Kate’s 2¢: “Blood Betrayal” by Ausma Khan

“Blood Betrayal” by Ausma Khan

NOTE: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as, describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares her thoughts about what she reads. Inho…

   Fareeda Pasha did a good job of narrating this story. The topic of police killing young black men is a hot issue in the news today, the outcome of the investigations, the reasons for the shootings might surprise you.  I enjoyed the drama in visiting the neighborhoods, learning more about the culture, and the pressures they live with on a daily basis.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

ausmazehanatkhan.com

Khan holds a Ph.D. in International Human Rights Law with a research specialization in military intervention and war crimes in the Balkans. She received her LL.B. and LL.M. from the University of Ottawa, and her B.A. in English Literature and Sociology from the University of Toronto. She practiced immigration law in Toronto, and was an international human rights law professor at Northwestern University as well as a human rights and business law professor at York University.[1] She has lived in the United States for fifteen years and resides in Denver, Colorado.

Khan was the editor-in-chief of Muslim Girl magazine from 2007 until the magazine’s closure.[2] Two documentaries were made about the publication, and it was featured in hundreds of national and international profiles and interviews including CNN International, Current TV, and Al Jazeera English’s “Everywoman”.[3]

Khan published her first crime novel The Unquiet Dead in 2015; the book received “best first novel” accolades from both the Arthur Ellis Awards and the Barry Awards in 2016. The Washington Post” wrote of the novel: “Throughout Getty and Khattak’s solid and comprehensive investigation, Khan’s talents are evident. This first in what may become a series is a many-faceted gem. It’s a sound police procedural, a somber study of loss and redemption and, most of all, a grim effort to make sure that crimes against humanity are not forgotten.”[4] Kirkus Reviews wrote: “Khan’s stunning debut is a poignant, elegantly written mystery laced with complex characters who force readers to join them in dealing with ugly truths.” The novel also received a starred review in both Publishers Weekly and Library Journal.[5]

In 2017, Khan published her fantasy debut, The Bloodprint (Harper Voyager), the first in The Khorasan Archives, a five-book epic fantasy series. The Bladebone, Book 5, will be published in October 2020.

In 2018, Khan’s middle-grade non-fiction book Ramadan was published by Orca Books as part of its Origins series. It was selected as a Children’s Book Council Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People 2019, as well as the Children’s Literature Roundtable of Canada’s 2019 Information Book Award Honour Book. It was also nominated for a Hackmatack Children’s Choice Award.

In 2020, Khan’s nonfiction essay “Origins and Destinations” was published by Seal Press in the crime fiction writers’ anthology, Private Investigations (ed. Victoria Zackheim). Her short story “The Once and Future Qadi” will be forthcoming in the Sword Stone Table anthology, also in 2020.

In a 2018 interview with Nick Douglas, published in Life Hacker magazine, Khan described how she devoted more time to her writing as a novelist when she and her husband began moving more often, and it didn’t seem worthwhile to get the qualification to practice law in a short-term home.[6] She currently lives in Colorado.

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

Blood betrayal DB117796

Khan, Ausma Zehanat. Reading time: 10 hours, 22 minutes.

Read by Fareeda Pasha.

Suspense Fiction

Mystery and Detective Stories

“In Blackwater Falls, Colorado, veteran police officer Harry Cooper is hot on the heels of some local vandals when the situation turns deadly: Harry, believing one of them has a gun, opens fire and Duante Young, a young Black man, is killed. The “gun” in Duante’s hands was a bottle of spray paint. Meanwhile, in nearby Denver, a drug raid goes south and a Latino teen, Mateo Ruiz, is also killed. The Denver Police force is spread thin between the two cases, and protests on both sides begin. Detective Inaya Rahman and her boss, Lieutenant Waqas Seif, have their work cut out for them as they consider the guilt of the perpetrators and their victims. Harry was, by all accounts, an officer dedicated to the communities he served: Was this shooting truly a terrible mistake? Duante was, to some, a street artist with no prior record, but to others, he was a vandal. Mateo was either in the wrong place at the wrong time, or a dangerous drug dealer. In either case, was lethal force truly necessary? While Inaya is forced to reckon with her own prejudices and work through those of her colleagues, she must discover the truth of what really happened on one fateful night in Blackwater Falls.” — Provided by publisher. Unrated. Commercial audiobook.

Download Blood betrayal

Kate’s 2¢: “Witch and famous” by Angela M. Sanders

“Witch and famous” by Angela M. Sanders

NOTE: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as, describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares her thoughts about what she reads. Inho…

   While murder is no laughing matter, Sanders’s approach to solving the issue is novel and often funny. I enjoyed this book that was included on the NLS cartridge of 7 books, sent at random.

   Rebecca Mitchell did a good job of reading this for us. Thank you.

 From the Web:

About Angela M. Sanders

Angela grew up in rural Northern California building forts in the woods where she devoured Nancy Drew mysteries. She earned degrees in economics and public administration, and in graduate school studied six months in Paris, sparking a lifelong interest in French culture. After 11 years as a congressional investigator, Angela realized she was more fascinated by the stories at the edges of her investigations—the decrepit exercise equipment in the ladies room of a Czech oil company; the curious number of framed photographs of women on a nuclear weapons official’s desk; the stupendous speed by which a particular Agriculture undersecretary inhaled chili dogs—than by the policies she evaluated. She returned to the west coast to explore the world and her imagination through magazine stories and fiction.

Angela lives in Portland, Oregon.

Angela M. Sanders

I give the best part of my day—that calm few hours early in the morning when the birds are waking up and my subconscious is fresh from a night with the sandman—to writing fiction. Specifically, I write crime fiction geared to people who like down-to-earth glamour shaken with intelligence and wit.

My current series, the Witch Way librarian mysteries, also explores rural Oregon, but this time through the eyes of a transplanted East-Coaster who finds herself in the middle of nowhere, running a library in a multi-turreted house that would have made the Addams Family proud, in a town full of alarming eccentrics, and with the curious ability of being able to talk to books.

The Joanna Hayworth Vintage Clothing series takes place in my hometown of Portland and features a curmudgeonly aesthete who reluctantly solves murder cases while luxuriating in 1930s dressing gowns and icy martinis.

The Booster Club capers center around a retirement home for petty criminals who want to do good, but can’t resist using their, um, “talents” along the way.

The three Kite Shop mysteries, written as Clover Tate, take place in on Oregon’s gorgeous coast and star Emmy Adler, a young, struggling kite shop owner with hippie parents (quinoa and a Watergate reenactment club factor heavily) and a knack for stumbling over dead bodies.

Happy reading! Let’s stay in touch. You can reach me at angela@angelamsanders.com.

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

Witch and famous DB114583

Sanders, Angela M Reading time: 8 hours, 19 minutes.

Rebecca Mitchell

Mystery and Detective Stories

“For a tiny town, picturesque Wilfred, Oregon, has everything, including an impressive library housed in a Victorian mansion, a touch of magic in new librarian and fledgling witch, Josie Way, a visiting movie star-and a curious tendency toward murder . . . Josie and all of Wilfred are buzzing with excitement. A-list movie star Daphne Morris has chosen to interview Roz, assistant librarian and novelist, for her book club. But when the glamorous actress quickly charms both Roz’s long-time love and sheriff Sam, the object of Josie’s unrequited affection, Josie turns to the whispers from her beloved books for ideas on revising the plot. Yet soon there’s another twist . . . At a party to celebrate the interview, Daphne’s personal chef is found dead in a scene that all too closely echoes one in Roz’s novel. It’s clear to Josie that someone’s idea of a happy ending means framing her friend. She’ll have to read between the lines with the help of the library’s enchanted stacks, guidance from her magical grandmother’s letters, and her cat familiar, Rodney, to solve this murder before someone decides to stage a deadly sequel . . .” — Provided by publisher. Unrated. Commercial audiobook.

Download Witch and famous DB114583