The Language of Secrets: A Esa Khattak and Rachel Getty Mystery (Book 2) - Softcover

The sequel to The Unquiet Dead by Ausma Zehanat Khan, featured on BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour

"Powerful" Bookpage "Exceptionally fine" Library Journal "Compelling" Leigh Russell

Detective Esa Khattak heads up Canada's Community Policing Section, which handles minority-sensitive cases across all levels of law enforcement. Khattak is still under scrutiny for his last case, so he's surprised when INSET, Canada's national security team, calls him in on another politically sensitive issue. For months, INSET has been investigating a local terrorist cell which is planning an attack on New Year's Day but their undercover informant, Mohsin Dar, has been murdered. Khattak used to know Mohsin, and he can't let this murder slide, so he sends his partner, Detective Rachel Getty, undercover into the unsuspecting mosque which houses the terrorist cell. As Rachel tentatively reaches out into the unfamiliar world of Islam, and begins developing relationships with the people of the mosque and the terrorist cell within it, the potential reasons for Mohsin's murder only seem to multiply, from the political and ideological to the intensely personal.

The Unquiet Dead author Ausma Zehanat Khan once again dazzles with a brilliant mystery woven into a profound and intimate story of humanity.

Praise for Ausma Zehanat Khan:

"Compelling and challenging, this is a beautifully written and powerful story of inhumanity and justice" ~ Leigh Russell, bestselling author of the DI Geraldine Steel series

"A tale of rich complexity... intricately woven, delicately revealed" ~ Luke McCallin, author of The Ashes of Berlin

"Exceptionally fine... A heartfelt novel for lovers of crime fiction and anyone interested in the complexities of living as a Muslim in the West today" ~ Library Journal

"A smart, measured, immersive dive into a poorly understood, terrifyingly relevant subculture of violent extremism" ~ Kirkus Reviews

"If you haven't read Khan's excellent debut, The Unquiet Dead, the second in the series will place this powerful new storyteller on your radar" ~ BookPage