Jia Khan, a successful lawyer in London, finds herself sucked back into her father Akbar’s world of organised crime in Yorkshire after he is murdered. Not only does she find herself taking his place - a role traditionally saved for men - but she finds herself having to deal with new kids on the block, another organised crime organisation called The Brotherhood. Will she be able to get the Jirga, the male elders, to trust her, and will she be able to uphold her father’s legacy and restore justice to the streets?

It was gripping, and the pacing was perfect. Her Muslim faith and spirituality play an important role to Jia’s life, as well as her family’s, but the book isn’t focussed on her as a Muslim woman. I love that she is an incredibly complex woman, and fits no stereotypes, neither the West’s stereotypes nor is she a squeaky clean perfect Muslim woman either. One of the things I admired most about Jia is her ability to keep her cool in the face of men - there were points where if I’d been in her place I’d want to have answer them back and shut the men in the jirga down, but she was smart and knew exactly what to say and when to bite her tongue.

It’s clearly set in Bradford where I lived for 2 1/2 years, so it was nice recognising the areas Mir described in the book. Since reading The Khan every time I go to Bradford I find myself on the lookout for signs of organised crime! 😅😆

Excited to hear that The Khan has been optioned for a TV adaptation - and that there will be a sequel!