Almost Surely Dead exceeded my expectations with a fun and thrilling read.

Dunia Ahmed has lived an ordinary life until it all changed and she finds herself in hiding and the center of a crime podcast. She has worked as a pharmacist in New York and trying to get over a failed engagement and then someone tries to kill her. From there, her life spirals into a crazy turn of events that will keep her running and those around her in danger.

I was intrigued by this one and when I picked it up, I wasn’t sure how it would end up but found myself pleasantly surprised by the twists and turns. The way the author played out the way Dunia found herself in danger and why was so well done, I found myself turning the pages faster and faster to see what was going to be the outcome. The different sections of interviews with those close to Dunia made the story much more interesting and entertaining. This was a full-on psychological thriller and readers that want a fun read that will keep them on the edge of their seat will not want to miss this one.

I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

Loved Akhtar's previous novel KISMET, and this one just as much in particular for the cultural folklore. Delighted to include this title in the February edition of Novel Encounters, my column highlighting the month’s most anticipated fiction for the Books section of Zoomer, Canada’s national culture magazine. (see column and mini-review at link)

Amina Akhtar's Almost Surely Dead begins with a spine-chilling subway attack that marked the beginning of the events leading to Dunia Ahmed, a New York pharmacist's disappearance. A year later, two true crime podcasters, intrigued by the events, have chosen her as the subject of their 'Find Dunia' podcast.

Narrated from various perspectives, this gripping story introduces us to Dunia's childhood, accounts from those close to her, and the events leading to Dunia's disappearance - the latter narrated by Dunia herself.

Dunia's mental struggles, portrayed with poignant detail, add a layer of complexity to the plot. Little Dunia's fear of becoming the next 'family pagal' becomes a young, helpless child's cry for help.

Amina Akhtar exhibits masterful storytelling, seamlessly intertwining emotional depth and mystique in this gripping thriller.

This desi girl highly recommends Almost Surely Dead - a thriller that is part mystical and part mysterious, with a generous dose of desi tadka.

If I were to sum up this book in one word, it would be 'goosebumps.' Let me say that again, this time in Hindi - romte khade hogaye!

My only question to Mindy and Amina is, when can I expect Almost Surely Dead to be adapted into a TV series? This captivating desi-Amrikan story has truly won my heart, and I'm eager to see it come to life on the big screen

This was way more spooky than I anticipated and I loved it. I loved the use of past narratives and podcast scripts to tell the story. Creepy and thrilling story kept me up past my bedtime reading.

Dunia Ahmed, like many other single New Yorkers her age, looks forward every morning to the mild flirtation she has going on with a cute guy who happens to take the same subway line as she does into work. Mostly they just smile hello at each other, so the last thing she expects is for him to suddenly grab her one day and try to throw her under the wheels of an oncoming train. When his efforts are stopped due to the intervention of bystanders, he flings himself under the train instead.

Dunia is shaken to her core. Her interactions with her would-be murderer were always positive up till that morning, and had been a small spark of happiness after the death of her mother and her subsequent breakup with her fiance. The NYPD, with Detective Alvarez heading her case, takes the incident seriously, and finds that the dead man had an even greater interest in her than she’d ever imagined.

Having a stalker would be bad enough, but when more attempts are made on her life, both Dunia and the NYPD are on high alert for the possibility of something even worse. Who would possibly want to harm a mild-mannered pharmacist like herself? When Dunia subsequently disappears, her case captures the public imagination, with a hit podcast leading the charge in asking questions of the people involved:

QUOTE
DANIELLE MCGUIRE: Did you think anything about her background was a factor here?

DETECTIVE ALVAREZ: Her background?

AMANDA ROBERTS: Dunia was Muslim, correct? Was there any investigation into that part of her life?

DETECTIVE ALVAREZ: Her religion wasn’t relevant to the case.

DANIELLE MCGUIRE: But she had some beliefs in the supernatural that some people have suggested explain things, or at least her behavior.

DETECTIVE ALVAREZ: I investigate people, crimes, not ghost stories.
END QUOTE

While the good detective focuses on facts, Dunia herself – prior to her disappearance – can’t help but wonder whether the childhood legends that her father had happily relayed to her, despite her mother’s disapproval, were more than just fiction. Dunia has long been disconnected from her cultural background, but the inexplicable visions that have been accompanying the attempts on her life hearken back to some of her father’s bedtime stories. When she gets the opportunity to learn more from a family friend, she’s initially relieved… until she discovers the extent to which so many of the people she’s trusted have been lying to her about almost everything.

An excellent blend of new media crime thriller with paranormal elements based on Pakistani-Muslim cultural beliefs, Almost Surely Dead cleverly skewers so much of modern American life. Amina Akhtar vividly details many of the inescapable exasperations of contemporary living, from disingenuously rapacious podcasters to the unending complexities of modern romance. Dunia’s frustrations with work and her love life and just trying to survive in the 21st century feel very relatable, even as the frissons of horror – from both mundane criminals and the supernatural – elevate her story to another level of sophisticated entertainment.

But it was Dunia’s fraught relationship with her deceased mother that really spoke to me, as she candidly narrates of their difficult past:

QUOTE
[O]nce I got engaged, it was as if I had become her perfect child. She started doting on me in ways she never had before. Wanting to FaceTime with me and help me pick out shaadi clothes. This all sent me into fits of panic. I think I preferred being ignored. I knew how to navigate that.

I can’t say I missed my mom. Not exactly. I loved her, of course, But I couldn’t tell you if she felt the same. It was complicated. She loved [my sister] Nadia, though. So at least I witnessed her being an amazing mother to someone. Me? I was the leftover, the forgotten. I was the child who should have had the grace to die along with my father.
END QUOTE

I loved Ms Akhtar’s previous novel, Kismet, and continue to be impressed by her depictions of American women of Muslim descent doing their best to juggle the many demands placed on us by family and society. She continues to masterfully blend chillingly realistic tales of criminal mischief with just the right amount of the otherworldly, making for absorbing, highly entertaining stories that are nearly impossible to put down.

I was riveted to this story for so many reasons! I loved all the South Asian references, which always makes a book feel like home to me. The twists and turns kept me guessing. I wasn't sure who to trust, Dunia included. I loved the folklore/occult elements and how they gave me chills in the best way. I’ve never read a story quite like this before, blending modern and ancient to form the perfect what-the-heck-is-going-on-here mystery. Fantastic job!

I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The author personally provided me with this ARC through Instagram, and I'm very thankful. Akhtar has a sense of sarcasm in her writing that I very much enjoy.

Almost Surely Dead starts off with a bang. Dunia Ahmed is a single 30-something single woman living in NYC as a pharmacist, and she's been riding the subway for years. She noticed a man she referred to as her subway boyfriend, who is a guy sketching in a notepad as she commutes home from work. One day, as she's getting off at her stop, he grabs her very hard and pushes her toward the tracks. Dunia manages to scream and passersby save her life. In absolute shock, the man leaps in front of the oncoming train. The detective who investigates the crime Alvarez discovers there was a payment to his account before he died and a mysterious girlfriend named B.

Dunia tries to go back to some semblance of a normal life, but she's too afraid to get on the subway again. Her best friend introduces her to Liz Small, one of the investors in her makeup and beauty line. She has an ex stalking her, her sister's husband's cousin is interested in her, and she's haunted by a jinn. We get flashbacks to Dunia as a 5 year old. There's a lot of trauma and PTSD. Somehow, though, Dunia survives the attacks on her life, but it gets more bizarre and escalates. There was something I predicted early on, but it didn't hinder my enjoyment of the book.

I enjoyed the paranormal folklore part of the mystery because it doesn't take over what actually happens in real life. There are also chapters with these 2 women doing a podcast about Dunia. I don't want to say too much, but I enjoyed the format.

TW for loss of a parent, PTSD and trauma from attempted murders, the supernatural/haunting. 4/5 stars, release date 2/1/24.

Almost Surely Dead opens up with a terrifying scene, and the eerie vibes continue throughout the rest of the book.

Dunia Ahmed has been missing for more than a year, but in the months before her disappearance, she lived a very ordinary life as a pharmacist in her thirties, until someone tried to murder her. Paranoid and trying to find answers to her attack, Dunia's life gets more complicated when multiple other attempts on her life occur.

Told in alternating perspectives between Dunia before her disappearance and a true crime podcast airing after her disappearance, what happened to Dunia comes into focus amidst stories of jinns and the folklore of Dunia's upbringing.

This book is absolutely unputdownable, and encapsulates Amina's snarky satirical voice within a creepy story that contains elements of ghostly mysticism and true crime.

Add this to your list!!

note: this review appears in several daily newspapapers and magazines Alabama, Mississippi, North Carolina, et al
23 for the end of ’23 (with a nip at ’24)

By Tom Mayer

By the end of 2023 there will have been about 1 million new books published this year alone, the vast majority by authors we’ve never heard of and never will. The big names — King, Grisham, Hoover, even Pilkey with “Dog Man’s” loyal legion — grab the bulk of the attention … and why not? Dependable storylines, top-notch editing and deep discounts make for predictably good-reading weekends.

But what about the others similarly worthy of recognition and, more importantly, a place in your online cart? While I can’t diligently discuss the other 999,997 books that could paper your winter evenings, I can offer 23 for ’23 … with a bit of a cheat. First, this isn’t a “best-of 2023,” and the books I’ve reviewed throughout the year won’t be found here. Second, there are a couple of headline-catching names in the list because of their late publication date. And third, since it’s the end of the year, I’m going to reveal a few titles that you’ll want to mull over now, but won’t be available until the turn of the new year. Oh, and fourth, I’m going to end with a few older titles by a couple of literary giants that one praiseworthy publishing house, Blackstone Publishing, has seen fit to resurrect.

But that’s it for the caveats. Your 23 for ’23, picked, plucked and promoted by our editors follows, and in no particular order, though that in itself does seem to be a bit of a caveat. The list …

In review (books available now)

1. “The Sandbox” (The Sandbox Series Book 1) (Blackstone Publishing) by Brian Andrews and Jeff Wilson originally debuted on July 25 as a techno-thriller that “redefines the meaning of murder in the 21st century” which, of course, is code for a story delving deep into the world of artificial intelligence. Because it’s from Andrews and Wilson, we’ll throw in the Pentagon, a Green Beret, a female protagonist homicide detective with a gift for reading people and a story that’ll have you reading into the night. Watch a video from the Navy vet-authors on the publisher’s website at https://www.blackstonepublishing.com/the-sandbox-ebvs.html#541=1900683.

2. “The Caretaker” (Doubleday) by Ron Rash. Simply, North Carolina Ron Rash’s work is not only worthy of a Pulitzer Prize, it would be a miscarriage of literary justice were he not to obtain that distinction before he puts down his pen for good. Case in point, 2023’s “The Caretaker,” a deceptively simple story set in 1951 Blowing Rock about a 16-year-old outcast, among others, who people this amazingly accurate, if fictional, place in the mountains of the Old North State.

3. “The Life and Times of Hanna Crafts” (Ecco) by Gregg Hemcimvich. There’s a reason this story was named a “most anticipated title” by myriad news outlets, the Associated Press, Lost Angeles Times and Washington Post among those. Like Rash’s novel, “The Life and Times of Hannah Crafts” is set in North Carolina, but here in 1857 and about a woman who escapes from a plantation. “The Bondwoman’s Narrative” was a success when published in 2002 by an unknown author. Professor Hemcimvich unravels the secret of that author’s identity more than a decade later.

4. “American Girl” (Blackstone Publishing) by Wendy Walker. In this well-drawn thriller, an autistic 17-year-old is involved in murder and small-town secrets that lead to a complexity of suspects and a dangerous denouement.

5. “Let Us Descend” (Scirbner) by Jesmyn Ward. An Oprah’s Book Club pick for 2023, the two-time National Book Winner Ward gifts us with a reimagining tale about American slavery and a journey from the rice fields of the Carolinas to the heart of a Louisiana sugar plantation.

6. “The Last Applicant” (Lake Union Publishing) by Rebecca Hanover. Hanover has won her own share of literary prizes and this contemporary novel about an admissions director of an exclusive Manhattan private school whose every boundary is tested by a woman determined to get her son into the city’s most prestigious class of … kindergarteners. Secrets not only abound, they unravel in this tautly told story.

7, 8. “The Aeronaut’s Windlass (The Cinder Spires) (Ace) by Jim Butcher is not a new book, but available again now in paperback to complement the next chapter of this steam-powered series with “The Olympian Affair (The Cinder Spires) (Ace). Excellent and magical world building is on display from this veteran author.

9. “Resurrection Walk” (Little, Brown and Company) by Michael Connelly. The author’s seventh Mickey Haller novel begins with Haller’s half-brother, Harry Bosch — himself the central character in a separate but connected Connelly series — acting as driver for The Lincoln Lawyer. Those who know both characters will not only find this … unusual … but downright disturbing. The surprises keep coming as Haller and Bosch take on the case of a woman on death row who was convicted of killing her husband, but just might be innocent.

10. “Good Girls Don’t Die” (Berkley) by Christina Henry. While I have a rule against reviewing dystopian literature, it was bent here because, one, Henry lulled me into the story that is only part dystopia and two, I really, really wanted to know how this story of total misdirection — where nothing is as it seems — would come out. Well done, Ms. Henry.

11. “Silent Calvary” (Crown) by Howell Raines. As if the pedigree of the author — Raines is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist — wasn’t enough, the subtitle would have brought me to this compellingly told, “submerged historical” tome: “How Union Soldiers from Alabama Helped Sherman Burn Atlanta — And Then Got Written Out of History.” A riveting tale about an unsung regiment of 2,066 Alabamian yeoman farmers includes one of those men from Raines’ own lineage.

To Reveal (books to consider now with selected reviews to come in 2024)

12. “Unbound” (Blackstone Publishing) by Christy Healy. A gender-bent reimagining of Beauty and the Beast with a double dose of Irish mythology and folklore. Destined to be a new classic.

13. “The Devil’s Daughter” (Blackstone Publishing) by Gordon Greisman. The author writes with screenwriter credentials in a tale that roams from vice-riddled Manhattan to tonier climes where lies and secrets cloud every aspect of a murder.

14. “Almost Surely Dead” (Mindy’s Book Studio) by Amina Akhtar. Part stalker, part ghost story, this fresh psychological thriller comes from the author of “Kismet” in a story about an extraordinarily ordinary life that turns from everyday life to a true crime podcast.

15. “The Chaos Agent” (Berkley) by Mark Greaney. Testing the Gray Man in this 13th installment of the series is the possibility of a tech company using artificial intelligence with real-world ambitions. Start here, or quickly tear through the first 12 books, because you’ve got a few weeks. “The Chaos Agent” (Gray Man 13) publishes in late February.

16. “The Lady in Glass and Other Stories” (Ace) by Anne Bishop. If you know anything at all about this master of fantasy, you know how privileged I was to get a glimpse of this collection of Bishop’s shorter works long before its Feb. 27, 2024, debut. Including two new stories written for the volume, and one with ties to earlier work, this book spans the author’s most cherished, fantastical worlds.

Vintage books with a fresh look

17-23. You might have noticed that several of the reviews in 1-16 skew heavily in favor of Blackstone Publishing. That’s for a good reason. Not only is Blackstone extremely selective in its literary repertoire, it produces extremely well-crafted hardcover books. Indeed, though I prefer e-books for reading, it is with this and a few other publishing houses (Lividian Publications is another example) that I suggest purchasing only the hard cover. To wit: the selected back works of two authors that Blackstone has given the royal treatment. All of the following books are beautifully bound with textured and foiled hard covers, homage jacket art and superior sewing. True treasures. Oh, and then there are the stories. …

… Including Don Winslow’s Neal Carey Mysteries. Blackstone began rolling out in August, books 1-5 of Winslow’s early works portraying a private eye filled with contradictions. Neal Carey hones his street smarts and owes his education to the Bank, an institution with a reputation for keeping its wealthy clients out of the messes they manage to work themselves into. A glimpse into this master writer’s early work is a perfect setup for what he has loudly hinted may be his last novel, and one set to publish in April. But more on that later in another review. All five of the Neal Carey books are available: “A Cool Breeze on the Underground,” “The Trail to Buddha’s Mirror,” “Way Down on the High Lonely,” “A Long Walk Up the Waterslide” and “While Drowning in the Desert.”

… Also including several stories from the late Michael Crichton (2008) writing as John Lange. Similarly and superiorly produced, Blackstone can claim the credit for reissuing these classic tales from the creator of “Jurassic Park” and “ER.” Beginning in July and running through early December, the publishing house released “Zero Cool,” “Easy Go,” “The Venom Business,” “Drug of Choice,” “Odds On” and “Scratch One” in a timely tribute to the author. A new introduction by Sherri Crichton enhances the offerings.

And for those of you keeping score, yes, with Crichton’s listings, my tally actually reaches 27, not 23. But since I was only able to get my hands on the five Winslow, but only two of the Crichton-Lange novels by press time, I’m sticking with 23. I told you I was going to cheat.

I rated this book a five for story. It's a truly original take on true crime satire mixed with supernatural elements set in New York City. It's unpredictable—with one exception, I never guessed the truth before it was revealed, which was refreshing. Definitely a page-turner filled with dark humor and insightful reflections on Pakistani culture.

Thank you NetGalley and Mindy’s Book Studio for the copy of Almost Surely Dead. I have been anxiously awaiting Amina Akhtar’s new book ever since I read her stunning book Kismet so I was excited to jump right in to this one. I was immediately drawn into Dunia’s story, from the attempt on her life to a podcast delving into her disappearance. The podcast was interesting and Amanda and Danielle are suitably exasperating. I loved learning about her childhood and the jinn stories her father told her, and as much as I loved her relationship with her father, I hated how she was treated by her mother. There is a captivating cast of characters and figuring out who the culprit was didn’t interfere in my enjoyment of the journey to seeing them unmasked. If you want a book you can’t put down with a mesmerizing story, don’t miss this one. Now the long wait for Akthar’s next book. I already can’t wait!