Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Blood Betrayal by Ausma Zehanat Khan Series: Blackwater Falls #2
Published by Minotaur Books on November 7, 2023
Genres: Mystery, Thriller
Pages: 304
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
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In Blackwater Falls, Colorado, Harry Cooper, a police officer nearing retirement, is hot on the heels of some local vandals when the situation turns deadly: believing one of them to have a gun, Harry opens fire and Duante Reed, a young Black man, is killed. The "gun" in his 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 officer thought to be responsible is Kelly Broda, a name Detective Inaya Rahman is all too familiar with. Kelly is the son of the police officer who led a violent attack on her when they were both in Denver: John Broda. No one is more surprised than Inaya when John turns up on her doorstep, pleading for her help in proving the innocence of his son, who he insists is a much different breed of man than John himself.
I continued in the Blackwater Falls series. The town of that name is a smaller community not far from Denver. It seems to be a real melting pot with Mexicans (Catholics), black refugees from Somalia, and Muslims from several Middle Eastern and Asian locations.
The focus centers around the team of Community Response officers who work with the Sheriff, Denver police, FBI and other law enforcement. Their cases revolve around the different cultures and the sensitive issues in dealing with them. The team is not a fan of the Sheriff.
I am not knowledgeable about all these religions and cultures so I find those aspects interesting. The main character Inaya is a police officer who lives with her Muslim family who came from Afghanistan. The other members of the team come from many of the other cultures. The team has become close knit as they deal with bad situations.
There are two cases of officer involved shootings. The emotional powder keg of law enforcement and the communities of those killed requires the unit to have a cool head and dig for actual facts. There were instances of racial, cultural and religion bias or hate, along with misogyny. Inaya works with the team, and tries to help the various families in the community while solving the murders.
There are political and religious harassments, as well as police corruption making it all more difficult. Inaya works hard and with compassion for the victims and families. The cases get solved and the obvious solutions are not the answers. The realities of why the killings happened are much more complex. Blood Betrayal is another intriguing look at the different cultural and family interactions.
I read all types of books but my favorites are urban fantasy and romantic suspense.I like some romance and some action / adventure / mystery in everything.I like sex in my books but please, only between TWO people.Intimate conversation is equally important to the sex in a book.It lets me see the characters.The other thing I enjoy is humor.
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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 23-COYER
What an intriguing-sounding book!
There are lots of cultural groups to learn.
This series is new to me, but I love the setting and I’m always up for a mystery!
The cultural groups are new for me to learn more.