Ausma Zehanat Khan is an American-Canadian novelist and author of crime and fantasy novels.

Biography

Khan holds a

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

International Human Rights Law International human rights law (IHRL) is the body of international law designed to promote human rights on social, regional, and domestic levels. As a form of international law, international human rights law is primarily made up of treaties, ag ...

with a research specialization in

military intervention Interventionism, in international politics, is the interference of a state or group of states into the domestic affairs of another state for the purposes of coercing that state to do something or refrain from doing something. The intervention ca ...

and

war crime A war crime is a violation of the laws of war that gives rise to individual criminal responsibility for actions by combatants in action, such as intentionally killing civilians or intentionally killing prisoners of war, torture, taking hostage ...

s in the

Balkans The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...

. She received her

LL.B. A Bachelor of Laws (; LLB) is an undergraduate law degree offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree and serves as the first professional qualification for legal practitioners. This degree requires the study of core legal subje ...

and

LL.M. A Master of Laws (M.L. or LL.M.; Latin: ' or ') is a postgraduate academic degree, pursued by those either holding an undergraduate academic law degree, a professional law degree, or an undergraduate degree in another subject. In many jurisdi ...

from the

University of Ottawa The University of Ottawa (), often referred to as uOttawa or U of O, is a Official bilingualism in Canada, bilingual public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on directly to the northeast of Downtown Ot ...

, and her

B.A. A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree ...

English Literature English literature is literature written in the English language from the English-speaking world. The English language has developed over more than 1,400 years. The earliest forms of English, a set of Anglo-Frisian languages, Anglo-Frisian d ...

and

Sociology Sociology is the scientific study of human society that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. The term sociol ...

from the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...

. She practiced

immigration law Immigration law includes the national statutes, Primary and secondary legislation, regulations, and Precedent, legal precedents governing immigration into and deportation from a country. Strictly speaking, it is distinct from other matters such as ...

in Toronto, and was an

international human rights law International human rights law (IHRL) is the body of international law designed to promote human rights on social, regional, and domestic levels. As a form of international law, international human rights law is primarily made up of treaties, ag ...

professor at

Northwestern University Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...

as well as a human rights and

business law Commercial law (or business law), which is also known by other names such as mercantile law or trade law depending on jurisdiction; is the body of law that applies to the rights, relations, and conduct of persons and organizations engaged in ...

professor at

York University York University (), also known as YorkU or simply YU), is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, and it has approximately 53,500 students, 7,000 faculty and staff, ...

. She has lived in the United States for fifteen years and resides in

Denver Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

, Colorado. Khan was the editor-in-chief of ''

Muslim Girl ''Muslim Girl Magazine'' was a bi-monthly fashion, beauty, and lifestyle publication marketed for young Muslim women. The magazine was first published in January 2007. It was published by Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is ...

'' magazine from 2007 until the magazine's closure. Two documentaries were made about the publication, and it was featured in hundreds of national and international profiles and interviews including

CNN International Cable News Network International or CNN International (CNNi, simply branded on-air as CNN) is an international television channel and website, owned by CNN Worldwide. CNN International carries news-related programming worldwide; it cooperates ...

Current TV Current TV was an American television channel which broadcast from August 1, 2005, to August 20, 2013. Prior INdTV founders Al Gore and Joel Hyatt, with Ronald Burkle, each held a sizable stake in Current TV. Comcast and DirecTV each held a small ...

, and

Al Jazeera English Al Jazeera English (AJE; , ) is a 24-hour English-language News broadcasting, news channel operating under Al Jazeera Media Network, which is funded by the government of Qatar. Al Jazeera introduced an English-language division in 2006. It is ...

's "Everywoman". Khan published her first

crime novel Crime fiction, detective story, murder mystery, crime novel, mystery novel, and police novel are terms used to describe narratives or fiction that centre on criminal acts and especially on the investigation, either by an amateur or a profession ...

The Unquiet Dead "The Unquiet Dead" is the third episode of the first series of the British science-fiction television programme ''Doctor Who'', first broadcast on 9 April 2005 on BBC One. It was written by Mark Gatiss and directed by Euros Lyn. In the episo ...

'' in 2015; the book received "best first novel" accolades from both the

Arthur Ellis Awards The Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence, formerly known as the Arthur Ellis Awards, are a group of Canadian literary awards, presented annually by the Crime Writers of Canada for the best Canadian crime and mystery writing published in the ...

and the Barry Awards in 2016. ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

' wrote of the novel: "Throughout Getty and Khattak's solid and comprehensive investigation, Khan's talents are evident. This first in what may become a series is a many-faceted gem. It's a sound

police procedural The police procedural, police show, or police crime drama is a subgenre of procedural drama and detective fiction that emphasises the investigative procedure of police officers, police detectives, or law enforcement agency, law enforcement agencies ...

, a somber study of loss and redemption and, most of all, a grim effort to make sure that crimes against humanity are not forgotten." ''

Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus. The magazine's publisher, Kirkus Media, is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fiction, no ...

'' wrote: "Khan's stunning debut is a poignant, elegantly written mystery laced with complex characters who force readers to join them in dealing with ugly truths." The novel also received a starred review in both ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

'' and ''

Library Journal ''Library Journal'' is an American trade publication for librarians. It was founded in 1876 by Melvil Dewey. It reports news about the library world, emphasizing public libraries, and offers feature articles about aspects of professional prac ...

''. In 2017, Khan published her fantasy debut, ''The Bloodprint'' (

Harper Voyager HarperCollins Publishers LLC is a British–American publishing company that is considered to be one of the " Big Five" English-language publishers, along with Penguin Random House, Hachette, Macmillan, and Simon & Schuster. HarperCollins is h ...

), the first in ''The Khorasan Archives'', a five-book

epic fantasy High fantasy, or epic fantasy, is a subgenre of fantasy defined by the epic nature of its setting or by the epic stature of its characters, themes, or plot. Brian Stableford, ''The A to Z of Fantasy Literature'', (p. 198), Scarecrow Pres ...

series. ''The Bladebone'', Book 5, will be published in October 2020. In 2018, Khan's middle-grade non-fiction book ''

Ramadan Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting (''Fasting in Islam, sawm''), communal prayer (salah), reflection, and community. It is also the month in which the Quran is believed ...

'' was published by Orca Books as part of its ''Origins'' series. It was selected as a Children's Book Council Notable

Social Studies In many countries' curricula, social studies is the combined study of humanities, the arts, and social sciences, mainly including history, economics, and civics. The term was coined by American educators around the turn of the twentieth century as ...

Trade Book for Young People 2019, as well as the Children's Literature Roundtable of Canada's 2019 Information Book Award Honour Book. It was also nominated for a Hackmatack Children's Choice Award. In 2020, Khan's nonfiction essay "Origins and Destinations" was published by

Seal Press Basic Books is a book publisher founded in 1950 and located in New York City, now an imprint of Hachette Book Group. It publishes books in the fields of psychology, philosophy, economics, science, politics, sociology, current affairs, and his ...

in the crime fiction writers'

anthology In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs, or related fiction/non-fiction excerpts by different authors. There are also thematic and g ...

, ''Private Investigations'' (ed. Victoria Zackheim). Her short story "The Once and Future Qadi" will be forthcoming in the ''Sword Stone Table'' anthology, also in 2020. In a 2018 interview with

Nick Douglas Nick Douglas (born Nicholas Charles Douklias; August 31, 1967), also credited as Nick Mitchell, is an American rock musician, best known for being the bass player of Doro Pesch's band from 1990 to 2020. He released a solo album in 2001 and a s ...

, published in '' Life Hacker magazine'', Khan described how she devoted more time to her writing as a novelist when she and her husband began moving more often, and it didn't seem worthwhile to get the qualification to practice law in a short-term home. She currently lives in

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

Works

Novels

Rachel Getty and Esa Khattak series

* ''

'' (2015) * ''The Language of Secrets'' (2016) * ''Among the Ruins'' (2017) * ''A Death in Sarajevo'' (2017) (novella) * ''A Dangerous Crossing'' (2018) * ''A Deadly Divide'' (2019)

Khorasan Archives series

* ''The Bloodprint'' (2017) * ''The Black Khan'' (2018) * ''The Blue Eye'' (2019) * ''The Bladebone'' (2020)

Detective Inaya Rahman series

* ''Blackwater Falls'' (2022) * ''Blood Betrayal'' (2023)

Nonfiction

*''Ramadan'' (2018) *"Origins and Destinations", in ''Private Investigations'' (2020)

Short stories

*"The Once and Future Qadi", in ''Sword Stone Table'' (2020)

Honors and awards

Awards

2016 Best First Novel for ''The Unquiet Dead'' *

Barry Award (for crime novels) The Barry Award is a crime literary prize awarded annually since 1997 by the editors of ''Deadly Pleasures'', an American quarterly publication for crime fiction readers. From 2007 to 2009 the award was jointly presented with the publication ''My ...

2016 Best First Novel for ''The Unquiet Dead''

Nominations

Macavity Awards The Macavity Awards, established in 1987, are a group of literary awards presented annually to mystery writers. Nominated and voted upon annually by the members of the Mystery Readers International, the award is named for the " mystery cat" of T. ...

2016 Best First Novel pour ''The Unquiet Dead''

References

External links

Ausma Zehanat Khan
website

Bibliography

9 janvier 2015 {{DEFAULTSORT:Khan, Ausma Zehanat British emigrants to Canada Canadian mystery writers Canadian fantasy writers Canadian people of Pakistani descent Women mystery writers American women science fiction and fantasy writers Canadian women science fiction and fantasy writers Canadian women novelists Barry Award winners Living people University of Ottawa alumni University of Toronto alumni 21st-century Canadian novelists 21st-century Canadian women writers Year of birth missing (living people)