The Lines We Cross

The next compelling mystery in Ausma Zehanat Khan’s award-winning Blackwater Falls series starring Detective Inaya Rahman. As campus protests against the war on Gaza sweep the country, Detective Inaya Rahman is pulled in different directions by her family, her work, and her Muslim identity. Encouraged by their professor, Wael Shehadeh, a Palestinian human rights scholar, Inaya’s younger sisters set up a protest camp on the Blackwater Falls college quad with other students. As the atmosphere on campus becomes increasingly tense, Wael receives death threats . . . and ultimately meets a shocking end. Inaya is devastated by the news, knowing she failed to protect him. In a disturbing twist of fate, Wael’s body is found by Lieutenant Waqas “Qas” Seif. Seif comes home one night to find a car on his driveway with Wael’s body inside. The catch? The car belongs to his younger twin brothers, and one of the twins, Alireza, has suddenly disappeared. Seif must uncover Alireza’s secrets before his brother ends up arrested for Wael Shehadeh’s murder. Racing against the clock, Seif discovers that Alireza and Wael were visiting a dangerous prisoner at a maximum security prison in Colorado. Inspired by Wael’s passionate defense of the Palestinian people, Alireza was also deeply involved in the protests at Blackwater Falls College. There were many who wanted to see Wael silenced, but Seif must determine who would go as far as murder. Inaya’s desire to seek justice for Wael leads her through the competing politics of the Israel/Palestine crisis, as well as zealous national debates about student activism and police violence. As Seif faces his own battle protecting his family while coming to terms with his Palestinian heritage, he distances himself from Inaya. Left to lead a murder investigation on her own, Inaya turns to her sisters for help to uncover who killed Wael Shehadeh. Known for the complexity and depth of her portrayal of a fractured Colorado town, Ausma Zehanat Khan delivers a searing and timely new mystery.