Scan barcode
annatmreads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
3.75
c_bulin's review against another edition
5.0
Man, I love this series. The relationships and mysteries are complex and feel real. People learn from their mistakes, think about how their actions impact others, and grow over time. The audiobooks are outstanding. So sad I will have to wait awhile for the next one.
frasersimons's review against another edition
4.0
This series is always super solid for me. Khan has the knowledge and the craft to put very complex relationship and cultural frameworks into an enjoyable and well paced thriller. What’s more is that they are also very accessible to the average reader too.
If you aren’t familiar with the series, this is based in Canada, centered on a fictional division of the Toronto police department (I believe? It might be a provincial thing) that is called Community Policing. Rachel Getty and Esa Khattak head this division. They’re partners and they plot always centres on them, though there are returning side characters with plot interactions and complex, overarching B plots that are in there and handled well. Particularly in this book, a few of those really come to a head and it’s really satisfying to see those threads in play.
Esa is a Muslim man who is in a leadership position and has the credentials to pioneer this pilot program. Which, just in of itself is interesting, a subversion of genre elements, and a good idea that police might want to actually damn well do. He knows how to interact with immigrants and people of different backgrounds and has the necessary life experience to communicate effectively. Another groundbreaking subversion of Esa is that he is flawed but not in the traditional Muslim portrayal. He is kind, generous, easily taken advantage sometimes; just soft and considerate and not in the least a stereotype. Also he is always portrayed as a viable and desirable person in general. He is a extremely good looking person and that doesn’t happen much in our media. It’s also subversive. He is great! He still makes mistakes and his past causes him to react in ways he doesn’t fully understand, he’s got complex dynamics with every relationship established.
Rachel is similarly dogged with a traumatic past and is sort of the training wheels officer attached to Esa. She is somewhat subversive herself. She’s athletic and behaves like an athlete in all scenes. She eats a lot and often. She is also thoughtful and considerate and a bit of a doormat, so her and Esa have a similar blind spot, which I just like a lot because generally writers go for very different flaws; partners are polarizing individuals most of the time. Fire and water, oil and water, shit like that. Not so here, and again, it’s refreshing.
They’re fallible and interesting. And then the actual plot is well constructed and compelling in of itself. But there is always an additional layer of different political and cultural things going on. In this one, it’s the Syrian refugee crisis. Throughout the story you also learn about what that is through numerous POVs and dispels common misconceptions about it that Canadians have. It humanizes foreign elements to most people. It is so smart and well done.
Then, at the end of it, there is always the authors notes on the particular thing she talked about in that book AND suggested reading!
The only reason this isn’t a 5 star for me is that in her quest to be accessible, her first person narration, and dialogue in particular, tends to be natural—but overwritten. It can be a bit hold your hand in a expository way with the relationships in a way it doesn’t need to be. She both shows and tells quite often. It does hamper enjoyment and drags scenes sometimes.
And I feel a bit bad about it hurting my enjoyment somewhat even because I can see what she is doing: Some people probably will need the extra help in the character interactions and Khan likes to make every nuance of what’s happened between characters extremely clear. I feel like she infers it strongly enough that it’s not needed. But I could see her publisher even maybe insisting on this kind of overwriting to be honest, if only because there is such heavy subject matter and the handling of immigrant stories and, essentially putting a human interest piece in with the plot. I don’t know; that’s just my guess.
Anyway. You should be reading this series. We don’t often get A) Canadian police procedural thrillers from the lens of someone so (over) qualified to write them, and B) they’re subversive, well constructed, and legitimately informative reads.
If you aren’t familiar with the series, this is based in Canada, centered on a fictional division of the Toronto police department (I believe? It might be a provincial thing) that is called Community Policing. Rachel Getty and Esa Khattak head this division. They’re partners and they plot always centres on them, though there are returning side characters with plot interactions and complex, overarching B plots that are in there and handled well. Particularly in this book, a few of those really come to a head and it’s really satisfying to see those threads in play.
Esa is a Muslim man who is in a leadership position and has the credentials to pioneer this pilot program. Which, just in of itself is interesting, a subversion of genre elements, and a good idea that police might want to actually damn well do. He knows how to interact with immigrants and people of different backgrounds and has the necessary life experience to communicate effectively. Another groundbreaking subversion of Esa is that he is flawed but not in the traditional Muslim portrayal. He is kind, generous, easily taken advantage sometimes; just soft and considerate and not in the least a stereotype. Also he is always portrayed as a viable and desirable person in general. He is a extremely good looking person and that doesn’t happen much in our media. It’s also subversive. He is great! He still makes mistakes and his past causes him to react in ways he doesn’t fully understand, he’s got complex dynamics with every relationship established.
Rachel is similarly dogged with a traumatic past and is sort of the training wheels officer attached to Esa. She is somewhat subversive herself. She’s athletic and behaves like an athlete in all scenes. She eats a lot and often. She is also thoughtful and considerate and a bit of a doormat, so her and Esa have a similar blind spot, which I just like a lot because generally writers go for very different flaws; partners are polarizing individuals most of the time. Fire and water, oil and water, shit like that. Not so here, and again, it’s refreshing.
They’re fallible and interesting. And then the actual plot is well constructed and compelling in of itself. But there is always an additional layer of different political and cultural things going on. In this one, it’s the Syrian refugee crisis. Throughout the story you also learn about what that is through numerous POVs and dispels common misconceptions about it that Canadians have. It humanizes foreign elements to most people. It is so smart and well done.
Then, at the end of it, there is always the authors notes on the particular thing she talked about in that book AND suggested reading!
The only reason this isn’t a 5 star for me is that in her quest to be accessible, her first person narration, and dialogue in particular, tends to be natural—but overwritten. It can be a bit hold your hand in a expository way with the relationships in a way it doesn’t need to be. She both shows and tells quite often. It does hamper enjoyment and drags scenes sometimes.
And I feel a bit bad about it hurting my enjoyment somewhat even because I can see what she is doing: Some people probably will need the extra help in the character interactions and Khan likes to make every nuance of what’s happened between characters extremely clear. I feel like she infers it strongly enough that it’s not needed. But I could see her publisher even maybe insisting on this kind of overwriting to be honest, if only because there is such heavy subject matter and the handling of immigrant stories and, essentially putting a human interest piece in with the plot. I don’t know; that’s just my guess.
Anyway. You should be reading this series. We don’t often get A) Canadian police procedural thrillers from the lens of someone so (over) qualified to write them, and B) they’re subversive, well constructed, and legitimately informative reads.
jaclynder's review against another edition
4.0
This was fantastic.
Khan's series featuring Canadian investigators, Rachel Getty and Esa Khattak has continually featuring complex, and timely mysteries entrenched in current events. When you add in Khan beautiful and thoughtful writing, you have magic. Each book is dark and thought-provoking but there's also something soothing about Khan's writing style and how she often shows hope amidst harsh realities.
If you're a fan of Louise Penny, you have to pick up this series. While very different from Inspector Gamache and the village of Three Pines, fans of Penny will without a doubt enjoy Khan's thoughtful and considered approach to the investigative process.
Khan's series featuring Canadian investigators, Rachel Getty and Esa Khattak has continually featuring complex, and timely mysteries entrenched in current events. When you add in Khan beautiful and thoughtful writing, you have magic. Each book is dark and thought-provoking but there's also something soothing about Khan's writing style and how she often shows hope amidst harsh realities.
If you're a fan of Louise Penny, you have to pick up this series. While very different from Inspector Gamache and the village of Three Pines, fans of Penny will without a doubt enjoy Khan's thoughtful and considered approach to the investigative process.
chickenx1000's review against another edition
5.0
From the 2021 POPSUGAR challenge: "a book set in multiple countries"
Okay, this time, I really mean it: this is the Khattak/Getty. It has the highest GR rating of them all, and I agree.
Action-packed, with an intrigue that crosses six borders, with a complex but not convoluted plot and lots of feeling.
As always, Khan tackles a difficult and very current topic with elegance and respect.
Okay, this time, I really mean it: this is the Khattak/Getty. It has the highest GR rating of them all, and I agree.
Action-packed, with an intrigue that crosses six borders, with a complex but not convoluted plot and lots of feeling.
As always, Khan tackles a difficult and very current topic with elegance and respect.
meggyroussel's review against another edition
4.0
In No Place of Refuge, the author bravely tackles the subject of refugees, mixing it with a touch of politics and a personal investigation to find a close friend who has vanished abroad, leaving two dead bodies behind her. Have no fear, you won’t drown in a report-like narrative, judgmental declarations, or ‘not-so-well’ hidden messages on every subject that makes this novel so rich. I picked this new installment in the series with excitement, knowing I would travel and learn about the world in a unique way. If you are sick of the news and looking for a current, captivating, and yes, entertaining read; look no further.
From Calais’s Jungle to Canada. From Greek camps to Turkey. I watch the news, I read the papers. I lived twenty minutes from Calais, and yet, all I know about the migrant crisis as we call it is what I am fed by the TV. I didn’t have the insight to look at things in a different way before I accompanied Rachel and Esa on their trip to find NGO boss and friend Audrey. Nothing felt real. Ausma Zehanat Khan takes pictures I get from the world, then she adds stories around them, she gives faces names, she enlightens us with the intricacies coming from all sides of the issues at hand. This is fiction used at its best. She doesn’t try to change your mind, she wants you to open it to all points of view and get a sense of reality that might escape us from where we stand.
With a case involving different jurisdictions and an issue everyone wants solved without getting hands dirty, Rachel and Esa find themselves in different kinds of danger. Audrey worked for an NGO, was on Greek territory, and the bodies of a French Interpol agent and a boy were found where she was last seen. See the puzzle? Let me tell you, no, you don’t!!! It takes the team their best tactics not to stomp on anyone’s toes while figuring out who to trust to make sense of the mystery ahead. The image that came to me when I was reading was a giant quicksand. A quicksand surrounded with blood, fear, and horrors.
No Place of Refuge is not an easy read. It challenged me, it made me think, it got me emotional on so many levels. Ausma Zehanat Khan has once again carved an outstanding piece, freezing our society in this time and place forever. Religion, friendships, untold horrors, gun. The author blew me away with her ability to assemble all the ingredients I needed to get the rush of a thriller while helping me understand our world better. Tension and tears were going hand by hand, my heart turned from broken to filled with rage, and my head became haunted by the thought-provoking truths laying bare in front of my eyes.
In the meantime, personal lives are not forgotten as both Rachel and Esa must face their feelings, deal with the emotions building from the case, and find ways to accept the new landscape of their life as time passes…
I said it before when reviewing previous novels from the series, but I need to mention it again. The research and knowledge poured into this book is of high standard. The details are so striking that it makes the novel even scarier, more real, and most of all, authentic.
No Place of Refuge is a bold novel committed to open eyes and take readers on a deadly race. Thank you, Ausma Zehanat Khan, for using your talent and work to create a new genre; the fiction which tugs at the seams of the veil of our world.
From Calais’s Jungle to Canada. From Greek camps to Turkey. I watch the news, I read the papers. I lived twenty minutes from Calais, and yet, all I know about the migrant crisis as we call it is what I am fed by the TV. I didn’t have the insight to look at things in a different way before I accompanied Rachel and Esa on their trip to find NGO boss and friend Audrey. Nothing felt real. Ausma Zehanat Khan takes pictures I get from the world, then she adds stories around them, she gives faces names, she enlightens us with the intricacies coming from all sides of the issues at hand. This is fiction used at its best. She doesn’t try to change your mind, she wants you to open it to all points of view and get a sense of reality that might escape us from where we stand.
With a case involving different jurisdictions and an issue everyone wants solved without getting hands dirty, Rachel and Esa find themselves in different kinds of danger. Audrey worked for an NGO, was on Greek territory, and the bodies of a French Interpol agent and a boy were found where she was last seen. See the puzzle? Let me tell you, no, you don’t!!! It takes the team their best tactics not to stomp on anyone’s toes while figuring out who to trust to make sense of the mystery ahead. The image that came to me when I was reading was a giant quicksand. A quicksand surrounded with blood, fear, and horrors.
No Place of Refuge is not an easy read. It challenged me, it made me think, it got me emotional on so many levels. Ausma Zehanat Khan has once again carved an outstanding piece, freezing our society in this time and place forever. Religion, friendships, untold horrors, gun. The author blew me away with her ability to assemble all the ingredients I needed to get the rush of a thriller while helping me understand our world better. Tension and tears were going hand by hand, my heart turned from broken to filled with rage, and my head became haunted by the thought-provoking truths laying bare in front of my eyes.
In the meantime, personal lives are not forgotten as both Rachel and Esa must face their feelings, deal with the emotions building from the case, and find ways to accept the new landscape of their life as time passes…
I said it before when reviewing previous novels from the series, but I need to mention it again. The research and knowledge poured into this book is of high standard. The details are so striking that it makes the novel even scarier, more real, and most of all, authentic.
No Place of Refuge is a bold novel committed to open eyes and take readers on a deadly race. Thank you, Ausma Zehanat Khan, for using your talent and work to create a new genre; the fiction which tugs at the seams of the veil of our world.
booksandbambii's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
megantm's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
karlou's review against another edition
5.0
I'm thrilled to be hosting the very special Khattak and Getty blog tour today. As well as a review of the latest book in the series, No Place of Refuge, I will also be sharing excerpts from my reviews of the previous novels. I'm a huge fan of Ausma Zehanat Khan's writing and would like to thank her, No Exit Press and Anne Cater from Random Things Tours for inviting me and for my advance copy of the novel.
No Place of Refuge opens with an ominous prologue set on the Greek island of Lesvos. Audrey Clare - the close friend of Esa Khattak's younger sister, Ruksh, and the sister of Esa's own best friend, Nathan - has been on the island for four months, assisting Syrian refugees through her NGO, Woman to Woman. By the end of the prologue, Audrey is in trouble; as the book progresses, readers have the benefit of knowing a little more about what happened to her but exactly what occurred isn't revealed until much later.
Esa Khattak and Rachel Getty could be forgiven for thinking that life was going to be a little easier for them after a tumultuous few years. The pair are even invited to a state dinner where they meet the new prime minister. Although he is never actually named, I don't think readers would be far wrong in assuming he is based on Justin Trudeau. A parliamentary inquiry regarding a previous case has finally exonerated Khattak of any wrongdoing and the prime minister offers proper ministerial support to Esa and Rachel's complex Community Policing portfolio, something which has been lacking up till now. However, what should be a thoroughly pleasant evening is suddenly spoiled when a worried Nathan Clare arrives to seek Khattak's help, announcing that Audrey is missing.
Although the case would ordinarily be outside of Khattak and Getty's remit, the prime minister has officially approved their involvement; Rachel swiftly realises that news about a prominent Canadian's sister disappearing while helping refugees resettle would seriously undermine the goodwill shown towards the country's Syrian refugee program. The Canadian response to little Aylan Kurdi's tragic death was to demand that more was done to alleviate the crisis, with an outpouring of support for the resettlement of refugees in Canada although there are still the familiar dissenting voices, who are quick to conflate the terms 'migrant' and 'refugee' and provoke the fear of terrorism whenever possible. The global refugee crisis has always been politicised and so it's not surprising that the Government would want Audrey's disappearance solved as soon as possible. This is obviously going to be a difficult case for Esa, due to his personal involvement and it doesn't become any easier when it transpires that Interpol are also involved as Audrey may be implicated in the death of one of their agents. Rachel also feels personally involved - she and Nathan had grown close previously and she can't help but empathise with his fears, having spent many years looking for her missing brother.
Esa and Rachel travel to Lesvos in an attempt to uncover the truth and it's a journey which later takes them into Turkey and France as they try to trace Audrey's movements. As they visit the various camps on the island, both form bonds with the refugees and volunteers they meet. Esa is simultaneously accepted as a man who looks very much like one of the Afghan refugees and feared as a policeman and Rachel is shocked by the scale of the suffering she witnesses, responding in her usual manner by becoming involved in the rescue missions on the beach. Since the destruction of the Calais Jungle, we don't see the truth before our eyes on the nightly news as often and so the vivid descriptions of the camps are an important reminder of the dreadful conditions in these places. The close professional and personal partnership between Khattak and Getty endures as always but both must confront their feelings regarding complicated relationships during the course of the novel as what they see and learn has a profound impact on them and what they find goes far beyond a straightforward investigation into a missing young woman.
All the novels in this outstanding series have each touched me deeply but perhaps none have resonated quite as strongly as No Place of Refuge. My brother has worked with young refugees for many years, supporting them both in this country and in the camp formerly known as the Calais Jungle. We've had many discussions about the desperate need for more to be done, especially regarding dangers facing young people and children who have become displaced from their homes and families. I believe that the refugee crisis is one of the most urgent and important issues we currently face.
Ausma Zehanat Khan understands that there are no easy solutions and she doesn't avoid the more difficult issues, recognising that anywhere that sees a mass of humanity - perhaps especially in places where hope and desperation are equally as prevalent - will see the best and worst of people. Throughout the book, she explores the distressing reasons why people are forced to leave their homes and the dangers they face on their journeys - whether from the harsh environment or from unscrupulous opportunistic smugglers and depraved traffickers with an honest and penetrating clarity. I defy anybody to read certain scenes here without being moved to tears as the barbaric atrocities inflicted on Syria's citizens are laid bare. The language is necessarily unflinching and although I had some knowledge of the human rights atrocities committed by Assad's regime, to see it made personal is tremendously moving. In a world where refugees are often discussed as a faceless mass, by focusing on a young man's heartbreaking story, she succeeds in reminding us that every displaced person is an individual in their own right.
No Place of Refuge is the book I would like to place in the hands of those who question why so many boys and young men are in the camps and believe that they should stay in their own country and fight or that other countries should continue to house them while Fortress Europe remains closed. I hope it makes people angry because we should be furious; at the regime which targets its own civilians in hospitals, clinics, schools and hospitals with barrel bombs, cluster munitions, mortars, artillery and chemical weapons and has carried out acts of torture and murder in its prison system on an industrial scale; and at the governments and organisations who refuse to help, consigning untold numbers to a terrifying death by drowning and when they have the opportunity to offer sanctuary to those most in need, fail to even provide refuge for more than a tiny number of unaccompanied minors, resulting in tens of thousands of children going missing. Harrowing, illuminating and powerful, No Place Of Refuge gives a voice to those denied it and is truly a book for our times.
No Place of Refuge opens with an ominous prologue set on the Greek island of Lesvos. Audrey Clare - the close friend of Esa Khattak's younger sister, Ruksh, and the sister of Esa's own best friend, Nathan - has been on the island for four months, assisting Syrian refugees through her NGO, Woman to Woman. By the end of the prologue, Audrey is in trouble; as the book progresses, readers have the benefit of knowing a little more about what happened to her but exactly what occurred isn't revealed until much later.
Esa Khattak and Rachel Getty could be forgiven for thinking that life was going to be a little easier for them after a tumultuous few years. The pair are even invited to a state dinner where they meet the new prime minister. Although he is never actually named, I don't think readers would be far wrong in assuming he is based on Justin Trudeau. A parliamentary inquiry regarding a previous case has finally exonerated Khattak of any wrongdoing and the prime minister offers proper ministerial support to Esa and Rachel's complex Community Policing portfolio, something which has been lacking up till now. However, what should be a thoroughly pleasant evening is suddenly spoiled when a worried Nathan Clare arrives to seek Khattak's help, announcing that Audrey is missing.
Although the case would ordinarily be outside of Khattak and Getty's remit, the prime minister has officially approved their involvement; Rachel swiftly realises that news about a prominent Canadian's sister disappearing while helping refugees resettle would seriously undermine the goodwill shown towards the country's Syrian refugee program. The Canadian response to little Aylan Kurdi's tragic death was to demand that more was done to alleviate the crisis, with an outpouring of support for the resettlement of refugees in Canada although there are still the familiar dissenting voices, who are quick to conflate the terms 'migrant' and 'refugee' and provoke the fear of terrorism whenever possible. The global refugee crisis has always been politicised and so it's not surprising that the Government would want Audrey's disappearance solved as soon as possible. This is obviously going to be a difficult case for Esa, due to his personal involvement and it doesn't become any easier when it transpires that Interpol are also involved as Audrey may be implicated in the death of one of their agents. Rachel also feels personally involved - she and Nathan had grown close previously and she can't help but empathise with his fears, having spent many years looking for her missing brother.
Esa and Rachel travel to Lesvos in an attempt to uncover the truth and it's a journey which later takes them into Turkey and France as they try to trace Audrey's movements. As they visit the various camps on the island, both form bonds with the refugees and volunteers they meet. Esa is simultaneously accepted as a man who looks very much like one of the Afghan refugees and feared as a policeman and Rachel is shocked by the scale of the suffering she witnesses, responding in her usual manner by becoming involved in the rescue missions on the beach. Since the destruction of the Calais Jungle, we don't see the truth before our eyes on the nightly news as often and so the vivid descriptions of the camps are an important reminder of the dreadful conditions in these places. The close professional and personal partnership between Khattak and Getty endures as always but both must confront their feelings regarding complicated relationships during the course of the novel as what they see and learn has a profound impact on them and what they find goes far beyond a straightforward investigation into a missing young woman.
All the novels in this outstanding series have each touched me deeply but perhaps none have resonated quite as strongly as No Place of Refuge. My brother has worked with young refugees for many years, supporting them both in this country and in the camp formerly known as the Calais Jungle. We've had many discussions about the desperate need for more to be done, especially regarding dangers facing young people and children who have become displaced from their homes and families. I believe that the refugee crisis is one of the most urgent and important issues we currently face.
Ausma Zehanat Khan understands that there are no easy solutions and she doesn't avoid the more difficult issues, recognising that anywhere that sees a mass of humanity - perhaps especially in places where hope and desperation are equally as prevalent - will see the best and worst of people. Throughout the book, she explores the distressing reasons why people are forced to leave their homes and the dangers they face on their journeys - whether from the harsh environment or from unscrupulous opportunistic smugglers and depraved traffickers with an honest and penetrating clarity. I defy anybody to read certain scenes here without being moved to tears as the barbaric atrocities inflicted on Syria's citizens are laid bare. The language is necessarily unflinching and although I had some knowledge of the human rights atrocities committed by Assad's regime, to see it made personal is tremendously moving. In a world where refugees are often discussed as a faceless mass, by focusing on a young man's heartbreaking story, she succeeds in reminding us that every displaced person is an individual in their own right.
No Place of Refuge is the book I would like to place in the hands of those who question why so many boys and young men are in the camps and believe that they should stay in their own country and fight or that other countries should continue to house them while Fortress Europe remains closed. I hope it makes people angry because we should be furious; at the regime which targets its own civilians in hospitals, clinics, schools and hospitals with barrel bombs, cluster munitions, mortars, artillery and chemical weapons and has carried out acts of torture and murder in its prison system on an industrial scale; and at the governments and organisations who refuse to help, consigning untold numbers to a terrifying death by drowning and when they have the opportunity to offer sanctuary to those most in need, fail to even provide refuge for more than a tiny number of unaccompanied minors, resulting in tens of thousands of children going missing. Harrowing, illuminating and powerful, No Place Of Refuge gives a voice to those denied it and is truly a book for our times.
howjessicareads's review against another edition
4.0
The Syrian refugee stories are so heartbreaking. 💔
But this series keeps getting better!
But this series keeps getting better!