Review of Khanjar

Anaïs Quesson · Post by **Anaïs Quesson** » 20 Oct 2023, 11:33

[Following is a volunteer review of "Khanjar" by Bob O'Brien.]

3 out of 5 stars

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“You are not the boy I raised.”

Dr. Nasir 'Paul' Shehadeh is a young Palestinian engineer. After completing his studies in China, Paul moves to the United States. He enrolls at Columbia University for a year as a lecturer and a researcher. Paul's ambition is considerable. His research project is unprecedented: he plans to deliver drinkable water to his homeland by building a desalination plant in the Middle East and a pipeline through Israeli territory. The Chinese government sponsors the whole project.
Meanwhile, in New York's FBI agency, agent Semra 'Bec' Bekele has to find herself a new partner when her friend gets promoted. One of her colleagues catches her eye. Athletic and secretive, Musa Halmat seems like the ideal partner. She decides to team up with him.
Both storylines cross when a bombing occurs at the Kensico Reservoir, a dam that provides water to Manhattan. Shehadeh's life takes a dramatic turn when he is suspected. The political motives behind his pipeline project are complex and shady. Destroying the main water source of Manhattan could be a forceful way of proving to the Americans the importance of his research.

Is Dr. Shehadeh as well-intended as he claims to be? How far is he ready to go to complete his project? Is he the brain fomenting the terrorist attack? Read Khanjar, Bob O'Brien's brilliant thriller, to find out.

The novel explores numerous themes: patriotism, terrorism, determination, and betrayal.
The political intrigues are thoroughly explained and well-documented. I enjoyed Rosa's character as she tries to remain unbiased. She does not see the world in black and white but in shades of gray. The engineering science is well-explained. It remains interesting and understandable without lengthy technical details. Every Arabic word, such as khanjar, is translated and explained.
In other words, I admire how the author adapted such complex concepts into a book that is easy to understand.

I appreciate Paul's character. His position keeps shifting as the story unfolds. The reader constantly wonders if he is a protagonist or an antagonist. The mystery lingers until the end, which I particularly enjoyed.
I was happy, at first, to see that this book includes many women in positions of power. Rapidly, though, my excitement was tarnished by misogynistic comments. It might be only a few sentences here and there, but it was enough to distract me from the narrative. "Bec would charm the bad guys, and Musa would take them down if the charm offensive didn't work"*? Really, Bob?
Details like this sadden me because the characters are well-developed in this book. I enjoyed how each one has its personality and opinions and how they interact with each other.

This book is professionally edited. I only noticed a few errors here and there, mostly missing punctuation marks. It did not impact my reading experience.

I ended up giving Khanjar a rating of 3 out of 5 stars.
I debated this rating for a long time. Unfortunately, I was not as immersed in the story as I expected. Some minor details in the storytelling, such as this sentence I quoted, completely distracted me from the narrative. It was difficult to enjoy the book thoroughly when these details bothered me here and there. For these reasons, I can't give it a perfect rating.
However, the story is entertaining. The ending left me on the edge of my seat. If you usually enjoy fast-paced thrillers, you will love this book.

* This is a quote from chapter 17.

******
Khanjar
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The Keeper Jr · Post by **The Keeper Jr** » 27 Oct 2023, 06:02

The name of the book sounds like there's some kind of huge betrayal in the story. The story seems intriguing and I enjoyed your review. I do understand why you gave it a less rating. However it seems like a mystery and I would love to try it. Thanks for the insightful review!

Anaïs Quesson · Post by **Anaïs Quesson** » 27 Oct 2023, 06:38

The Keeper Jr wrote: ↑27 Oct 2023, 06:02 The name of the book sounds like there's some kind of huge betrayal in the story. The story seems intriguing and I enjoyed your review. I do understand why you gave it a less rating. However it seems like a mystery and I would love to try it. Thanks for the insightful review!

Thank you for your kind comment. I hope you will like this book if you try it!

Cara Wilding · Post by **Cara Wilding** » 27 Oct 2023, 11:07

Anaïs Quesson wrote: ↑20 Oct 2023, 11:33 [Following is a volunteer review of "Khanjar" by Bob O'Brien.]

“You are not the boy I raised.”

Dr. Nasir 'Paul' Shehadeh is a young Palestinian engineer. After completing his studies in China, Paul moves to the United States. He enrolls at Columbia University for a year as a lecturer and a researcher. Paul's ambition is considerable. His research project is unprecedented: he plans to deliver drinkable water to his homeland by building a desalination plant in the Middle East and a pipeline through Israeli territory. The Chinese government sponsors the whole project.

Meanwhile, in New York's FBI agency, agent Semra 'Bec' Bekele has to find herself a new partner when her friend gets promoted. One of her colleagues catches her eye. Athletic and secretive, Musa Halmat seems like the ideal partner. She decides to team up with him.
Both storylines cross when a bombing occurs at the Kensico Reservoir, a dam that provides water to Manhattan.

I appreciate Paul's character. His position keeps shifting as the story unfolds. The reader constantly wonders if he is a protagonist or an antagonist. The mystery lingers until the end, which I particularly enjoyed.

I was happy, at first, to see that this book includes many women in positions of power. Rapidly, though, my excitement was tarnished by misogynistic comments. It might be only a few sentences here and there, but it was enough to distract me from the narrative. "Bec would charm the bad guys, and Musa would take them down if the charm offensive didn't work"*? Really, Bob?

Anais, I have been eagerly awaiting to see what book you chose to review next! As always, I enjoyed reading your review. What struck me the most about your review of this book is the question of whether or not Paul's character is the protagonist or an antagonist. I'm not sure I've ever read a book where I've questioned that! I love the idea! The plot is timely considering everything going on in the world right now with China, the Middle East, and even Israel. I was surprised to see a Palestinian planning a pipeline through Israeli territority, and wondered how that would come to be. I was not as surprised to see China helping with the endeavor, which makes it feel more realistic.

It's too bad about the portrayal of female characters

I can understand how it could impact the rating for you. I'm super curious about your introductory quote "You are not the boy I raised." Was this being said to Paul?! It leaves an ominous impression that it was and that he definitely could be the culprit in this story line - nicely done! This book clearly has a unique plot, a mystery that demands to be solved, and a fast-pace...all of which are exciting to me! I may very well have to give this one a try. Those comments you mentioned won't come as a shock to me now that I know they are there. Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts and this review with us! Until next time...

Anaïs Quesson · Post by **Anaïs Quesson** » 27 Oct 2023, 12:39

Cara Wilding wrote: ↑27 Oct 2023, 11:07 Anais, I have been eagerly awaiting to see what book you chose to review next! As always, I enjoyed reading your review. What struck me the most about your review of this book is the question of whether or not Paul's character is the protagonist or an antagonist. I'm not sure I've ever read a book where I've questioned that! I love the idea! The plot is timely considering everything going on in the world right now with China, the Middle East, and even Israel. I was surprised to see a Palestinian planning a pipeline through Israeli territority, and wondered how that would come to be. I was not as surprised to see China helping with the endeavor, which makes it feel more realistic.

It's too bad about the portrayal of female characters I can understand how it could impact the rating for you. I'm super curious about your introductory quote "You are not the boy I raised." Was this being said to Paul?! It leaves an ominous impression that it was and that he definitely could be the culprit in this story line - nicely done! This book clearly has a unique plot, a mystery that demands to be solved, and a fast-pace...all of which are exciting to me! I may very well have to give this one a try. Those comments you mentioned won't come as a shock to me now that I know they are there. Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts and this review with us! Until next time...

Hello again, Cara!
I really enjoyed this book. The political intrigues resonate a lot with what's going on in the world lately. I think (and hope!!) you will like this book if you give it a try

Judging on your past reviews, I think you will!
Thank you for always taking the time to leave such kind comments, it's always a pleasure.
Until next time indeed

Bettny Andrade · Post by **Bettny Andrade** » 27 Oct 2023, 18:51

Although I like this type of plot, what you say about the book does not capture me, it may become a completely interesting book but, for now, I would not choose it. Thanks for your review.

Anaïs Quesson · Post by **Anaïs Quesson** » 28 Oct 2023, 01:22

Bettny Andrade wrote: ↑27 Oct 2023, 18:51 Although I like this type of plot, what you say about the book does not capture me, it may become a completely interesting book but, for now, I would not choose it. Thanks for your review.

Everyone has their own tastes in books ahah. Thank for stopping by and taking the time to leave a comment, Bettny!

RJ Reviews · Post by **RJ Reviews** » 05 Nov 2023, 22:36

I loved the review! It is so well-written and clearly states what works and what doesn't work for the readers. I had been debating about picking up this book but wasn't sure what to expect. Now I know that it isn’t for me. Thank you for sharing your honest feedback on this book.

Anaïs Quesson · Post by **Anaïs Quesson** » 06 Nov 2023, 08:09

RJ Reviews wrote: ↑05 Nov 2023, 22:36 I loved the review! It is so well-written and clearly states what works and what doesn't work for the readers. I had been debating about picking up this book but wasn't sure what to expect. Now I know that it isn’t for me. Thank you for sharing your honest feedback on this book.

Thank you for your kind comment, RJ.

Well, I'm happy my review could save you some time, if this is not the kind of book you usually enjoy!

Cara Wilding · Post by **Cara Wilding** » 06 Nov 2023, 17:22

Anaïs Quesson wrote: ↑27 Oct 2023, 12:39 Hello again, Cara!
I really enjoyed this book. The political intrigues resonate a lot with what's going on in the world lately. I think (and hope!!) you will like this book if you give it a try Judging on your past reviews, I think you will!
Thank you for always taking the time to leave such kind comments, it's always a pleasure.
Until next time indeed

I think the political intrigue and the fact that it is relevant to what is going on in the global landscape today is a big plus for this book. There's so many good recommendations! I better get to reading!

Rob Carr · Post by **Rob Carr** » 08 Nov 2023, 03:30

Well done on an interesting review. The plot of the book sounds interesting to me. It's a shame they didn't quite pull it off and that there were those off-putting comments.

Anaïs Quesson · Post by **Anaïs Quesson** » 08 Nov 2023, 15:58

Rob Carr wrote: ↑08 Nov 2023, 03:30 Well done on an interesting review. The plot of the book sounds interesting to me. It's a shame they didn't quite pull it off and that there were those off-putting comments.

Thank you a lot for taking the time to leave a comment, Rob!

Post by **Stephen Christopher 1** » 10 Nov 2023, 21:41

Hi Anaïs, when I first read your review, I went, 'Oh, I have to read this,' but then you gave it only 3 stars. I'm curious if the misogynistic content wasn't there, would you have lifted the rating to 4? I really want to give this book a go, so if I'm prepared for its negatives in advance, I might be able to look past them, if that makes sense hehe.

Anaïs Quesson · Post by **Anaïs Quesson** » 11 Nov 2023, 16:00

Stephen Christopher 1 wrote: ↑10 Nov 2023, 21:41 Hi Anaïs, when I first read your review, I went, 'Oh, I have to read this,' but then you gave it only 3 stars. I'm curious if the misogynistic content wasn't there, would you have lifted the rating to 4? I really want to give this book a go, so if I'm prepared for its negatives in advance, I might be able to look past them, if that makes sense hehe.

Hi, Stephen! Indeed, I think I could have rated it 4 stars if the narrative was different. You should really give it a try if the plot sounds interesting to you! Once you know about the negatives, I believe you can fully enjoy the story.

Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment!

Sakshi Singh 9097 · Post by **Sakshi Singh 9097** » 14 Nov 2023, 00:59

Thank you for your detailed review of 'Khanjar.' Your analysis of the complex themes, well-documented political intrigues, and the adaptability of intricate concepts into an easily understandable narrative is insightful. Your appreciation for the shifting character dynamics and the mystery surrounding Dr. Shehadeh adds depth to your critique. It's commendable how you highlight the book's professional editing and your consideration of the few distracting details. Your nuanced review offers a balanced perspective, making it valuable for readers who enjoy fast-paced thrillers. I look forward to more of your thoughtful reviews!