Among the Ruins

 By: Ausma Zehanat Khan

Location: FIC KHA

Genre: Thriller, Political Intrigue, Mystery

This author is the real deal

Ausma 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

On leave from Canada's Community Policing department, Esa Khattak is travelling in Iran, reconnecting with his cultural heritage and seeking peace in the country's beautiful mosques and gardens. But Khattak's supposed break from work is cut short when he's approached by a Canadian government agent in Iran, asking him to look into the death of renowned Canadian-Iranian filmmaker Zahra Sobhani. Zahra was murdered at Iran's notorious Evin prison, where she'd been seeking the release of a well-known political prisoner. Khattak quickly finds himself embroiled in Iran's tumultuous politics and under surveillance by the regime, but when the trail leads back to Zahra's family in Canada, Khattak calls on his partner, Detective Rachel Getty, for help. Rachel uncovers a conspiracy linked to the Shah of Iran and the decades-old murders of a group of Iran's most famous dissidents. As Khattak gets caught up in the fate of Iran's political prisoners, Rachel sees through to the heart of the matter: Zahra's murder may not have been a political crime at all.

Review by Sue

Esa Khattak is in Iran, on a personal trip, a vacation of sorts, visiting historical and religious sites important to him and his Muslim heritage. He entered the country not as the Canadian policeman he is but as a more acceptable, to the Iranian government, Pakistani, the country of his parents. Now he is in the midst of unanticipated problems, dealing with a repressive state, the apparent murder of a Canadian woman from Iran, and mysteries dating back to the last Shah.

This is a fascinating series, dealing as it does with the daily intersection of a Muslim citizen and policeman in Canada with all of the fraught emotions and incidents of these times. In this, the third novel of the series, there is even more interesting detail on hand as Khattak takes what is essentially for him a pilgrimage to Iran to see holy and famous sites. That this trip turns into something very different is part of today's world of suspicion, hate, fear, power, torture, and misplaced trusts. As in the previous books, Rachel Getty also figures prominently in this episode. This pair is a good one--very different and well matched, each respecting the skills of the other.

I am looking forward to Khan's next entry in the series, whenever it comes. She provides a good story, with history that is new to me, details of Muslim life and beliefs that are also new to me. And all within a mystery that she works out in a believable fashion. (Though all mystery series seem to demonstrate remarkable amounts of luck, Esa and Rachel also demonstrate physical and mental agility.)

Definitely recommended, along with the rest of the series.