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A review by jooniperd
A Dangerous Crossing by Ausma Zehanat Khan
4.0
ausma zehanat khan holds a Ph.D. in international human rights law, with a research specialization in military intervention and war crimes in the balkans. in each of her novels in the getty & khattak series she brings her experiences into her stories. though the characters are based in toronto, their work, khan's mysteries, have taken readers into the painful history of ethnic cleansing in bosnia, examined radical islamists in toronto and northern ontario, and portrayed the lives of dissidents in iran. in this new story, getty & khattak travel to greece in search of a canadian NGO worker who has vanished from a syrian refugee camp - we are given a very up close experience of the syrian crisis in all its horrors.
as with her past novels in the series, there are heartbreaking moments, yet the astounding strength and perseverance of the human sprit shines through. i really enjoy khan's style of storytelling. in bringing such difficult subjects to life, she displays incredible kindness and sensitivity. her characters are flawed and evolving, and her settings are vividly brought to life. while the mysteries anchor each story, these books are as much about the characters as they are about solving crimes. i do feel a dangerous crossing wobbled a little bit with the esa and sehr storyline, but it will be interesting to see how this plays out. (i suggest reading the series in order as histories are built upon, and certain aspects carry forward from one book to the next.) i often feel that the character of esa khattak reminds me of louise penny's wonderful armand gamache. if you are a fan of the three pines series, i think you will enjoy the getty & khattak series too. (with one caveat: the supporting cast in khan's books aren't as large a presence, and are not as quirktastic as penny's.)
we often hear about the ability of fiction to improve empathy in readers and i feel like this is something khan takes seriously. khan includes informative afterwords in each of her books, which help ground her fiction in reality, and add depth to the reading experience - i always find these sections of her work fascinating and helpful.
as with her past novels in the series, there are heartbreaking moments, yet the astounding strength and perseverance of the human sprit shines through. i really enjoy khan's style of storytelling. in bringing such difficult subjects to life, she displays incredible kindness and sensitivity. her characters are flawed and evolving, and her settings are vividly brought to life. while the mysteries anchor each story, these books are as much about the characters as they are about solving crimes. i do feel a dangerous crossing wobbled a little bit with the esa and sehr storyline, but it will be interesting to see how this plays out. (i suggest reading the series in order as histories are built upon, and certain aspects carry forward from one book to the next.) i often feel that the character of esa khattak reminds me of louise penny's wonderful armand gamache. if you are a fan of the three pines series, i think you will enjoy the getty & khattak series too. (with one caveat: the supporting cast in khan's books aren't as large a presence, and are not as quirktastic as penny's.)
we often hear about the ability of fiction to improve empathy in readers and i feel like this is something khan takes seriously. khan includes informative afterwords in each of her books, which help ground her fiction in reality, and add depth to the reading experience - i always find these sections of her work fascinating and helpful.