A Deadly Divide

A mass shooting at a mosque in Quebec leaves the community reeling. Police arrest Amadou Duchon, a young Muslim man who was at the scene tending to the injured, yet they let go Etienne Roy, a local priest found holding a weapon. At first glance this looks like a hate crime, but Esa Khattak and Rachel Getty suspect the picture is incomplete.

The two detectives are sent to work with a frightened community, where panic and suspicion, stoked by a right-wing radio host, make every step harder. As they work to keep the investigation from collapsing under mounting tensions, someone is steering Esa toward other conclusions. The unseen figure seems to predict each of his moves.

The novel is also about the strains that pull people apart, including the once-close partnership between Esa and Rachel and the wider divisions in a country under pressure. It is a tense, closely observed thriller that follows the detectives through a case where the stakes keep rising.