The Language of Secrets

Khan revisits the foiled 2006 "Toronto 18" bombing plot as a touchstone for her characters' current case. After an undercover officer is murdered, Canadian Inspector Esa Khattak is assigned to keep the agent's top-secret terrorist investigation under wraps. Despite his hands-off orders, Esa, a Muslim, doggedly stalks his friend's murderer by embedding partner Rachel Getty at a Toronto mosque to pose as an initiate. Rachel quickly amasses clues and suspects, but her unofficial status means she and Esa are on their own. Khan describes the Jihadist mind-set and Muslim culture in detail, in effect embedding the listener at Rachel's side. She tightens the noose as Detective Getty becomes increasingly imperiled and is eventually snowed in at a Jihadist training camp with no backup. Peter Ganim imbues Esa's voice with gentleness and patience, while the bad guys simmer with malevolence.