THE KHAN DILEMMA

Fast-paced political thriller fraught with domestic violence and terrorism, heartless ambition, misplaced loyalties and shifting alliances.

Set in gritty Las Cruces, Calif., first-time author Goodreau’s The Khan Dilemma slowly reveals a satisfying neo-noir story of dangerous goings-on in high (and even higher) places. What looks at first like a tragic but fairly routine double murder quickly becomes complicated when the perp, the titular Raheem Khan, is brained by a do-gooder neighbor who witnesses part of the crime. Kahn is left in a coma. District Attorney Rich Danko is busy with his problems (a federal investigation of his self-serving deeds), but not too busy to interfere with the work of prosecutor Max Siegel–who grows increasingly bewildered by the investigation and his boss’ constant meddling. As more details of the killer’s background emerge, in steps Ross, a smug, sinister FBI agent. Violence erupts in the form of repeated attempts on Siegel’s life and bizarre complications involving his beloved wife, Irina. When Khan finally speaks, he reveals details of the case that further confuse Siegel and his team. Is the crime actually connected to an international terrorist plot, or is everyone being manipulated by a secret cabal with a bloody agenda? Key to the action is local social and political kingpin Mr. Jinnah, also a Muslim. When the truth is finally uncovered, it neatly ties up the many tangles strands of Goodreau’s plot–and sets the stage for future battles between tough-but-honest Siegel and the evil that surrounds him. With subtle nods to the rot below the surface present in Dashiell Hammett’s Red Harvest, and the ever-mounting paranoia of Robert Ludlum’s Osterman Weekend, the only real dilemma readers face is what to do until the sequel is published.

A timely and controversial book all-too-firmly rooted in disturbing fact.