The Khan by Saima Mir, a book that I connected with as soon as I read the synopsis and saw the cover. In fact a book that I connected with on more than one level. It is an excellently written family underworld crime thriller and Saima Mir's debut novel.
Jia Khan is a successful London lawyer and as far removed from her upbringing on the grubby Northern streets as she could be. Her father Akbar Khan led the Pakistani community and ran the local organised crime syndicate and still to this day does. His Jirga rule is the old way of running things, violent and brutal but as the saying goes "An eye for an eye".
Jia goes back to her family home and memories are resurfaced. She is a Khan and her father's daughter in more ways than she knows. A tragedy occurs that leaves Jia needing to make decisions, ones that impact on everybody and her as well. She is about to discover that justice does come at a cost.
I almost have no words for this book. It is a deep, multi-layered story that explores every facet of being a part of the underworld. Family, betrayal, love, loss, power and money. Saima Mir has created characters that feel touchable, everything about them feels like it could be happening to you. I loved Jia, she is determined to step up, no matter what the consequences. She is such a strong woman who is one of them people who could look devil in the eye and say "Try me".
This story felt like it was something could happen in my hometown, Oldham, but a stones throw from the Yorkshire city that The Khan is set in. Even the fact that fireworks are set of as a new shipment of drugs arrive...I sat thinking...no wonder I always hear fireworks! We have had our problems with rascism, do much we are almost famous for it. I can't even really put it into words how this book really made me feel. Just know I understood every little thread Saima created. It is a sad, heartbreaking story from one angle but look at it another way and it is about strength, community and family. A book that still has me thinking now...and I finished it weeks ago. A book that I say, read it, ponder it and learn from it.
Thank you so much to Anne Cater of Random Things Tours, Point Blank, NetGalley and Saima Mir for the copy of the book.

This is such a powerful and mesmerising novel. It is one of my best crime reads of 2021. It is dark and intense and addresses themes of family loyalties, justice, corruption, crime, race, power and the role of women in a patriarchal society. The plotting is excellent and very well written.

The main character, Jai, a successful lawyer has returned to her home city for her sister's wedding. While she is there, her crime lord father, known as The Khan, is murdered. This leaves a gap at the top of the criminal hierarchy. Is Jai strong enough to take his place and prevent violence and gang warfare breaking out?

Jai is a tremendous character, she is smart, cold and calculating. She has her own demons to fight alongside those within her family. The supporting characters, including her ex-husband, Elyas and the son she has never seen, Ahad, are really well drawn.

The vivid sense of place and culture created are entirely believable and authentic. The atmosphere hums with tension and menace. The ending is rather stunning.

This is a riveting and thought provoking read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Oneworld Publications for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have read much about this author and was certainly impressed by her writing abilities. This is a story that engages wholly and takes us into the intimate links between culture, community and the family.
The plot is good and the characters engage fully with the reader.
A new slant on a thriller that crosses the British/Asian communities in the north. A writer to watch!

My thanks to the Author publishers and NetGalley for providing me with a Kindle version of this book to read and honestly review.
This is clever descriptive and entertaining tale of an extra ordinary every day organised crime gang, Pakistani style for Michael Corleone see Jia Khan high flying lady Lawyer possibly soon to be a judge. Set in Bradford an atmospheric riveting story of corruption power race and violence, but also of family love loss and sadness. Not a lot of laughs but gripping and enjoyable for all that.
Recommended.

I wish I loved this book more than I did, I think I was expecting something different and I just could not engage with the main characters, she's very self centered and hard to like. The idea for this book was brilliant I just don't think it was ready to be delivered just yet as at times I was confused

I'm sorry but this book wasn't for me I was really looking forward to reading it but I found it confusing I did persevere to the end but I wouldn't recommend it

This story is about a family that ruled parts of Pakistan, mostly illegally, and is most absorbing and leads me to want to turn page after page. After the father of this dynasty is killed, the daughter, who led a moral and legal life in law, has to take over the family business. Will she stay loyal to her morals or the family methods? The challenges remain throughout this novel.

Then there’s the police; will the new family leader help the police from time to time or are they going to be left to their own practices?

The writer brings a marvelous writing skillset where the characters are well rounded and it’s difficult for the reader to choose between those that are good and those who step over the legal battle lines.

I received a free copy of this book and that hasn’t changed my review. I learned a lot about the ways of life in a country I know little about. This is a writer, Saima Mir, that I will follow in the future.

I liked the character; Jai; let’s hope she gets more stories in the future.

In Saima Mir's 'The Khan', Jia, a successful London barrister, must return home upon the death of her father to take on the running of his criminal empire, and bring a rival ganglord to justice.

Well.... a really wonderful premise for a book, I thought. A mafia- style story, modernised to a British Asian setting, playing out on the mean streets of Bradford! Contrary to initial expectations, this is not modern literary fiction, but more airport blockbuster in style, with sex, drugs, violence and a whole extended family of characters.

However, what you want from an airport blockbuster novel is a fast-moving, gripping narrative. If you get this, you can generally overlook any ridiculously far-fetched plot twists or paper-thin characters. Unfortunately The Khan has the insanely one-dimensional characters and the ridiculous plot twists, but is not in any way fast-moving or gripping. The plot meanders all over the place, new characters appear and disappear, key moments lack build up and fall flat and there is no sustained momentum to the novel at all. I really had to pull myself through it. It's really a shame as the premise is terrific and it's so necessary to see more varied British life experiences depicted in British novels. Unfortunately this needed to be much more tightly plotted and rather drastically edited, to unearth its potential.

This book sounded so great and the premise was so interesting but unfortunately it just didn't work for me. I'm not sure if it was the writing style or that it was quite confusing at the beginning but I struggled to get into it. Though it does discuss some relevant issues in the book which I appreciated.

Thanks to NetGalley and The Publisher for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Khan tells the story of Jia Khan's takeover of her father's criminal empire after his untimely murder. A mix of gangster thriller and family saga, with a large dose of commentary on White Privilege, poverty and the justice system. I really like both the geographical and cultural settings which swayed away from the common stereotypes. I also liked that Jia was a complex female character in a male dominated world.

While I enjoyed the action, the pacing was a little off for me, sometimes fast and rushing from one time point to another and at others slow with lots of reflection and flashbacks to the past, with almost too much revelled in one book. However, I am intrigued to see if and how this develops as a series.

A stunning debut by Saima Mir, The Khan follows the rise of Jia Khan as head of Bradford’s Pakistani criminal underworld after her father, the previous Khan, is brutally murdered.

The Khan is written in a no nonsense style that sucks you into a world of contradictions. A lifestyle managing an empire built on drugs and prostitution, alongside a culture valuing family, faith and fealty. At first glance these worlds can’t coexist but the more you read the more they collide.

The Khan twists and turns until the final big reveal which was a proper shocker. Highly recommended, gripping and addictive.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book didn't quite hit the right beats for me. I was very intrigued by the premise, and was hoping for a mystery thriller with a woman in a position traditionally held by men in these kind of stories. But it doesn't end up being that. There's not much focus on the mystery aspect, or much focus on how Jia came to rule the crime syndicate in her father's place. We get a scene where she confronts her father's men, and then we skip ahead two months without seeing any of the smaller steps in between. I didn't get the high stakes I was expecting either, but I did appreciate the ending.

Ultimately I think the book was trying to do too much, which didn't leave enough room for a cohesive narrative. There are transitions to unimportant characters so we can see one thing happen before we quickly switch to someone else's point of view. The plotline related to Jia and Elyas and what happened between them is dragged out needlessly. I also had a difficult time suspending my disbelief. Jia has been a lawyer for years, but for all that and for all her critique of her father, she finds it surprisingly easy to start ignoring the law and take matters into her own hands. The same can be said for Elyas--as a reporter, I would've expected him to have more scruples about a crime syndicate. But decisions are made and nobody freaks out about it. I can't speak about whether the premise is or isn't realistic, but these two elements definitely dragged me out of the story at times.

The Khan by Saima Mir is a stylish, clever Yorkshire-based, Asian mafia-style story with a fearsome female character at its centre. When Jia finally returns home for a family wedding after 15 years away building a successful career as a lawyer in London, her life is changed by the events that occur after the wedding.

The preservation of community and respect for tradition and culture are firmly at the centre of this story as well as the struggle for minority groups to be treated fairly in Britain. The community spirit that Jia's father Akbar Khan fostered offset the crimes that had to be committed to ensure survival of his people. Jia has to find a new way to prove her commitment to the community in the face of intimidation by a new and ruthless criminal gang.

The Khan is wonderfully entertaining;, witty in parts, the characters are stylish, the plot is clever. The struggles of the female character and the minority communities are however valid reflections of society that need to be addressed

I am not ashamed to admit that I actually loved this book. In many ways I see it as a revamp of a younger, less experienced Martina Cole.

I love how Mir new her landscape and was able to describe a character's movements across the city. I love the good girl gone semi-rogue goes semi-goos idea and the plotting behind the scenes. And I really enjoyed all the twists and curve-balls.

From previous reviews I was worried about there possibly being too much cultural reference. I didn't want to spend more time researching than reading. However, having grown up in a capital city amongst a large Muslim community I was aware of some of the terms. I also found the references are fairly well explained; woven into the story.

This is a story for lovers of criminal families and drama, fights to shake off oppression and the quest for power.

2021's next big novel in the making. 5/5

Though I had some initial trepidation on what to expect from this novel, I eventually found it to be an incredibly refreshing and diverse addition to the thriller/crime genre. It being set within the confines of a Pakistani community in a Northern English town (Bradford) provides an interesting backdrop for the exploration of each character’s unwavering relationship to their native culture and Pashtun roots, which is frequently juxtaposed against their British identity. I also loved the seamless inclusion of Pashto/Punjabi words and phrases, which made for a more naturally-flowing and engaging writing style. At no point was I completely bored of the plot, as the author does a great job of maintaining curiosity with several minor and major plot twists.

Also interesting was the commentary on patriarchal values in both Pashtun culture and British society, and the perception of women in circles dominated by men. Jia, the main character, acts as a vehicle for criticising this, and her layers are constantly peeled back to reveal a deeply complex and multidimensional persona. This aspect of the novel, the nuanced portrayal of women characters and motherhood, was one of my most favourite parts of the book. And though I found Jia to be quite unlikeable, this wasn’t to the detriment of the overall book at all, and in fact, her cold and steely personality blend quite well with the premise of the book. I would love to read a sequel in this regard, to see her personality explored more extensively. It was also very intriguing to read a book that attempts to combine a family’s Muslim values with running a crime syndicate, and though I disagreed with some of the character’s views and justifications in this respect, the book did provide an opportunity to reflect on the need for community initiatives in societies where laws and justice systems tend to be exclusive.

The Khan had elements of the Scottish Play about it. Compelling reading for certain. I don't know how Akbar Khan viewed himself, for some he was a modern day Robin Hood, for others the source of their demise in to drug addiction. Certainly he was committed to the family in all its ways and being its head he was judge and jury over all. When he was murdered there was a gap to fill and nature abhors a vacuum so Jia, his daughter, steps up to the plate. Not an easy task when the wider family were expecting a man to do it.
Jia however, is more than a match for any man and this is where the story either gets beyond my comprehension or beyond plausible. Jia seems to have two sides to her, two personalities in fact. Hard as nails and scheming or mourning the loss of her son's formative years. You can't have it both ways, especially when you actively tried to kill him and postpartum depression didn't appear to be the reason. Whilst she may have tried to offload her guilt on to her father, sanctioning his execution wasn't a very daughterly thing to do. I don't believe Karzai would have betrayed his Khan in favour of his untested daughter either. Benyamin's injuries would have been life changing after being driven over but all he's left with is a small scar. No, at the end there are more questions than answers and I shall have to drop one star from what would otherwise have been a perfect five. A brilliant debut novel nonetheless.

I really wanted to like this book.
It certainly has every ingredient of a great thriller and the plot is excellent. Well thought out and intelligently written.
My only problem with this is that it does contain quite a number of new words to me (which I am happy to research etc) but without any explanation at all, it does make the novel a little exclusive and with all the looking up, a bit stilted for me.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for this ARC.

Wow, I thought this was a very compelling and atmospheric read. Jia returns to her family home after her father is murdered to take her place as head of the family business. I found Jia to be quite unlikeable as the main character, I thought she was cold, unfeeling and lacking in emotion. As a gangland thriller the book has threads of corruption, power, revenge, race, love, family loyalties, lies, deceit, violence and drugs. I loved the authors writing style and thought the book flowed really well. It was a very engaging read and one which captured and held my attention all the way through. Overall, this is a very well written and thought provoking book which I would recommend.

Phew – I wasn’t expecting that! It was the cover that first drew my attention to this book, and the story inside was just as good. Akbar Khan, known as The Khan, is the head of a powerful crime family. Respected and cherished by his Pakistani community, he leads with great resolve. His daughter, Jai, has been estranged from the family for 15 years and is a successful defence barrister in London. She returns home for her sister’s wedding and, when her father is killed, decides to return to her roots and take over the organisation. This is a story of power, corruption, love and betrayal – and it was spellbinding and thought-provoking throughout. Very well written and fast-paced, the book drew me in from the first page and I was absorbed right to the ‘shocking’ end. I learned a lot about Muslim traditions and rituals, and I absolutely loved Jai Khan. I hope this is the first of a series, and would love to see it on TV. Wow, wow, wow – brilliant!

I have never been disappointed by a Point Blank novel and The Khan has just raised the game. How will you top this?!? Okay, let's talk about the book, without spoilers though because this novel needs to be experienced organically. I love every about the book, the pace of a thriller can make or break it and I appreciated Mir's restraint in gradually unraveling the story, piece by piece. It kept me at the edge of my bed and every time I dropped the book, my mind would stay with it. I enjoyed it so much and can't wait for everybody to read this.