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, 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. 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 commend Khan on her strong female characters and their bonds, especially the growing trio of friendship between Inaya, Areesha, and Cat. It’s important to represent successful women who support each other and don’t need to compete and to demonstrate strong minority women in positions of prestige and authority, and Khan does that so well.
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.

Excellent book! A "ripped from the headlines" plot keeps you engaged and wanting more. Such an important topic!

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review!

This novel surprised me. The premise was a common police procedural but the outcome was a more complicated and well drawn resolution. Putting opposing cultural and ethnic biases to the forefront enhanced the entire structure of the book. Rarely do you read about religious Muslim women who reach high levels in police hierarchies. The tension of solving murders renders any murder inquiry a difficult task. This suspenseful book managed it brilliantly while balancing prejudices about women in general as well as homosexual themes. Well done.

This is a deep complicated book, two young men of color have been killed by the police. Were they targeted for racial reasons or was it something else, wrong place, wrong time. One of the cops is a good cop, a clean cop. The other cop is the son of the man who assaulted Inaya for her racial and cultural identity. This is a book of families and the conflicts there, this is a book of communities and cultures and racism and understanding each other and our troubled histories. At times, the book got too complicated and hard to keep the two main cases straight as there were so many storylines going on, so maybe at times a bit too ambitious. Overall a moving story 4.5

Blood Betrayal is the second installment in the Blackwater Falls series, and Ausma Zehanat Khan doesn't disappoint. All the key players from the first book are here and Khan expands on the relationships between the characters and reveals more of their backstories. Like the first book, the plot also involves contemporary issues of race tensions between communities and the police force. There are two separate shootings, an unarmed Black man and unarmed Hispanic man. Khan treats these sensitive issues with respect and really digs deep into the complex issues. The dialogue feels true, and the relationships feel genuine. I really look forward to reading more in the series and anxiously await the next book. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books for the ARC.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the copy of Blood Betrayal by Ausma Zehanat Khan. Wow, what a book! It was great revisiting the characters we met in Blackwater Falls and seeing more about their relationships. I really loved how much emotion Khan added to the story. There’s nothing better than characters that show real human emotions! The story is complex, but the great writing makes it easy to follow. The book releases in November, so you still have time to read Blackwater Falls and then pre order this book. You won’t be disappointed!

I enjoyed the first book in this new series and was thrilled to be given a chance to read book number two set in Blackwater Falls, Colorado. All of the well-developed characters from the first book are back. This time they are faced with two, seemingly unrelated, shootings by police officers. The Blackwater Falls death is a young Black artist whose spray paint can is mistaken for a gun. The Denver shooting kills a Latinix youth who was near a drug bust--was it a case of wrong place, wrong time or something else?

Detective Inaya Rahman and Lieutanant Waqas Seif team up with Detectives Catalina Hernandez and Jaime Webb again. They can find no irregularities connected to the shooting by the veteran patrolling police officer who is close to retirement other than mistaking the paint can for a gun.

Even though the Denver case is not within the jurisdiction of the Blackwater Police Department, the officers get involved. Detective Rahman is shocked when her nemesis from the Chicago Police Department contacts her and asks for her help. It seems his son is now a police officer in Denver and is accused of shooting the unarmed Latinix youth.

The cases are complex and, again, shine the uncomfortable light on race relations both professional, cultural and personal. This second book is just as strong as the first. Ausma Zehanat Khan has another winning series. May it be long and continually satisfying!

Thanks to NetGalley and the marketing team at Minotaur Books for my e-galley.

In the second of the Blackwater Falls mysteries, Ausma Zehanat Khan's police unit that is authorized to investigate crimes that are targeted at minority communities who otherwise have little faith in policing is busy with two cases: the police shooting of a Black street artist in Blackwater Falls, apparently an honest if tragic mistake, and the death of a Latino man shot during a drug raid in Denver attributed to a police officer who refuses to speak. In that case, Inaya Rahman is approached by her old nemesis, a Chicago police officer who, when .she worked there and tried to expose a criminally brutal cop, had ripped off her hijab and beat her up, leading to her resignation. His son is refusing to defend himself or explain what happened and, in exchange for her help finding out what happened, he will provide a video that will prove her old accusation and will take a bad cop off the streets. As they pursue both cases, we also learn more about the members of the team, and the troubled attraction between Inaya and her superior officer, a non-religious Muslim, introduced in the first book, develops further. Before it's all over, Inaya's father and his past in Afghanistan come into play, as well.

Given how involved these cases are, the author does a good job of keeping the threads clear and advancing the plot. There are precious few mysteries featuring a devout Muslim heroine, and the way Zehanat Khan weaves Inaya's background into the story is effective and thought-provoking. I myself am not a fan of romance in mysteries, but it worked well here as it was braided into the characters' development (and their family histories). I enjoyed it much more than the first volume, which I also found compelling.

A few tiny quibbles: I've never understood the way a Denver police unit could have jurisdiction in a neighboring town, or why the neighboring town is run by a sheriff (since, at least in my experience, towns have their own police organizations, and sheriffs run the jails and take care of unincorporated areas), The idea of "transferring" from the CPD to the Denver police jarred every time it was mentioned, since transfers occur within an organization - if you leave one, you can be hired in another, but it's not a transfer. More significantly, I'm sorry to say I find it very unlikely any American police organization would have a unit that operates as this one does, so firmly on the side of people who are failed by the rest of the department. But I guess it's nice to imagine it could happen.

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

Detective Inaya Rahman is contacted by John Broda, the officer responsible for her leaving the Chicago police force. He needs her help in clearing his son, a Denver officer under investigation for shooting a Latino man during a drug raid. She and her colleagues of the Community Response Unit are also investigating the shooting of a black street artist by a Denver officer with a clean record. Tensions are high in the community and the investigations will greatly impact the team as secrets are revealed.
An engrossing read.
#BloodBetrayal #NetGalley

Another winner by Ausma Zehanat Khan. Looking at a mystery from a minority viewpoint, is, as always, enlightening.

Wow! I devoured this book and couldn't put it down. Picking up from the previous book (Blackwater Falls), Khan follows the story of three different women who are united in their fight for justice. Detective Inaya Rahman and her colleagues in the Community Response Unit are tasked with investigating two cop-related shootings--one of a young gay Latino and the other of a black street artist. This book is powerfully written and provides a unique perspective on privilege and stereotypes. Can't wait for the next in the series!

Thanks to St. Martin's Press for access to a digital ARC on NetGalley.