, and I appreciated the ongoing battle between the CRU and the Blackwater Falls sheriff. I like that we did find out more about the other characters besides Seif and Inaya. I wish there was more West and less Seif, but apart from that, the mysteries did keep me wondering, and the reveals were solid though a bit predictable when it came to one of them, but I like the thread that ties the two together, and the title makes sense in the end. I also really appreciate the depiction of strong, minority women. I love the growing friendship between Inaya, Areesha, and Cat, and I love that they support each other. I appreciate the rep of brown women in positions of power and authority. It’s much-needed.
If this review feels back and forth, it is, which is why I hesitated with my rating. 3.5 stars works for me. Overall, I recommend this series to people who like books about cops, to mystery lovers who don't mind politics and controversial food for thought in their books, and for readers who like to learn about other cultural backgrounds.
Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley for providing an electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
*****3.5*****
This book wasn't as strong to me as the first one but mostly because there were two mysteries, not one, the book focused on more characters, and the political/controversial topics were foregrounded more. I also felt like the descriptions and action scenes were a bit clunky.
That all being said, though, I still really enjoyed this book! It was fun to be with the characters again, and I appreciated the ongoing battle between the CRU and the Blackwater Falls sheriff. I like that we did find out more about the other characters besides Seif and Inaya. I wish there was more West and less Seif, but apart from that, the mysteries did keep me wondering, and the reveals were solid though a bit predictable when it came to one of them, but I like the thread that ties the two together, and the title makes sense in the end. I also really appreciate the depiction of strong, minority women. I love the growing friendship between Inaya, Areesha, and Cat, and I love that they support each other. I appreciate the rep of brown women in positions of power and authority. It’s much-needed.
If this review feels back and forth, it is, which is why I hesitated with my rating. 3.5 stars works for me. Overall, I recommend this series to people who like books about cops, to mystery lovers who don't mind politics and controversial food for thought in their books, and for readers who like to learn about other cultural backgrounds.
Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley for providing an electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
November 1, 2023
A disturbing novel of betrayal, love and hate.
The Community Response Unit is called out to two police shootings of young men—one Latino, one Black.
Mateo Ruiz was gunned down by Kelly Broda, a police officer in Denver precinct. It turns out Mateo had been holding a spray can, not a gun.
Harry Cooper from Blackwater Falls had from all the evidence shot Duante Young. Young was a graffiti artist and he also had a spray can.
Detective Inaya Rahman is part of the Community Response Unit. Their job is to determine what has happened in police shootings of unarmed people.
The community have no doubt that the deaths will be white washed.
Lieutenant Waqas Seif heads the Response team. He’s also an FBI agent. Part of his job is to track down the white supremacist who have infiltrated the Blackwater Falls police.
Inaya Rahman is a Muslim woman who had been attacked by her fellow officers at Chicago Police for wearing an Hijab and being Muslim. John Broda was part of that attack. Now he wants her help to clear his son.
Broda offers Inaya a chance to clear the name of the last victim she’d been investigating in Chicago. Another young man shot by police.
Their investigations will lead them through a labyrinth of complications that reach back into the past.
The second book in a series but it can easily be read independently. I must say though this was such a compelling read I feel pulled to go back and read the first in the series.
A Minotaur Books ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)
The Community Response Unit is called out to two police shootings of young men—one Latino, one Black.
Mateo Ruiz was gunned down by Kelly Broda, a police officer in Denver precinct. It turns out Mateo had been holding a spray can, not a gun.
Harry Cooper from Blackwater Falls had from all the evidence shot Duante Young. Young was a graffiti artist and he also had a spray can.
Detective Inaya Rahman is part of the Community Response Unit. Their job is to determine what has happened in police shootings of unarmed people.
The community have no doubt that the deaths will be white washed.
Lieutenant Waqas Seif heads the Response team. He’s also an FBI agent. Part of his job is to track down the white supremacist who have infiltrated the Blackwater Falls police.
Inaya Rahman is a Muslim woman who had been attacked by her fellow officers at Chicago Police for wearing an Hijab and being Muslim. John Broda was part of that attack. Now he wants her help to clear his son.
Broda offers Inaya a chance to clear the name of the last victim she’d been investigating in Chicago. Another young man shot by police.
Their investigations will lead them through a labyrinth of complications that reach back into the past.
The second book in a series but it can easily be read independently. I must say though this was such a compelling read I feel pulled to go back and read the first in the series.
A Minotaur Books ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)
March 10, 2024
Blood Betrayal is the second book of the Blackwater Falls series set in Denver, Colorado and nearby Blackwater Falls and featuring Detective Inaya Rhaman of the Community Response Unit. On one hot night, there were two shootings that would become cases for the CRU, under Lieutenant Seif, to investigate. Two young men, one Latino, one black, were shot by the police. While the police see no problem with either shooting, it’s the purpose of the CRU to ensure that both were justified.
This series stands apart from most current procedural or mysteries that I read because of its two lead characters. Rahman and Seif are both Muslim. She is observant while he is not but the stories are suffused with their cultural identity and background. And this aspect of their identity is always a part of their lives and impacts their day to day existence. The CRU itself has an interesting mix of personnel. And they consult with people of all communities in the cities.
In Blood Betrayal, the story becomes increasingly complicated as leads come in that move each case in new directions, but not toward easy clarity. A very complicated case with complicated motivations.
Thanks to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for access to an early copy of this book. This review is my own.
This series stands apart from most current procedural or mysteries that I read because of its two lead characters. Rahman and Seif are both Muslim. She is observant while he is not but the stories are suffused with their cultural identity and background. And this aspect of their identity is always a part of their lives and impacts their day to day existence. The CRU itself has an interesting mix of personnel. And they consult with people of all communities in the cities.
In Blood Betrayal, the story becomes increasingly complicated as leads come in that move each case in new directions, but not toward easy clarity. A very complicated case with complicated motivations.
Thanks to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for access to an early copy of this book. This review is my own.
September 8, 2023
The Community Response Unit (CRU) is investigating two officer involved shootings. A young Latine man is killed during a Drug Task Force raid in Denver while a young Black graffiti artist is shot by a reliable, veteran officer in Blackwater Falls.
This is the second in the Blackwater Falls series. I liked the main characters and most of the supporting ones, a diverse group of individuals whose culture and background experiences interact with and enhance their professional responsibilities. This is a very good story, well paced, with important, timely social and political issues.
The story does seem to be a bit uneven as it covers various relationships and diverse concerns. I did not read the first book in the series and because there is so much emphasis on the interpersonal connections, I would have liked to have had more background on the characters. I also would have liked to have known more about the CRU and just how it fit (jurisdiction?) with both the Denver and Blackwater Falls police departments. Still, this is a worthwhile read.
Thanks to #netgalley and #stmartinspress @minotaurbooks for the ARC.
This is the second in the Blackwater Falls series. I liked the main characters and most of the supporting ones, a diverse group of individuals whose culture and background experiences interact with and enhance their professional responsibilities. This is a very good story, well paced, with important, timely social and political issues.
The story does seem to be a bit uneven as it covers various relationships and diverse concerns. I did not read the first book in the series and because there is so much emphasis on the interpersonal connections, I would have liked to have had more background on the characters. I also would have liked to have known more about the CRU and just how it fit (jurisdiction?) with both the Denver and Blackwater Falls police departments. Still, this is a worthwhile read.
Thanks to #netgalley and #stmartinspress @minotaurbooks for the ARC.
November 4, 2023
First and foremost, a large thank you to NetGalley, Ausma Zehanat Khan, and RB Media for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review.
After thoroughly enjoying the debut novel in this series by Ausma Zehanat Khan, I rushed to get my hands on the second book. Once more exploring some hot button issues, Khan crafts a police procedural that pulls the reader in from the opening pages. After a Denver PD officer shoots a young man, waves of outrage from his ethnic community ripple through the streets. This is soon followed by a second shooting during a drug raid that leaves another youth slain. Were these justified shootings or a form of police violence? Detective Inaya Rahman is called out to help in the investigation, where deep seeded issues rise to the surface and turn the streets of both Denver and Blackwater Falls into dangerous terrain. As the truth emerges, both sides will have to accept it, through neither feels that they are wrong for their reaction. Khan shakes the reader to the core with this second novel in a gripping series,
Late one evening in the Colorado community of Blackwater Falls, Harry Cooper is patrolling his beat for the DPD when he comes across a handful of vandals. Chasing them down, things turn heated when Duante Reed apparently pulls a gun. A shot is fired and Officer Cooper stands over the dead Duante. It turns out that his weapon was no firearm, but simply a can of spray paint. While things quickly turn ugly, a drug raid in Denver turns south and a young Mateo Ruiz is killed. Tensions run high and no one is quite sure what to make of it, though answers will need to come soon.
Detective Inaya Rahman is watching all of this go down when she is visited by a former cop who did everything to derail her when she arrived in Denver. Office John Broda feels that his son, Office Kelly Broda, was innocent of any wrongdoing during the drug raid, which saw bullets flying from many guns at the time. While Detective Rahman is not yet ready to forget the past, she hungers for the truth in a city that is rife with lies and deception.
While DPD cannot wash the blood off its hands, protests on both sides fuel a bitter rivalry and tensions rise. Detective Rahman will have to work with her boss, Lieutenant Waqas Seif, to better understand the perpetrators and get to the bottom of the community unrest. Sifting through all the evidence and witness statements, they seek to get to the heart of the matter, no matter where it takes them. While Harry Cooper has long been a dedicated officer and pillar of the community, was he too quick to act when Duante ran? Was Mateo simply in the wrong place when things went down, or was the shooting by Kelly Broda justified? No matter what, someone will be upset and the community is ready to tear itself apart, where answers are still blurry.
Blackwater Falls is full of prejudice and apparent hatred, though the truth will have to come out if there is to be any resolution. Detective Rahman and Lieutenant Seif will have to make their investigation quick to douse the flames, or be ready to watch this Colorado community go down in ashes. Another great piece by Khan that forces the reader to think about all they know and reserve judgment until the final reveal.
Ausma Zehanat Khan finds ways to link herself to the eager reader, educating and entertaining in equal measure. Working from a strong foundation of race relations, prejudice, and community policing, they all provides an narrative that leads readers down many a rabbit hole before getting into the truths that some do not want to admit. Providing strong arguments on both sides of the argument with this piece, Khan has all the ingredients for a stellar thriller that does not pull any punches.
Character development continues use in this second novel, looking to help the reader better understand Inaya Rahman and all her layers. She is a great protagonist and offers up much about herself, though she remains a mystery on many levels as well. Khan shapes the story to show some of these vulnerabilities, but also keeps a great deal a mystery, seeking more dedication in what one can hope will be a multi-novel series. Strong secondary characters provide great perspectives for all to understand without getting too complex in this fast-paced novel.
Plot twists are at the core of this piece, providing angles to create great discussion. Khan feeds into the reader’s desire to learn more without siding with any perspective. There is a great sense of possibilities within the novel, in a series that is building through the first two novels. Khan has done a wonderful job of keeping the reader enthralled and yet sceptical of what is going on. As the community of Blackwater Falls is once more torn apart, its core values remain challenged. I hope there are many more books in the series to come, as I have thoroughly enjoyed the first two.
Kudos, Madam Khan, for another stunning thriller that did not give me a chance to catch my breath.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
After thoroughly enjoying the debut novel in this series by Ausma Zehanat Khan, I rushed to get my hands on the second book. Once more exploring some hot button issues, Khan crafts a police procedural that pulls the reader in from the opening pages. After a Denver PD officer shoots a young man, waves of outrage from his ethnic community ripple through the streets. This is soon followed by a second shooting during a drug raid that leaves another youth slain. Were these justified shootings or a form of police violence? Detective Inaya Rahman is called out to help in the investigation, where deep seeded issues rise to the surface and turn the streets of both Denver and Blackwater Falls into dangerous terrain. As the truth emerges, both sides will have to accept it, through neither feels that they are wrong for their reaction. Khan shakes the reader to the core with this second novel in a gripping series,
Late one evening in the Colorado community of Blackwater Falls, Harry Cooper is patrolling his beat for the DPD when he comes across a handful of vandals. Chasing them down, things turn heated when Duante Reed apparently pulls a gun. A shot is fired and Officer Cooper stands over the dead Duante. It turns out that his weapon was no firearm, but simply a can of spray paint. While things quickly turn ugly, a drug raid in Denver turns south and a young Mateo Ruiz is killed. Tensions run high and no one is quite sure what to make of it, though answers will need to come soon.
Detective Inaya Rahman is watching all of this go down when she is visited by a former cop who did everything to derail her when she arrived in Denver. Office John Broda feels that his son, Office Kelly Broda, was innocent of any wrongdoing during the drug raid, which saw bullets flying from many guns at the time. While Detective Rahman is not yet ready to forget the past, she hungers for the truth in a city that is rife with lies and deception.
While DPD cannot wash the blood off its hands, protests on both sides fuel a bitter rivalry and tensions rise. Detective Rahman will have to work with her boss, Lieutenant Waqas Seif, to better understand the perpetrators and get to the bottom of the community unrest. Sifting through all the evidence and witness statements, they seek to get to the heart of the matter, no matter where it takes them. While Harry Cooper has long been a dedicated officer and pillar of the community, was he too quick to act when Duante ran? Was Mateo simply in the wrong place when things went down, or was the shooting by Kelly Broda justified? No matter what, someone will be upset and the community is ready to tear itself apart, where answers are still blurry.
Blackwater Falls is full of prejudice and apparent hatred, though the truth will have to come out if there is to be any resolution. Detective Rahman and Lieutenant Seif will have to make their investigation quick to douse the flames, or be ready to watch this Colorado community go down in ashes. Another great piece by Khan that forces the reader to think about all they know and reserve judgment until the final reveal.
Ausma Zehanat Khan finds ways to link herself to the eager reader, educating and entertaining in equal measure. Working from a strong foundation of race relations, prejudice, and community policing, they all provides an narrative that leads readers down many a rabbit hole before getting into the truths that some do not want to admit. Providing strong arguments on both sides of the argument with this piece, Khan has all the ingredients for a stellar thriller that does not pull any punches.
Character development continues use in this second novel, looking to help the reader better understand Inaya Rahman and all her layers. She is a great protagonist and offers up much about herself, though she remains a mystery on many levels as well. Khan shapes the story to show some of these vulnerabilities, but also keeps a great deal a mystery, seeking more dedication in what one can hope will be a multi-novel series. Strong secondary characters provide great perspectives for all to understand without getting too complex in this fast-paced novel.
Plot twists are at the core of this piece, providing angles to create great discussion. Khan feeds into the reader’s desire to learn more without siding with any perspective. There is a great sense of possibilities within the novel, in a series that is building through the first two novels. Khan has done a wonderful job of keeping the reader enthralled and yet sceptical of what is going on. As the community of Blackwater Falls is once more torn apart, its core values remain challenged. I hope there are many more books in the series to come, as I have thoroughly enjoyed the first two.
Kudos, Madam Khan, for another stunning thriller that did not give me a chance to catch my breath.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
October 11, 2023
Detective Inaya Rahman faces her past in this book to investigate two officer involved shootings. This book will have you addictively searching for the truth til the very end. I'm so excited to see where the Commuinty Response Unit will end up next.
November 8, 2023
Ausma Zehanat Khan returns following Blackwater Falls #1 with BLOOD BETRAYAL, the second in the Blackwater Falls series featuring Detective Inaya Rahman (love) with a timely, twisty, and gripping suspense cop procedural.
Set in Blackwater Falls, Colorado, a veteran cop, Harry Cooper, opens fire on a young black street artist, Dauante Reed when he thinks he has a gun but is only a can of spray paint.
John Broda is one of the police officers who has harassed her in Chicago, and now he is asking for her help to clear his son's name. Kelly is a young patrolman in Denver and has been accused of shooting and killing a young Latino man, Mateo Ruiz, in a drug raid.
Detective Inaya Rahman is Muslim and works with the Community Response Unit in Denver. The CRU's mission is to investigate police interaction within the community, violence, and actions if warranted. Areesha, a civil rights lawyer, represents the mother of the young black man.
Two cases. In either case, the ongoing question: Was lethal force truly necessary?
Lieutenant Waqas Seif and Inaya have big jobs and other complexities due to their religion. From past police transgressions and racism, there are a lot of items to juggle and cases to solve in Blackwater Falls.
There are many complex topics and emotions from religion, faith, prejudice, justice, and persecution— as well as their personal lives with the two investigations and the characters.
Ausma Zehanat Khan is a talented writer and storyteller, having read some of her other books and series. BLOOD BETRAYAL is an excellent addition to her collection, and fans will surely enjoy it. The author showcases her talent, blending professional and personal relationships with diverse backgrounds.
I listened to the audiobook narrated by Fareeda Pasha for a riveting performance, holding your attention to the end with social and political commentary and timely issues.
Thanks to RB Media, Recorded Books, and Netgalley for an advanced audio listening copy.
Blog review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
Pub Date: Nov 7, 2023
My Rating: 4 Stars
Nov 2023 Must-Read Books
Nov Newsletter
Set in Blackwater Falls, Colorado, a veteran cop, Harry Cooper, opens fire on a young black street artist, Dauante Reed when he thinks he has a gun but is only a can of spray paint.
John Broda is one of the police officers who has harassed her in Chicago, and now he is asking for her help to clear his son's name. Kelly is a young patrolman in Denver and has been accused of shooting and killing a young Latino man, Mateo Ruiz, in a drug raid.
Detective Inaya Rahman is Muslim and works with the Community Response Unit in Denver. The CRU's mission is to investigate police interaction within the community, violence, and actions if warranted. Areesha, a civil rights lawyer, represents the mother of the young black man.
Two cases. In either case, the ongoing question: Was lethal force truly necessary?
Lieutenant Waqas Seif and Inaya have big jobs and other complexities due to their religion. From past police transgressions and racism, there are a lot of items to juggle and cases to solve in Blackwater Falls.
There are many complex topics and emotions from religion, faith, prejudice, justice, and persecution— as well as their personal lives with the two investigations and the characters.
Ausma Zehanat Khan is a talented writer and storyteller, having read some of her other books and series. BLOOD BETRAYAL is an excellent addition to her collection, and fans will surely enjoy it. The author showcases her talent, blending professional and personal relationships with diverse backgrounds.
I listened to the audiobook narrated by Fareeda Pasha for a riveting performance, holding your attention to the end with social and political commentary and timely issues.
Thanks to RB Media, Recorded Books, and Netgalley for an advanced audio listening copy.
Blog review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
Pub Date: Nov 7, 2023
My Rating: 4 Stars
Nov 2023 Must-Read Books
Nov Newsletter
November 19, 2023
This is the second book in the Blackwater Falls series, and while I have not read the first I really liked this one and did not feel I had missed anything (other than a good book). I enjoyed the case as well as the dynamic between the characters, which were very well developed and the pacing was also steady and on point. The case was interesting and I was vested in the characters, and overall really enjoyed this one and will definitely go back and read the first in this series. The audio for this was excellent as well, and I loved reading it via this medium.
Thank you to Minotaur Books and PRH Audio for the copies to review.
Thank you to Minotaur Books and PRH Audio for the copies to review.
September 13, 2025
4.25 stars
This book is the follow up to the excellent first book in the series, Blackwater Falls. It would work okay as a standalone, but you get to know more about the main character, Inaya, in the first book. Like the first one, this book deals with a lot of serious issues and is informative and intense. There are several strong-minded, intelligent female characters in this book and the overall cast of characters is unique, memorable, and diverse. Inaya sometimes thinks with her heart and ends up in difficult situations, but you can't help but root for her. This is a well-written book and series that I've glad I read.
This book is the follow up to the excellent first book in the series, Blackwater Falls. It would work okay as a standalone, but you get to know more about the main character, Inaya, in the first book. Like the first one, this book deals with a lot of serious issues and is informative and intense. There are several strong-minded, intelligent female characters in this book and the overall cast of characters is unique, memorable, and diverse. Inaya sometimes thinks with her heart and ends up in difficult situations, but you can't help but root for her. This is a well-written book and series that I've glad I read.
July 19, 2023
Detective Inaya Rahman takes on two different potentially racially motivated shootings involving police in Colorado. Both have many extenuating circumstances that muddy the waters or who is truly at fault. The community outcry is stretching the Denver police thin.
Lieutenant Waqas Seif and Inaya have their work cut out for them aside from their own relationship and the obstacles they face daily due to their religion. Dealing with past police transgressions as well as their own potential racism brings forth many questions and themes. There is so much to unpack here! The novel moves just as quickly with the mystery portion as well.
Join Inaya as she questions her faith, her job, her role in her family and as she determines who is truly at fault!
#StMartins #AusmaZehanatKhan #BloodBetrayal
Lieutenant Waqas Seif and Inaya have their work cut out for them aside from their own relationship and the obstacles they face daily due to their religion. Dealing with past police transgressions as well as their own potential racism brings forth many questions and themes. There is so much to unpack here! The novel moves just as quickly with the mystery portion as well.
Join Inaya as she questions her faith, her job, her role in her family and as she determines who is truly at fault!
#StMartins #AusmaZehanatKhan #BloodBetrayal
December 16, 2023
Blood Betrayal by Ausma Zehanat Khan is the second book in the Detective Inaya Rahman police procedural series. I read the first book this past summer, and while I thought Blackwater Falls was solid, I had some quibbles in regards to character and setting.
Blood Betrayal took my quibbles and threw them out. Khan knows these characters and Inaya and HER Lieutenant Waqas Seif sing off the page (with some truly sizzling chemistry!) and the other members of the Community Response Unit (Cat and Jaime) are fully fleshed out with their own backstories and plot lines.
The mystery involves two cases of police shootings of racial minority men. Khan treats the subject with sensitivity and an eye for the communities the two men were a part of. In fact, Khan's book is entirely about communities and how the characters interact with the communities they are born into and the communities they make for themselves. The difficulties placed on them to serve their communities while remaining true to themselves. Acts of faith, acts of defiance, and acts of misguided loyalty are all at play within the story and I feel that Khan is building to a larger point as she continues to tell Inaya's story.
While there's no announcement for book 3, I'm very much looking forward to reading it.
Blood Betrayal took my quibbles and threw them out. Khan knows these characters and Inaya and HER Lieutenant Waqas Seif sing off the page (with some truly sizzling chemistry!) and the other members of the Community Response Unit (Cat and Jaime) are fully fleshed out with their own backstories and plot lines.
The mystery involves two cases of police shootings of racial minority men. Khan treats the subject with sensitivity and an eye for the communities the two men were a part of. In fact, Khan's book is entirely about communities and how the characters interact with the communities they are born into and the communities they make for themselves. The difficulties placed on them to serve their communities while remaining true to themselves. Acts of faith, acts of defiance, and acts of misguided loyalty are all at play within the story and I feel that Khan is building to a larger point as she continues to tell Inaya's story.
While there's no announcement for book 3, I'm very much looking forward to reading it.
December 22, 2023
I love this series! Smart and crisply written!
August 1, 2024
This is such a fantastic series. Important issues and great stories. Do read them in order.
August 19, 2023
Blood Betrayal by Asmara Zehanat Khan was almost like having two books in one. The story is about the murder of two non-white young men within a short period of time. There are no apparent connections between the killings. One killer was a policeman with a clean history, having never used his firearm. He admitted he drew his gun when he felt his life was in danger. The other is an unknown killer but it seems it was random, and the wrong person was killed.
The characters are well developed, and many, but they are diverse enough that they are not easy to confuse while reading. I would like to see more from these characters.
If you are looking for a book that is inclusive of differing cultures, this is your read. As well, as a murder mystery, it may surprise readers. Things are not always as they seem. It was a puzzle that was not easy to solve.
Thank you Netgalley for a prepub copy to read and review.
The characters are well developed, and many, but they are diverse enough that they are not easy to confuse while reading. I would like to see more from these characters.
If you are looking for a book that is inclusive of differing cultures, this is your read. As well, as a murder mystery, it may surprise readers. Things are not always as they seem. It was a puzzle that was not easy to solve.
Thank you Netgalley for a prepub copy to read and review.
November 14, 2023
A fascinating mystery concerning two young men of color shot and killed by police officers.
In Blackwater Falls, a town just outside of Denver, a young black man named Duante Reed, is shot and killed by white police officer Harry Cooper who is trying to curb the actions of a local group of vandals. Harry sees what he thinks is a gun in Duante’s hands, and after his warnings to put it down are ignored, he shoots and kills him. On the very same night back in Denver, a drug raid gets out of hand, and a young Latine teen named Mateo Ruiz is also shot and killed, presumably by a police officer. Neither officer has a history of excessive force or of racist behavior, and there is bodycam footage of both incidents to show just how events unfolded. In the case of Harry Cooper shooting Duante, it appears that all protocols were observed to the letter, and the death was a tragic accident. In the case of Mateo, however, things are not quite as clear. It appears that Officer Kelly Broda fired the fatal shot, but the video’s quality does not actually show who fired the shot, and Kelly refuses to talk about the incident. The two victims appear to be law abiding young men, highly thought of in their communities and loved deeply by their families. Each death is clearly a tragedy, but was their any wrongdoing on either side? The fact that both alleged shooters were white police officers, and both victims were young men of color, has raised the specter of racist behavior in the eyes of many in the local communities, especially given the negative reputation of the sheriff’s department in Blackwater Falls. Denver’s Community Response Unit is tasked with looking into both incidents, which will stretch the tiny department’s resources very thin. Lt. Waqas Seif leads the unit, with Detectives Inaya Rahman and Catalina Hernandez and Officer Jaime Webb as investigators and occasionally with the services of civil rights attorney Areesha Adams. The unit’s purpose is to create open lines of communication between the police and the communities they serve, particularly those of color, to ensure that the law is fairly applied to all and that prejudices do not cause situations to escalate to violence. Clearly the CRU’s presence is needed in both of these cases, as either could cause their communities to explode. The present situations also have ties to the past; Kelly Broda’s father has an ugly history with Inaya, yet pleads with her to intervene to help his son, while several of the characters have connections to events in Afghanistan which may or may not have implications in Duante’s case. The members of the CRU have a very fine line to walk….they are not fully trusted by other members of law enforcement, nor are they completely accepted as advocates by the communities they try to represent. As they dig deeper into the lives of both the victims and the officers who took their lives, as well as the families and friends of both, many secrets come to light but the truth will be very difficult to unearth.
Blood Betrayal is the second book in the Blackwater Falls series, but it is not necessary to have read the first to throughly enjoy and understand this installment (I have not read the first). As the story progresses, different characters narrate their investigations as well as related goings on in their lives. The characters are extremely well-developed, but not at the expense of keeping the investigation moving at a brisk pace. The torn loyalties between duty and community, homeland and adopted country, tradition and progress, are all dualities explored alongside that of prejudices of and against law enforcement and the communities of different colors and beliefs. There is even a little sexual tension thrown in for good measure. As a reader, I no more knew who the villains were in this story than the investigators, and like them I learned about the many schisms that exist in today’s world. Readers of Ms Khan’s previous works will certainly enjoy her latest offering, as would readers who enjoy Angie Kim and Amanda Jayatissa. Many thanks to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press/MInotaur Books for allowing me access to an advanced’ reader’s copy of Blood Betrayal.
In Blackwater Falls, a town just outside of Denver, a young black man named Duante Reed, is shot and killed by white police officer Harry Cooper who is trying to curb the actions of a local group of vandals. Harry sees what he thinks is a gun in Duante’s hands, and after his warnings to put it down are ignored, he shoots and kills him. On the very same night back in Denver, a drug raid gets out of hand, and a young Latine teen named Mateo Ruiz is also shot and killed, presumably by a police officer. Neither officer has a history of excessive force or of racist behavior, and there is bodycam footage of both incidents to show just how events unfolded. In the case of Harry Cooper shooting Duante, it appears that all protocols were observed to the letter, and the death was a tragic accident. In the case of Mateo, however, things are not quite as clear. It appears that Officer Kelly Broda fired the fatal shot, but the video’s quality does not actually show who fired the shot, and Kelly refuses to talk about the incident. The two victims appear to be law abiding young men, highly thought of in their communities and loved deeply by their families. Each death is clearly a tragedy, but was their any wrongdoing on either side? The fact that both alleged shooters were white police officers, and both victims were young men of color, has raised the specter of racist behavior in the eyes of many in the local communities, especially given the negative reputation of the sheriff’s department in Blackwater Falls. Denver’s Community Response Unit is tasked with looking into both incidents, which will stretch the tiny department’s resources very thin. Lt. Waqas Seif leads the unit, with Detectives Inaya Rahman and Catalina Hernandez and Officer Jaime Webb as investigators and occasionally with the services of civil rights attorney Areesha Adams. The unit’s purpose is to create open lines of communication between the police and the communities they serve, particularly those of color, to ensure that the law is fairly applied to all and that prejudices do not cause situations to escalate to violence. Clearly the CRU’s presence is needed in both of these cases, as either could cause their communities to explode. The present situations also have ties to the past; Kelly Broda’s father has an ugly history with Inaya, yet pleads with her to intervene to help his son, while several of the characters have connections to events in Afghanistan which may or may not have implications in Duante’s case. The members of the CRU have a very fine line to walk….they are not fully trusted by other members of law enforcement, nor are they completely accepted as advocates by the communities they try to represent. As they dig deeper into the lives of both the victims and the officers who took their lives, as well as the families and friends of both, many secrets come to light but the truth will be very difficult to unearth.
Blood Betrayal is the second book in the Blackwater Falls series, but it is not necessary to have read the first to throughly enjoy and understand this installment (I have not read the first). As the story progresses, different characters narrate their investigations as well as related goings on in their lives. The characters are extremely well-developed, but not at the expense of keeping the investigation moving at a brisk pace. The torn loyalties between duty and community, homeland and adopted country, tradition and progress, are all dualities explored alongside that of prejudices of and against law enforcement and the communities of different colors and beliefs. There is even a little sexual tension thrown in for good measure. As a reader, I no more knew who the villains were in this story than the investigators, and like them I learned about the many schisms that exist in today’s world. Readers of Ms Khan’s previous works will certainly enjoy her latest offering, as would readers who enjoy Angie Kim and Amanda Jayatissa. Many thanks to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press/MInotaur Books for allowing me access to an advanced’ reader’s copy of Blood Betrayal.
July 30, 2023
This is the second book in the Blackwater Falls series with Detective Inaya Rahman. She is a member of the Community Response Unit and is tasked to discover what truly happened during two police involved shootings that happened so close together- but in different towns. The first shooting takes place in Blackwater Falls which brings the Sheriff from the previous book back in to the story. The second shooting takes place in Denver during a police raid. The shooting in Denver is brought to Rahman by someone from her past from Chicago.
I was hooked on this book quickly and could not put it down. I really enjoy this series and the emotional and complicated topics it deals with in both books. I think it is a great addition to the police procedural genre.
Thank you to Minotaur and Netgalley for this ARC.
I was hooked on this book quickly and could not put it down. I really enjoy this series and the emotional and complicated topics it deals with in both books. I think it is a great addition to the police procedural genre.
Thank you to Minotaur and Netgalley for this ARC.
January 12, 2024
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
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WHAT'S BLOOD BETRAYAL ABOUT?
On one night, there were two police shootings in the Denver area. One is the shooting of a possible innocent bystander/possible fleeing suspect in a drug raid. The other is the shooting of a vandal by an officer who (claims? he) mistook a can of spray paint for a gun.
Both of the officers were white, and the men who died were young minorities. Both cases will call for the Community Response team to investigate, neither case will be easy for them (and not just because their limited resources will be stretched by simultaneous investigations of a charged nature).
So let's deal with these in the order we learn about them...
CASE 1
Harry Cooper isn't a fantastic cop—nor is he a bad one. He's a solid, middle-of-the-road officer, and has been one for years—and now is near retirement. He's never used his weapon before, but while pursuing some vandals on foot, he fires a warning shot in the air. Then he's sure he sees a weapon in the hand of the vandal facing him. So he shoots to kill.
It seems like a tragic mistake, but as he's part of Sheriff Grant's force, Lt. Seif seizes the opportunity to do a thorough investigation—to ensure that's all it was, and to maybe get more intel to help his case against Grant.
A number of things start to not add up—mostly around the "vandal." He's not one. He's an art student who isn't even from Blackwater Falls. He's taking part in a legitimate street art contest, for one, not someone tagging random private property. Secondly, Seif thinks the physical evidence may point to something bigger. But he's just not sure what. He wants Inaya Rahman to lead the charge on this.
CASE 2
But Inaya has other concerns. She left Chicago after being assaulted by a number of fellow officers, we learned last time. So when one of those officers shows up on her family's doorstep, she's disturbed (to understate it). John Broda has come to her for help—his son is a patrol officer in Denver assigned to help a drug raid on a marijuana dispensary that was known to sell harder drugs, too. In the midst of it, a potential suspect was shot. Officer Kelly Broday was arrested for murder, without saying he shot Mateo Ruiz, he is saying he's responsible for his death.
John Broda wants her to investigate and clear Kell, and in return, John will give Inaya the evidence he needs to close her last case from her days in Chicago.
She starts to look into things in exchange for the evidence, but she's soon convinced that Kell was set up—possibly by a gang within the Denver Police. But she can't figure out if someone wanted Ruiz dead (or why), or if it all has to do with the officer. Or is it both?
Meanwhile, the communities both young men belonged to start to organize and protest—particularly the Hispanic neighborhood Ruiz was from—and the Police Department isn't responding calmly. Time is of the essence for this investigation.
EVERYTHING ELSE
Which is just a pithy way of saying "Everyone's Personal Lives and the FBI's Investigation into the Blackwater Falls Sheriff." We learn more about every member of the Community Response team (and the civil rights attorney they ally with), and whatever arcs we saw or got hints of in the first book progress nicely (well, at least for the reader—I'm making no promises about how the characters feel).
Those aren't the important parts of these books, but the more we get invested in these characters, the more compelling we're going to find how the cases impact them and their lives. As a plus, they're all really interesting characters so the arcs make for good reading.
As far as the FBI Investigation goes? Well...it's still a thing. I'm not sure how much more I can say.
SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT BLOOD BETRAYLAL?
It'd be easy to write this series off as some sort of "woke" thing where a racially diverse group of police investigators find hate crimes everywhere. Especially when white cops kill black and Latino men. That would be a grave error, however. Khan writes complex stories that cannot be reduced to a simple, one-line explanation, never mind a label or two.
In Blackwater Falls we got one murder that led to the uncovering of a web of more crime and corruption. Here we have two murders that end up being about so much more—both cases are about as complex as the one from Blackwater Falls, but the way that Khan weaves the two stories together (if only because the investigators are the same) makes this an even more complex novel. We get two great crime stories for the price of one. Yes, I think one of the cases was easier for the reader to figure out—possibly too easy. But the way that the clues, motives, and solution were revealed more than made up for that. And the other case? You're never going to guess the solution until Khan shows it all.
But better than that is the way Khan shows (again) how crimes like this can impact entire communities, and the tensions that result and build up (possibly spill over) between those communities and the police rings so true that you could believe it happening today.
But Khan's not just good at the big, social commentary—the impact that these killings have on the families is obviously bigger than anyone wants to imagine. And, as she did in the previous novel, Khan shows the grief, confusion, anger, and the other emotions that strike a family at this time with sensitivity and keen observation. Over the last few years, I've started noticing this part of a police procedural, and I really appreciate it when the author does it well. Khan's one of the best around in this aspect.
Throw in some strong writing and great characters to all this? You've got yourself a winner. One of the best sequels that I read this year. You'd be doing yourself a favor if you grabbed the two books in this series up and doing so soon.
---
WHAT'S BLOOD BETRAYAL ABOUT?
On one night, there were two police shootings in the Denver area. One is the shooting of a possible innocent bystander/possible fleeing suspect in a drug raid. The other is the shooting of a vandal by an officer who (claims? he) mistook a can of spray paint for a gun.
Both of the officers were white, and the men who died were young minorities. Both cases will call for the Community Response team to investigate, neither case will be easy for them (and not just because their limited resources will be stretched by simultaneous investigations of a charged nature).
So let's deal with these in the order we learn about them...
CASE 1
Harry Cooper isn't a fantastic cop—nor is he a bad one. He's a solid, middle-of-the-road officer, and has been one for years—and now is near retirement. He's never used his weapon before, but while pursuing some vandals on foot, he fires a warning shot in the air. Then he's sure he sees a weapon in the hand of the vandal facing him. So he shoots to kill.
It seems like a tragic mistake, but as he's part of Sheriff Grant's force, Lt. Seif seizes the opportunity to do a thorough investigation—to ensure that's all it was, and to maybe get more intel to help his case against Grant.
A number of things start to not add up—mostly around the "vandal." He's not one. He's an art student who isn't even from Blackwater Falls. He's taking part in a legitimate street art contest, for one, not someone tagging random private property. Secondly, Seif thinks the physical evidence may point to something bigger. But he's just not sure what. He wants Inaya Rahman to lead the charge on this.
CASE 2
But Inaya has other concerns. She left Chicago after being assaulted by a number of fellow officers, we learned last time. So when one of those officers shows up on her family's doorstep, she's disturbed (to understate it). John Broda has come to her for help—his son is a patrol officer in Denver assigned to help a drug raid on a marijuana dispensary that was known to sell harder drugs, too. In the midst of it, a potential suspect was shot. Officer Kelly Broday was arrested for murder, without saying he shot Mateo Ruiz, he is saying he's responsible for his death.
John Broda wants her to investigate and clear Kell, and in return, John will give Inaya the evidence he needs to close her last case from her days in Chicago.
She starts to look into things in exchange for the evidence, but she's soon convinced that Kell was set up—possibly by a gang within the Denver Police. But she can't figure out if someone wanted Ruiz dead (or why), or if it all has to do with the officer. Or is it both?
Meanwhile, the communities both young men belonged to start to organize and protest—particularly the Hispanic neighborhood Ruiz was from—and the Police Department isn't responding calmly. Time is of the essence for this investigation.
EVERYTHING ELSE
Which is just a pithy way of saying "Everyone's Personal Lives and the FBI's Investigation into the Blackwater Falls Sheriff." We learn more about every member of the Community Response team (and the civil rights attorney they ally with), and whatever arcs we saw or got hints of in the first book progress nicely (well, at least for the reader—I'm making no promises about how the characters feel).
Those aren't the important parts of these books, but the more we get invested in these characters, the more compelling we're going to find how the cases impact them and their lives. As a plus, they're all really interesting characters so the arcs make for good reading.
As far as the FBI Investigation goes? Well...it's still a thing. I'm not sure how much more I can say.
SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT BLOOD BETRAYLAL?
It'd be easy to write this series off as some sort of "woke" thing where a racially diverse group of police investigators find hate crimes everywhere. Especially when white cops kill black and Latino men. That would be a grave error, however. Khan writes complex stories that cannot be reduced to a simple, one-line explanation, never mind a label or two.
In Blackwater Falls we got one murder that led to the uncovering of a web of more crime and corruption. Here we have two murders that end up being about so much more—both cases are about as complex as the one from Blackwater Falls, but the way that Khan weaves the two stories together (if only because the investigators are the same) makes this an even more complex novel. We get two great crime stories for the price of one. Yes, I think one of the cases was easier for the reader to figure out—possibly too easy. But the way that the clues, motives, and solution were revealed more than made up for that. And the other case? You're never going to guess the solution until Khan shows it all.
But better than that is the way Khan shows (again) how crimes like this can impact entire communities, and the tensions that result and build up (possibly spill over) between those communities and the police rings so true that you could believe it happening today.
But Khan's not just good at the big, social commentary—the impact that these killings have on the families is obviously bigger than anyone wants to imagine. And, as she did in the previous novel, Khan shows the grief, confusion, anger, and the other emotions that strike a family at this time with sensitivity and keen observation. Over the last few years, I've started noticing this part of a police procedural, and I really appreciate it when the author does it well. Khan's one of the best around in this aspect.
Throw in some strong writing and great characters to all this? You've got yourself a winner. One of the best sequels that I read this year. You'd be doing yourself a favor if you grabbed the two books in this series up and doing so soon.
February 7, 2024
Blood Betrayal is layered.
And wicked smart.
It’s also rich—with both subtle and everyday themes that go straight to the heart of modern American policing, racism, and how marginalized communities are treated in the United States.
But that makes the novel sound heavy and ponderous when, in fact, it delivers heaps of tension as two parallel investigations unfold in and around fictitious Blackwater Falls and nearby Denver.
Ausma Zehanat Khan wrote five full-length mysteries (and one novella) in the Esa Khattak and Rachel Getty Mysteries. Those highly-praised novels were set primarily in Canada but also branched out to settings in the Middle East. With the Blackwater Falls Series (Blood Betrayal is the second entry) set in Khan’s previous Colorado home, Khan pulls directly from the controversies that regularly roil the more divisive political and judicial landscape on American soil. The new series directly echoes her first, however, in that lead detective Inaya Rahman works in police department that is charged with checking the work of other cops and making sure the rights of marginalized communities are protected and that police are held accountable for criminal acts.
Inaya arrived in Blackwater Falls from the Chicago Police Department and it’s clear in Blood Betrayal that the reason for the switch of scenery was well covered in the series opener (Blackwater Falls.) In Chicago, as a practicing Muslim, Inaya had faced a great deal of harassment and survived a traumatic incident after one of her cases led her to investigate a white police officer, prompting retaliation. Will a new, smaller community—a right-leaning Denver suburb with Christian megachurches—lead to better days? (I think you know the answer.)
Blood Betrayal begins with a white Blackwater Falls officer named Harry Cooper shooting and killing a 20-year old black street artist named Duante Young. Cooper has a flawless, perfect record as a cop. He’d been on the streets for as long as Young had been alive and had never drawn his gun. He isn’t inclined to “swaggering authority … he was a level head in a crisis, and he didn’t aspire to be more.” In other words, he’s the least likely to have a quick or judgmental trigger.
Meanwhile, the residents along East Colfax Ave. in Denver are up in arms. A kid named Mateo Ruiz was shot in the back on the same night by another white cop. The shooting follow a raid on a store called Mile High Weed. The raid was designed to interrupt a high-stakes opioid sale. The raid failed. Ruiz was a civilian in the commotion outside, around the raid. The two cops in the crosshairs are Kelly Broda, in his first year with Denver Police Department, and the same partner he worked with as a cop in Chicago, a woman named Madeline Hicks.
Chicago.
It’s as if Inaya can’t shake what happened in the Windy City and soon, in fact, she is visited by Kelly Broda’s father, the very same racist bully who terrorized and assaulted her in Chicago. John Broda wants Inaya to help clear his son. And John offers a beguiling enticement in return, an offer that goes straight to Inaya’s interest in justice for all.
Two separate police shootings. One urban, one suburban. Two very different shooters. Or, alleged shooters. And Inaya is pulled into the Denver case to make sure everything is above board and to see if there is more to it than meets the eye.
Oh—and romance flutters. Feelings develop between the very devout Inaya and her boss, Lieutenant Waqas Seif, who has basically given up on all things religious. Seif has a mixed heritage—Palestinian and Iranian. Inaya’s heritage is Pakistani and Afghani. As a cop, Seif is by-the-book. Determined to rise up in law enforcement ranks, he figures that distancing himself from his faith will aid his ambitions. He won’t stand out; he’ll wear tight white shirts and seek to fit in. (The issue of assimilation has an echo as the backstory emerges around one of the shooting victims, too.)
In contrast to Seif, Inaya is known to ignore the book. She has a keen eye and a dogged streak. She wears her faith openly but can’t suppress the attraction to her boss. If you know Khan’s writing, you know she’s very good at interpersonal relationships and giving readers a palpable sense of what the heart wants.
In steady fashion, Khan brings three-dimensionality to both shooting victims—Duante Young and Mateo Ruiz. In fact, the victims never stray far from the page. Once the procedural investigations are up and running (and that doesn’t take long) Blood Betrayal is off to the races even as it contemplates religion, gay subcultures, gun fanaticism, colorism, and police overzealousness in the United States.
Complicated? Only in the best way. Rewarding? Thoroughly. Khan works with issues that have sharply divided communities from coast to coast. She’s a fearless storyteller who writes with a non-flashy style. Khan knows how to keep readers curious as she leans into the power and importance of nuance and digs into the layers of humanity, especially inside her multifaceted characters. The name Inaya is rooted in Arabic and Urdu languages, by the way, and it means care, concern, help, and protection. (The name fits her like a glove.)
The Khattak/Getty series was excellent. The new series might work better because the backdrop, the United States of America, is so dysfunctional.
And wicked smart.
It’s also rich—with both subtle and everyday themes that go straight to the heart of modern American policing, racism, and how marginalized communities are treated in the United States.
But that makes the novel sound heavy and ponderous when, in fact, it delivers heaps of tension as two parallel investigations unfold in and around fictitious Blackwater Falls and nearby Denver.
Ausma Zehanat Khan wrote five full-length mysteries (and one novella) in the Esa Khattak and Rachel Getty Mysteries. Those highly-praised novels were set primarily in Canada but also branched out to settings in the Middle East. With the Blackwater Falls Series (Blood Betrayal is the second entry) set in Khan’s previous Colorado home, Khan pulls directly from the controversies that regularly roil the more divisive political and judicial landscape on American soil. The new series directly echoes her first, however, in that lead detective Inaya Rahman works in police department that is charged with checking the work of other cops and making sure the rights of marginalized communities are protected and that police are held accountable for criminal acts.
Inaya arrived in Blackwater Falls from the Chicago Police Department and it’s clear in Blood Betrayal that the reason for the switch of scenery was well covered in the series opener (Blackwater Falls.) In Chicago, as a practicing Muslim, Inaya had faced a great deal of harassment and survived a traumatic incident after one of her cases led her to investigate a white police officer, prompting retaliation. Will a new, smaller community—a right-leaning Denver suburb with Christian megachurches—lead to better days? (I think you know the answer.)
Blood Betrayal begins with a white Blackwater Falls officer named Harry Cooper shooting and killing a 20-year old black street artist named Duante Young. Cooper has a flawless, perfect record as a cop. He’d been on the streets for as long as Young had been alive and had never drawn his gun. He isn’t inclined to “swaggering authority … he was a level head in a crisis, and he didn’t aspire to be more.” In other words, he’s the least likely to have a quick or judgmental trigger.
Meanwhile, the residents along East Colfax Ave. in Denver are up in arms. A kid named Mateo Ruiz was shot in the back on the same night by another white cop. The shooting follow a raid on a store called Mile High Weed. The raid was designed to interrupt a high-stakes opioid sale. The raid failed. Ruiz was a civilian in the commotion outside, around the raid. The two cops in the crosshairs are Kelly Broda, in his first year with Denver Police Department, and the same partner he worked with as a cop in Chicago, a woman named Madeline Hicks.
Chicago.
It’s as if Inaya can’t shake what happened in the Windy City and soon, in fact, she is visited by Kelly Broda’s father, the very same racist bully who terrorized and assaulted her in Chicago. John Broda wants Inaya to help clear his son. And John offers a beguiling enticement in return, an offer that goes straight to Inaya’s interest in justice for all.
Two separate police shootings. One urban, one suburban. Two very different shooters. Or, alleged shooters. And Inaya is pulled into the Denver case to make sure everything is above board and to see if there is more to it than meets the eye.
Oh—and romance flutters. Feelings develop between the very devout Inaya and her boss, Lieutenant Waqas Seif, who has basically given up on all things religious. Seif has a mixed heritage—Palestinian and Iranian. Inaya’s heritage is Pakistani and Afghani. As a cop, Seif is by-the-book. Determined to rise up in law enforcement ranks, he figures that distancing himself from his faith will aid his ambitions. He won’t stand out; he’ll wear tight white shirts and seek to fit in. (The issue of assimilation has an echo as the backstory emerges around one of the shooting victims, too.)
In contrast to Seif, Inaya is known to ignore the book. She has a keen eye and a dogged streak. She wears her faith openly but can’t suppress the attraction to her boss. If you know Khan’s writing, you know she’s very good at interpersonal relationships and giving readers a palpable sense of what the heart wants.
In steady fashion, Khan brings three-dimensionality to both shooting victims—Duante Young and Mateo Ruiz. In fact, the victims never stray far from the page. Once the procedural investigations are up and running (and that doesn’t take long) Blood Betrayal is off to the races even as it contemplates religion, gay subcultures, gun fanaticism, colorism, and police overzealousness in the United States.
Complicated? Only in the best way. Rewarding? Thoroughly. Khan works with issues that have sharply divided communities from coast to coast. She’s a fearless storyteller who writes with a non-flashy style. Khan knows how to keep readers curious as she leans into the power and importance of nuance and digs into the layers of humanity, especially inside her multifaceted characters. The name Inaya is rooted in Arabic and Urdu languages, by the way, and it means care, concern, help, and protection. (The name fits her like a glove.)
The Khattak/Getty series was excellent. The new series might work better because the backdrop, the United States of America, is so dysfunctional.
August 21, 2023
Received an ARC via NetGalley.
After an incredible first book in the series, the second is just as complicated and captivating. There’s not much I could say that will do the subject matter justice.
I look forward to the next installment.
After an incredible first book in the series, the second is just as complicated and captivating. There’s not much I could say that will do the subject matter justice.
I look forward to the next installment.
February 9, 2025
3.5 stars. I really enjoy the complexity of the issues faced in Khan’s crime fiction. The characters have a good mix of job and personal challenges. She creates strong women role models and well paced plots.
November 20, 2023
We’re back in Blackwater Falls with the Community Response Unit. This time, the unit is assigned to tackle two office involved shootings that resulted in the deaths of Mateo Ruiz and Duantee Reed. Inaya and her colleagues are forced to tackle their own prejudices and will need to examine their own beliefs as they investigate the two crimes.
As with the first book in the series I really enjoyed our main characters. Inaya, certainly has some additional growth and we even ‘finally’ get more of the backstory of why she left Chicago. In addition, both Areesha Adams and Caterina Hernandez are back and have their own POVs throughout the story. I find the added perspectives from them round out the story well, but even so all three women have some very personal matters that are occurring simultaneously with the investigation and other reasons that make these cases personal to them. It certainly adds to the overall story, and in Detective series such as these, I do love getting to be inside the head of more than just our main character.
With that said, there is A LOT going on in this book. Just like in Book #1, I felt there was so much going on. It’s one thing to weave complex mysteries together but I just felt that the two independent murders, Seif & Inaya’s somewhat romance, each of the women’s and Seif’s individual issues, plus the themes of racism, immigration, and police brutality was just too much to pack into just over 300 pages. At the same time, the story (just like in book 1) has a pacing issue. I’m not sure how I would fix it, but once Duante’s murder was resolved I was ready for the book to be done and instead I had what felt like another hour or two left on my audio to listen to. The romance still doesn’t feel flushed out, and I still think it feels somewhat forced. I did enjoy getting to know Seif’s brothers and Inaya’s family more.
I would highly recommend you read this series in order, as there is significant character development that happens, and I feel readers might easily become lost if reading them out of order. As with Blackwater Falls, I primarily listened to the audiobook, and I found it to be once again well done. Overall, I did like this one more than the first, so I’ll probably continue with the series, but I still feel it’s trying to do ‘too much’ at a time. This is certainly an interesting commentary on the middle east and immigration considering what is happening in the world now.
Blood Betrayal is out now. Huge thank you to Minotaur Books and St. Martin’s Press for my copy in exchange for my honest opinion. If you liked this review, please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my Instagram @speakingof.books.
As with the first book in the series I really enjoyed our main characters. Inaya, certainly has some additional growth and we even ‘finally’ get more of the backstory of why she left Chicago. In addition, both Areesha Adams and Caterina Hernandez are back and have their own POVs throughout the story. I find the added perspectives from them round out the story well, but even so all three women have some very personal matters that are occurring simultaneously with the investigation and other reasons that make these cases personal to them. It certainly adds to the overall story, and in Detective series such as these, I do love getting to be inside the head of more than just our main character.
With that said, there is A LOT going on in this book. Just like in Book #1, I felt there was so much going on. It’s one thing to weave complex mysteries together but I just felt that the two independent murders, Seif & Inaya’s somewhat romance, each of the women’s and Seif’s individual issues, plus the themes of racism, immigration, and police brutality was just too much to pack into just over 300 pages. At the same time, the story (just like in book 1) has a pacing issue. I’m not sure how I would fix it, but once Duante’s murder was resolved I was ready for the book to be done and instead I had what felt like another hour or two left on my audio to listen to. The romance still doesn’t feel flushed out, and I still think it feels somewhat forced. I did enjoy getting to know Seif’s brothers and Inaya’s family more.
I would highly recommend you read this series in order, as there is significant character development that happens, and I feel readers might easily become lost if reading them out of order. As with Blackwater Falls, I primarily listened to the audiobook, and I found it to be once again well done. Overall, I did like this one more than the first, so I’ll probably continue with the series, but I still feel it’s trying to do ‘too much’ at a time. This is certainly an interesting commentary on the middle east and immigration considering what is happening in the world now.
Blood Betrayal is out now. Huge thank you to Minotaur Books and St. Martin’s Press for my copy in exchange for my honest opinion. If you liked this review, please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my Instagram @speakingof.books.
September 30, 2023
This was a good book, it is the second in the Blackwater Falls series, I had read the first which I found a bit better than this one. Two young men have been killed in Colorado and their deaths are being investigated by the CRU (Community Response Unit), Detective Inaya is tasked with investigating both, along with Catalina "Cat", and their boss Lieutenant Seif. There is a very diverse number of ethnic backgrounds in this story, Inaya is Muslim but has struggled with her faith after events in the first book, she is also attracted to Seif, who returns that attraction, he is from Palestine. A policeman was the shooter of one of the young men, a very reliable non confrontation type of policeman who has a clean record, no one can believe that he shot this person. The other shooter may have been part of a drug task force team who had been conducting a raid and chasing the young man through the streets. As the investigation goes on, bits of clues begin to come together and a picture of both shootings becomes clear. Then the story goes off in a direction that I didn't see coming, it was interesting though I'm not sure if added much to the story, but it was interesting. Overall I would recommend and I look forward to the next in the series. Thanks to #Netgalley and #St Martins for the ARC.
August 21, 2023
This is the second book in Khan's new series about Detective Inaya Rahman. I enjoyed the first one, as well as Khan's previous work, so I was excited to read this one. In some ways I enjoyed this one more than the first one, as I felt like it was less heavy (even though this one deals with heavy subject matter- and Khan's previous series was even heavier) and moved a bit better, however this one tried to cover too much in my opinion. It went between multiple characters, with the end result being there wasn't much depth to it. In the first book we learned a lot about the main character- in this one, especially as the book went on, it felt like we barely spent more time with her than than the multiple side characters the book focused on.
Also as a result I thought the plots of the cases got a bit lost at times- both were interesting and ended in interesting ways but with trying to further 2 cases plus various personal plots of side characters it was hard to really delve into much detail. Characters were distracted and didn't pick up on/follow fairly obvious investigation tracts, or would just take things at face value that seemed obvious to question.
I would definitely be more interested in future books going to primarily if not exclusively from the point of the main character, and the development of her relationships with various side characters told from her point of view.
All in all though this was an interesting/worthwhile/enjoyable addition to the series and I'm definitely interested to see what happens next, especially in the development of the relationship between two of the characters.
Note- I received a digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review
Also as a result I thought the plots of the cases got a bit lost at times- both were interesting and ended in interesting ways but with trying to further 2 cases plus various personal plots of side characters it was hard to really delve into much detail. Characters were distracted and didn't pick up on/follow fairly obvious investigation tracts, or would just take things at face value that seemed obvious to question.
I would definitely be more interested in future books going to primarily if not exclusively from the point of the main character, and the development of her relationships with various side characters told from her point of view.
All in all though this was an interesting/worthwhile/enjoyable addition to the series and I'm definitely interested to see what happens next, especially in the development of the relationship between two of the characters.
Note- I received a digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review
January 7, 2024
Compelling with multiple families experiencing turmoil, loss and grief. As two police shootings of young men of color occur in close proximity of time the investigations run down multiple channels to find Justice for the victims and to attempt to be explained though hard to make sense of such tragic losses. Inaya is a strong resourceful character and makes this series top notch with her perspectives and insights. NetGalley had provided an advanced readers copy of this novel before publication. I ended up listening to the stellar audio later.
January 19, 2024
A heavy mystery surrounding 2 officer involved shootings in the Denver area. I appreciated the diversity of the characters but found that the book just tries to cover too much, and was too heavy-handed, for me. There were too many major characters for me to find a connection with any of them. Also, there was so much focus on the social justice issues and the personal lives of the characters, that the crimes seemed to take second place.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a free e-ARC of this book.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a free e-ARC of this book.
December 15, 2023
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC.
The second of the series featuring Detective Inaya Rahman, who has faced her own racist attacks, is shocked when a police officer apparently shoots a kid who is creating art with spray paint.
The cop apparently thought he saw a gun in the kid's hand.
A complex and engaging mystery, ride with weighty issues (a good read,)!
The second of the series featuring Detective Inaya Rahman, who has faced her own racist attacks, is shocked when a police officer apparently shoots a kid who is creating art with spray paint.
The cop apparently thought he saw a gun in the kid's hand.
A complex and engaging mystery, ride with weighty issues (a good read,)!
February 28, 2024
I read that police procedural is not so accurate in this book but being that I don’t know police procedural I won’t complain. In fact it is a timely tale of white supremacy and crooked cops (maybe).
Khan never disappoints.
Khan never disappoints.
November 11, 2023
Five reasons to read Blood Betrayal by Ausma Zehanat Khan
https://www.novellives.com/2023/11/11...
https://www.novellives.com/2023/11/11...
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