Blood Betrayal continues the series about Detective Inaya Rahman, a Community Response officer in the Denver police department. Inaya is Muslim, a child of immigrant parents, who can relate to the many different religious and ethnic communities she serves. The series is excellent and eye-opening. Khan doesn't pull any punches with her descriptions of prejudice and the violence it generates. I especially like the growing friendship between Inaya, Cat and Areesha.

In "Blood Betrayal," Ausma Zehanat Khan delves into a complex and timely mystery set in Blackwater Falls, Colorado. The novel revolves around the aftermath of two fatal incidents involving police shootings. Veteran police officer Harry Cooper's actions during a confrontation with local vandals lead to the death of Duante Reed, a young Black man mistakenly perceived as a threat. Simultaneously, a drug raid in nearby Denver results in the death of Latino teen Mateo Ruiz.

Detective Inaya Rahman, intimately acquainted with the name of the officer involved in Mateo's death, Kelly Broda, finds herself unexpectedly approached by John Broda, Kelly's father. Having suffered a violent attack at the hands of John years ago in Denver, Inaya is torn between personal history and professional duty as John pleads for help in proving his son's innocence.

As the narrative unfolds, Khan explores themes of racial tension, police misconduct, and the quest for justice. The author confronts societal prejudices and forces the characters, especially Inaya, to reckon with their own biases. The novel raises poignant questions about the necessity of lethal force, portraying conflicting perspectives on the victims, who are perceived either as innocent or potentially dangerous.

However, the ambitious inclusion of numerous minority issues and characters might overwhelm some readers, diluting the focus on the central mystery. The extensive cast contributes to confusion, making it challenging to connect with the storyline. While Khan tackles important and relevant themes, the intricate web of subplots and characters may detract from the overall cohesiveness of the mystery.

For readers seeking a more streamlined and immersive mystery experience, "Blood Betrayal" may fall short of expectations.

Ausma Zehanat Khan returns with a diverse and timely police procedural in her Blackwater Falls series. Detective Inaya Rahman is again at the center of mystery and corruption by those in power. Two teens of color are dead and Inaya is embroiled in solving their deaths.
The Blackwater Falls series is great for lovers of police procedural, but tired of the same copaganda stories. In Khan’s novels police issues are evident, there is corruption, and communities whose first response is not to involve police.

Khan tells timely stories, with rich plots, and characters you want to see succeed and survive.

I really like this series; it's timely, gritty and page-turning. I can't wait to see what else this author has in store.

After reading the audio version of "Blackwater Falls," I couldn't wait for the next book in the series. And, I was not disappointed. This sequel has the same winning combination of police drama, personal conflicts, and cultural issues that the first book had. Definitely read them in order. We learn a little more about the backgrounds of some of the main characters and see relationships evolve. The addition of cultural differences makes one really think while reading, so in that sense, we begin to understand what it must be like for some of the characters who have different ancestries and beliefs than our own. I highly recommend this book and particularly recommend the audio version of the book. The narrator gives each character a realistic voice and holds your interest. Outstanding!

Thanks to RB Media and NetGalley for providing an advance review copy of this audiobook. My opinions are my own, however.

Blood Betrayal by Ausma Zehanat Khan
Narrated by Fareeda Pasha
Publisher: Recorded Books
Genre: Mysteries & Thrillers
Published: November 7, 2023

Blood Betrayal is the second book in the Blackwater Falls series by Ausma Zehanat Khan. I haven’t read the first book in the series yet, but I definitely will be because I am hooked!

I absolutely loved this book! I loved the characters and reading this from there perspectives. The story was captivating and had me on the edge of my seat. I thought this was absolutely fascinating.

The narration by Fareeda Pasha was wonderful! I loved how she gave each character a voice!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

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 (an excellent audiobook).

This is such a different listen and I like the way that it addresses different issues that I hadn't listened to/read and I am grateful to have had the opportunity to listen to this book. I hadn't listened to the previous book but now I will.

I was given a free copy by netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely my own.

The second in the Blackwater Falls police procedural series, Blood Betrayal follows the investigations of local crimes and the community implications. While this book has a new crime at the center, the storyline for the main cast of characters continues from book one. I would suggest starting with the first in the series.

There is a lot going on in this book. It explores issues of racisim, police corruption, immigration, faith, and more. We also get more character development and backstory for the main cast. The treatment of the issues is a little heavy-handed for me, but I do enjoy following the various thought processes and experiences.

The narration was great.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #RBMedia for a free copy of #BloodBetrayal by Ausma Zehanat Khan. All opinions are my own,

This is the second volume in a series.
It's a story full of mystery and involves the reader with every page they turn, however this second book has a more political aspect, and that no longer holds me as much as it did the first volume, but it's still an excellent book.

Thank you to RB Media recorded books, and Netgalley for this advance audiobook.

I've been a fan of Ausma Zehanat Khan for years, since I read the Getty and Khattak series, starting with The Unquiet Dead.

I have not read her fantasy novels yet though!

This is the second book in another crime series, Blackwater Falls. I still prefer the other series better, as it involves international humanitarian issues and a lot of travel in the series. It's also set in Canada.

This series is set in Colorado and is focused more on local police and their interactions with the community, hate crimes, racism, anti-immigrant sentiment and xenophobia. The main characters are strong woman of color who all have unique perspectives and backgrounds, and they work together while also having some tensions.

This book is about two police shootings of unarmed young men - one Latino and one Black. Khan does not shy away from digging in to present day issues in our society and she explores lots of facets of these issues in this book.

The investigations are interesting and sometimes a bit convoluted - they're are a lot of characters and a lot of twists, and some pretty far stretches in the plot, but I still am a fan. Another thing to be aware of is that Khan's writing is unapologetically flowery in terms of emotions, love, family, and social justice. I like it but sometimes feel it's a bit over the top. But I've gotten used to it!

This is the second book in the Blackwater Falls series. You can read it on it's own, but you'll miss some back story.
I enjoyed this one, I like the characters and this really reads like something diffrent in the mystery genre. Looking forward to the next one.

Blood Betrayal is a taught thriller and liked the fast paced story. The narrator did a great job bringing the characters to life and made the tension feel palpable. Would definitely listen to mor by this author.

This was a great thriller. I am new to this genre and this was a great crime thriller. I enjoyed that it tackled topics like racism and police violence as well. Thank you for approving me for this alc in exchange for an honest review.

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.

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.

A vivid, twisting psychological thriller. The suspense is palpable and unnerving. A glimpse into corruption, racism , and the old boys club that certain police forces tend to abide. Such a real life thriller it's like reading nonfiction, a perfect tale for the times we are living in today. Heartbreaking at times and an absolutely amazing story. The narrator is perfect for this book, a voice that draws you in and keeps you listening.

From my blog: Always With a Book

This is the second book in Ausma Zehanat Khan’s Blackwater Falls series. I really liked the first book in this series, Blackwater Falls and this second installment is just as good.

What I love most about this series is that not only do we have a strong police procedural/mystery that drives the story, but once again the book tackles timely social, racial and small-town political issues. Again, it’s an uncomfortable read with what is happening but given the subject matter, these topics should make you uncomfortable because they aren’t quite right and wrong issues. And that’s what I love about the way the author crafts her story. She doesn’t take sides, she doesn’t point fingers on these very hot button issues, but rather shows both sides and forces the reader to really think things through. Might there be a case for each side?

I also love that, as with most of the series I read, there is continued character development for our main characters. This is what attracts me most to reading series and we see that happening here, with relationships continuing to build and characters growing. I felt that we had only just gotten to know Detective Inaya Rahman on the surface level in the first book and here in this second book, we are starting to peel back some of the layers of just who she is. I feel that as the series goes on, those layers will continue to peel away.

I really enjoyed this book. The twists and turns kept me engaged throughout, keeping me guessing all the way to the end. There are a lot of moving parts to this story, but I had no issues keeping it all straight and that’s a testament to the author’s skill as a writer. I am quite eager to continue reading this series and in the meantime will certainly be checking out her other series.


Audio thoughts: I was able to listen to this one and loved the narrator, Fareeda Pasha. She did a great job bringing this story to life, giving all the characters their own unique voice and characterization.

I really enjoy this series. It’s the first series I’ve read by this author and I’d been counting down the months until it came out. I really liked the character progression we got on all the characters- we’re learning more about their backgrounds and I like the path a lot of them are going on.
The two murders/investigations that happen in this book got a little confusing at times- mainly Duante’s. The reveal of what happened/the connections were a little odd for me but overall I liked the plot. I’m excited to read the next book in the series when it comes out.

This is a noir police procedural where the killings of two young men from the minority communities open the can of worms of different sets of prejudices, racial and sexuality-based injustices, past harm from various war conflicts (Palestine, Afghanistan...) and not in the least the relationships between fathers and sons.
I like that the authoress bring the Black and Brown perspective on the living in nowadays society, all the issues they are facing (some based on prejudices, some based on the chosen ways of life or on the heritage and experience of their ancestors). I realize I can not comprehend some of the issues as I am not a member of these particular communities and I find it interesting to have the means to learn here. But I also see that the authoress us highly political here and while it is good to learn, one should listen to different perspectives, too.
Also I see that the authoress herself is too hard on the (white members of) police and all armed forces - and while I see where this might come from, I also think that it is not wise to see them with the angry eyes.

I like the main character Inaya is a woman of (Muslim) faith. I think that her commitment to her values makes her - her. She is honest and she works on being the best version of herself, which I find endearing and I am not only one, as the main male lead recognizes her value in all of the aspects of her being herself.

But I would also love to see that faith challenged. The authoress goes into the modern angles and brings the LGBTQ+ issues here - but into the Catholic community. I think that the authoress might be playing it safe here.

As for the novel from the mystery aspects - I am sorry to say that these plots are quite weak. Especially the murder of Matteo - while I can understand the choice of the motive itself, I have to say that the behaviour of the characters related, before, during and after the murder, is both illogical and absurd to the level of being seriously twisted. Sorry, but no mentally healthy person would behave like that and they all should be subjected to deep therapy (and by all I mean at least three persons close to the case).
The second murder plot is more believable, yet...it is also too complicated and too twisted.

So, I have enjoyed this as a novel about the Black and Brown lives, as the procedural novel not too much. But still, a good reading experience and I already have my eye on the third, incoming novel.

The narrator was very good, she enriched the listening experience.