Shortlisted for the Theakstons Old Peculiar Crime Novel of the Year Award 2019, shortlisted for the CWA John Creasey Debut Dagger Award 2018 and the CrimeFest Last Laugh Award 2018A TELEGRAPH Book of the Year. Meet Jay.Small-time dealer.Accidental jihadist.The one man who can save us all?Javid – call him Jay – is a dope dealer living in West London. He goes to mosque on Friday, and he’s just … jihadist.
The one man who can save us all?
Javid – call him Jay – is a dope dealer living in West London. He goes to mosque on Friday, and he’s just bought his pride and joy – a BMW. He lives with his mum, and life seems sweet.
But his world is about to turn upside-down. Because MI5 have been watching him, and they think he’s just the man they need for a delicate mission.
One thing’s for sure: now he’s a long way East of Hounslow, Jay’s life will never be the same again.
With the edgy humour of Four Lions and the pulse-racing tension of Nomad, East of Hounslow is the first in a series of thrillers starring Jay Qasim.
Reviewers love East of Hounslow:
‘Marvellous. Totally marvellous. Hilarious. Brilliant. Grounded in reality, with some fabulous dialogue. So absorbing, you forget the rest of the world exists. Khurrum Rahman is an author to keep your eye on.’
‘Told with wit and flair, it is both funny and gripping in equal measure. I can’t wait for the next one.’
‘One of the most enjoyable books I have read this year’
‘Superb British crime writing.’
‘If you like modern spy novels, such as the excellent, “Slow Horses,” series, by Mick Herron, then you will enjoy this. Realistic, intelligent, moving and also full of humour, this is a great read.’
‘Apparently, we haven’t heard the last of Jay and I for one can’t wait for his next outing, for if it’s anything like East of Hounslow it’ll be great.’
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What. A. Ride.
I lived in Hounslow in the 90s. This is my old hood. But when I lived there I was a Customs Officer trying to stop crime, whereas our protagonist Jay is a low level criminal, dealing drugs whilst still going to the Mosque every Friday…
An eye-opening view into the world of Muslim extremists, with a dash of MI5, and a side serving of Afghanistan, coupled with an armed drug lord and wrapped up with humour and a Mummy’s boy…
I can recommend reading this to get a slight insight into the lives of your everyday Muslim. Yes, it is about Muslim extremists, but it’s so much more than that. It’s daily like, it’s prayers, it’s religion as a way of life. It’s people going about their lives apart from a small fringe – a fringe which gets all the media attention.
Well worth a read. A great twist in a fast-paced terrorism thriller. Can’t say any more other I didn’t see the twist coming. But then I never do! I’m like the perfect reader.
First in the Jay Qasim crime thriller series. Originally released in 2017, it’s being reissued to coincide with the expected July 2020 publication of the third book in the series.
What a fabulous book. If you missed it first time around, do yourself a favor and pick it up right now. It’s funny, gritty, fast-paced, relevant, and disturbing, and it has one of the best lead characters around.
Javid Qasim – call him Jay – is a low-level London drug dealer, to the disappointment of his best mate from school, who is now a police detective. He’s a Friday afternoon Muslim, attending mosque only once a week, to the disappointment of his more devout neighbor. He lives with his mum, just bought his first nice car, and enjoys playing video games while wearing his Batman onesie. And for reasons he doesn’t fully understand, he’s about to be pressured into working for M15 to spy on potential radicalization among his friends.
Jay is fast-talking, funny, loyal, and resourceful. Extroverted and engaging, he moves fluidly among people divided by ethnicity, class, and allegiance. As Jay settles into his role as an M15 informant, Rahman skillfully portrays the day-to-day prejudice that Muslims experience, from outright hostility to more covert slights, and explores how the resulting rage and offense can be exploited.
If I have a criticism, it may be that there are too many characters for their full development. Infighting at M15 flares but then resolves in a rush, ultimately adding little to the plot. We learn the backstory for Jay’s quasi-love interest only late in the book, in a few cursory lines.
But these are quibbles in a book with a main character as vibrant as Jay. I look forward to more adventures with Jay, as he navigates a chaotic, violent, and confusing world, working through what it means to be a son, a friend, and a man. To be pure.
Many thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Actually, I quit after about five pages. There was a great deal of foul language, used in practically every sentence. It might be an interesting book if someone likes that sort of thing, but I wasn’t going to stick with it.