Blood Betrayal by Ausma Zehanat Khan is the second entry in the Blackwater Falls series. In my review, I give five reasons you should pick it up. Also, while this can be read as a stand-alone, make sure to read the first book in the series, Blackwater falls.

https://www.novellives.com/2023/11/11/blood-betrayal-blackwater-falls-2-by-ausma-zehanat-khan-review/

The serious menace and disturbing nature of this novel makes it a must read description of life. How the confusion in the first few sentences manifests a mind reeling deception that slowly unfolds.

Another great installment in this new police procedural in the Blackwater Falls series from Canadian author, Ausma Zehanat Khan. I love that the FMC, Detective Inaya Rahman is Muslim and brings a lot of cultural diversity to a genre that is full of white male leads. This book in particular tackles timely topics from police violence and racism. Great on audio too narrated by Fareeda Pasha. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

I really love this series and can't wait for more books to come out. I got book 1 as an ARC and waited anxiously for this 2nd in the series! I love the cultural honesty and explanations the author uses. I fear that there are truly cities out there like Blackwater Falls still today. I can't wait to see where the storyline goes from here!

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In the book Blood Betrayal, author Ausma Zehanat Khan follows Detective Inaya Rahman who moved to Denver to get a fresh start her career as a detective. But a pair of murders and the man who is the reason she left the Chicago PD, are pushing her to the limits of her new life. And will a drug raid that ended with the murder of a young Latino teen bring the city to rioting? This was an ok story but I am tired of the police always being the bad guys. Way to predictable and it seemed the author has an agenda and ax to grind. I would not recommend this book. The audio-book narration was very dry. I received a copy of this audio-book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Khan’s second book in The Blackwater Falls series might be a bit overly ambitious as she tackles not one, but two shootings by police on the same night. The cases were good, but the story was slow going (almost tedious) at times. Once again Khan covers some tough and complex subjects, and does it well. Her cast of characters are well developing ped, but with so many and skipping from one case to the next the story could get confusing at times, especially on audio. The first book of the series was a stronger read in my opinion, but this book is a good follow up. While I didn’t enjoy it as much as Blackwater Falls, I look forward to reading more of this series.Thank you to Minotaur Books, RB Media and NetGalley for an ARC and ALC of this book.

Blood betrayal takes place in a small town in Denver, Colorado named Blackwater Falls and we follow two Muslim police officers with the Community Response Unit as they navigate racial and religious prejudice, white supremacist groups, as well as misogyny.

I enjoyed listening to the audio version of this book beautifully narrated by Fareeda Pasha and would recommend this book (and series) to anyone who loves reading about police mysteries with a sprinkle of politics and cultural inclusion.

This is a book that not only will keep you turning pages trying to find the truth but it will also expand your awareness about subjects like race, women, religion, etc.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an electronic copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review!

Ausma Zehanat Khan returns following Blackwater Falls #1 with BLOOD BETRAYAL, the second in the Blackwater Falls series featuring Detective Inaya Rahman (love) with a timely, twisty, and gripping suspense cop procedural.

Set in Blackwater Falls, Colorado, a veteran cop, Harry Cooper, opens fire on a young black street artist, Dauante Reed when he thinks he has a gun but is only a can of spray paint.

John Broda is one of the police officers who has harassed her in Chicago, and now he is asking for her help to clear his son's name. Kelly is a young patrolman in Denver and has been accused of shooting and killing a young Latino man, Mateo Ruiz, in a drug raid.

Detective Inaya Rahman is Muslim and works with the Community Response Unit in Denver. The CRU's mission is to investigate police interaction within the community, violence, and actions if warranted. Areesha, a civil rights lawyer, represents the mother of the young black man.

Two cases. In either case, the ongoing question: Was lethal force truly necessary?

Lieutenant Waqas Seif and Inaya have big jobs and other complexities due to their religion. From past police transgressions and racism, there are a lot of items to juggle and cases to solve in Blackwater Falls.

There are many complex topics and emotions from religion, faith, prejudice, justice, and persecution— as well as their personal lives with the two investigations and the characters.

Ausma Zehanat Khan is a talented writer and storyteller, having read some of her other books and series. BLOOD BETRAYAL is an excellent addition to her collection, and fans will surely enjoy it. The author showcases her talent, blending professional and personal relationships with diverse backgrounds.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Fareeda Pasha for a riveting performance, holding your attention to the end with social and political commentary and timely issues.

Thanks to RB Media, Recorded Books, and Netgalley for an advanced audio listening copy.

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Pub Date: Nov 7, 2023
My Rating: 4 Stars
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A brilliant follow up to Blackwater Falls, with two mysteries to solve at this time. Khan is a master at her craft seamlessly integrating complex cultural and political issues with the cases at hand. The twists were fantastic and I didn’t see them coming. Our detectives Inaya, Waqas, Cat and Jamie reappear from the first book and I loved learning more about each of their individual arcs. (I’m also still firmly aboard the Inaya x Qas ship #sorrynotsorry) Fareeda Pasha’s narration was excellent as before.

First and foremost, a large thank you to NetGalley, Ausma Zehanat Khan, and RB Media for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review.

After thoroughly enjoying the debut novel in this series by Ausma Zehanat Khan, I rushed to get my hands on the second book. Once more exploring some hot button issues, Khan crafts a police procedural that pulls the reader in from the opening pages. After a Denver PD officer shoots a young man, waves of outrage from his ethnic community ripple through the streets. This is soon followed by a second shooting during a drug raid that leaves another youth slain. Were these justified shootings or a form of police violence? Detective Inaya Rahman is called out to help in the investigation, where deep seeded issues rise to the surface and turn the streets of both Denver and Blackwater Falls into dangerous terrain. As the truth emerges, both sides will have to accept it, through neither feels that they are wrong for their reaction. Khan shakes the reader to the core with this second novel in a gripping series,

Late one evening in the Colorado community of Blackwater Falls, Harry Cooper is patrolling his beat for the DPD when he comes across a handful of vandals. Chasing them down, things turn heated when Duante Reed apparently pulls a gun. A shot is fired and Officer Cooper stands over the dead Duante. It turns out that his weapon was no firearm, but simply a can of spray paint. While things quickly turn ugly, a drug raid in Denver turns south and a young Mateo Ruiz is killed. Tensions run high and no one is quite sure what to make of it, though answers will need to come soon.

Detective Inaya Rahman is watching all of this go down when she is visited by a former cop who did everything to derail her when she arrived in Denver. Office John Broda feels that his son, Office Kelly Broda, was innocent of any wrongdoing during the drug raid, which saw bullets flying from many guns at the time. While Detective Rahman is not yet ready to forget the past, she hungers for the truth in a city that is rife with lies and deception.

While DPD cannot wash the blood off its hands, protests on both sides fuel a bitter rivalry and tensions rise. Detective Rahman will have to work with her boss, Lieutenant Waqas Seif, to better understand the perpetrators and get to the bottom of the community unrest. Sifting through all the evidence and witness statements, they seek to get to the heart of the matter, no matter where it takes them. While Harry Cooper has long been a dedicated officer and pillar of the community, was he too quick to act when Duante ran? Was Mateo simply in the wrong place when things went down, or was the shooting by Kelly Broda justified? No matter what, someone will be upset and the community is ready to tear itself apart, where answers are still blurry.

Blackwater Falls is full of prejudice and apparent hatred, though the truth will have to come out if there is to be any resolution. Detective Rahman and Lieutenant Seif will have to make their investigation quick to douse the flames, or be ready to watch this Colorado community go down in ashes. Another great piece by Khan that forces the reader to think about all they know and reserve judgment until the final reveal.

Ausma Zehanat Khan finds ways to link herself to the eager reader, educating and entertaining in equal measure. Working from a strong foundation of race relations, prejudice, and community policing, they all provides an narrative that leads readers down many a rabbit hole before getting into the truths that some do not want to admit. Providing strong arguments on both sides of the argument with this piece, Khan has all the ingredients for a stellar thriller that does not pull any punches.

Character development continues use in this second novel, looking to help the reader better understand Inaya Rahman and all her layers. She is a great protagonist and offers up much about herself, though she remains a mystery on many levels as well. Khan shapes the story to show some of these vulnerabilities, but also keeps a great deal a mystery, seeking more dedication in what one can hope will be a multi-novel series. Strong secondary characters provide great perspectives for all to understand without getting too complex in this fast-paced novel.

Plot twists are at the core of this piece, providing angles to create great discussion. Khan feeds into the reader’s desire to learn more without siding with any perspective. There is a great sense of possibilities within the novel, in a series that is building through the first two novels. Khan has done a wonderful job of keeping the reader enthralled and yet sceptical of what is going on. As the community of Blackwater Falls is once more torn apart, its core values remain challenged. I hope there are many more books in the series to come, as I have thoroughly enjoyed the first two.

Kudos, Madam Khan, for another stunning thriller that did not give me a chance to catch my breath.

Blood Betrayal, book 2 in the Blackwater Falls series, was a well written and compelling mystery that tackled important and current topics, such as police violence and racism.

Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the ALC Im exchange for an honest review.

I don't just recommend this author's books, I think they're important, and uniquely in a position to impart empathetic stories that non-Muslims would benefit from reading. The mysteries in this story are compelling, timely, and will likely evoke emotions, maybe even jumped-to conclusions, but it peels back layers of multiple minorities, their history in this country, their communities, their relationships with law enforcement and with each other. I felt so many emotions throughout and feel as if I got to know some fascinating and complicated people, which reminds me that everyone has a story we know nothing about and most are incredibly moving

Now I must go read every single thing she's written..

A mystery centering on law enforcement and touching on many current issues. It is timely with its Muslim character, a police killing of a young Black man, immigration, and looks at problems we hear about every day. It was good to read a mystery with depth regarding social issues. It was an excellent and well read audiobook.

Blood Betrayal is essentially a police procedural / mystery, but with a difference. The setting is the Denver, Colorado area, specifically a town named Blackwater Falls and the two main characters are police officers with the Community Response Unit and they are both Muslim. The area has seen racial and religious tensions in the past (see the first book in the series, titled Blackwater Falls) and that hasn’t changed much. This book centers on two different police shootings of young men, one black and one Latine. A continuing story arc involves the corruption of the local sheriff and the dominance of a white supremacist motorcycle group. One of the two Muslim detectives is female, so you can add misogyny into the mix!

I loved the characters of Inaya Rahman, the Muslim police detective, and her boss, Seif, who has downplayed/hidden his Middle Eastern heritage. They make quite an interesting pair. We get more backstory about both of their families this time. Inaya’s dad is Afghan and her mother Pakistani. Seif’s dad was Palestinian and his mother Iranian. Seif’s two younger brothers live with him and are a bit hot-tempered. All of this is relevant to the story.

I really enjoyed several of the side characters as well, such as Cat (Caterina) Hernandez, Inaya’s partner, and Areesha Adams, a black community activist lawyer. They both play large roles in both books.

The audiobook was narrated beautifully by Fareeda Pasha. I bounced between the audiobook and the ebook for this title, which was very convenient and allowed me to keep going with the story, finishing it in just a few days.

Thank you to Recorded Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to an advance copy of this audiobook and to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance reader copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Durante Reed is shot dead because a police officer mistakes a paint can for a gun. Mateo Ruiz is shot dead when a drug raid goes wrong.
Two different cases but Lieutenant Wagas Seif and his team must investigate and find the truth. The plot has been set.

Well written novel and well read (I listened to the audiobook). Complex characters and twisting plot line that has several complex issues that need consideration. The team must collect the facts and evidence and be careful their personal views do not get in the way. Enjoy.

This was another solid audiobook, taking place in Blackwater Falls.

The stories taking place in Blackwater Falls always have a very good storyline and touch on key political issues without making you feel like you’re drowning in political commentary.

In this book, you’ll find LGBTQ representation, murder, violence, cheating and racism. So make sure you check the trigger warnings before starting this one.

I definitely think this series, from what I’ve read in the 1st 2 books, would make a really cool mini series or full length show.

I have read some of Ausma Zehanat Khan's books from another series which I loved, but this is my first taste of her Blackwater Falls series, set in Colorado. I listened to this on audio, 10 hours and 20 minutes long and ably narrated by Fareeda Pasha, it kept my attention from beginning to end, aided no doubt by the complex and utterly gripping storytelling, and the creation of a fascinating cast of diverse characters. The provision of a social and political commentary makes the narrative resonate as it focuses on painful and problematic contemporary issues with regard to the policing of black and minority communities and with the repercussions of the American presence in Afghanistan.

The young black Duante Reed, a gifted street artist, has been shot dead by a long serving beat officer coming up for retirement, Harry Cooper from the Sheriff's Blackwater Falls department. Cooper has never used his gun in his entire career, seemingly going by the book in issuing warnings, but mistaking a paint spray can for a gun. On the same night, Mateo Ruiz, a young latino is killed in Denver by police in more unclear circumstances amidst the chaos of a failed drug raid and Officer Kelly Broda is refusing to talk about what happened. Denver's Community Response Unit (CRU), headed by Lieutenant Waqas Seif, with investigators Inaya Rahman, who moved from Chicago, Catalina Hernandez, and Jaime Webb, find themselves overburdened and stressed as they try to work out what happened with each shooting.

The author showcases her trademark talent in portraying in depth personal and professional relationships that take in diverse backgrounds, including friendships, families, marriages, potential romantic entanglements, and more. Little is as it appears as the CRU discovers, in this turbulent and emotive book, where there are misunderstandings, reflections on race and prejudice, and how Inaya's traumatic past with John Broda plays out after he begs for her help to clear his son. There are numerous twists and surprising connections with events that occurred in Afghanistan, and a vibrant glimpse into the multilayered, compelling lives, issues and perspectives of characters that make up modern day America. Highly recommended. Many thanks to Netgalley for the ALC.

This novel tackles the volatile subject of police violence and racial profiling in two very different cases, are these incidents premeditated? Were they accidents? Or is there some thing more insidious at work? A thoughtful and timely look at one of the most contentious subjects facing Americans today

This was too long and really didn't hold my interest. To be fair, this is not my usual genre though.

Thank you to Net Galley, Ausma Zehanat Khan and the publisher for a copy of this book.

I did not read the first book in the series, but did not feel like I missed anything as the second story retells pertinent character information to catch you right up. This was a great detective mystery about two murders that grips a town and the detectives and civil rights lawyer attempt to solve the case and soothe the family of the victims. This story couldn't be more timely with the current conflicts that exist in the middle east as these main characters grapple with staying loyal to their cultural backgrounds despite past generations and the persecution they face.

At first i thought that this book took on a lot of heavy topics; racism, sexual identity, cultural differences, marital woes and grieving, all while trying to solve two murders, but somehow it works. I felt invested in the story and all of the different pieces helped to tell the overall story. I finished the rather long audio book in just three days which says a lot - when you want to drive around and or clean the house just so you can listen you have a good book on your hands. At some point I will go back to read the first book and will definitely look for more stories in this series