Canadian police officer Esa Khattak is on leave in Iran. But his supposed break from work is cut short when he's approached by a Canadian government agent who asks him to investigate the death of renowned Canadian-Iranian filmmaker Zahra Sobhani. Zahra was murdered at Iran's notorious Evin prison, where she'd gone to seek the release of a political prisoner. Khattak quickly finds himself embroiled in Iran's tumultuous politics and under surveillance by the regime. When the trail leads back to Canada, Khattak enlists the help of his partner, Detective Rachel Getty.

Working with Khattak's oldest friend and a brash young reporter, Rachel uncovers a conspiracy linked to the Shah of Iran and the decades-old murders of a group of Iran's most famous dissidents. Missing historic letters, a connection to the Royal Ontario Museum and a smuggling operation on the Caspian Sea are just some of the threads Rachel and Khattak unravel in this murder investigation, while the list of suspects stretches from Tehran to Toronto. As Khattak gets caught up in the fate of Iran's political prisoners, Rachel sees through to the heart of the truth: Zahra's murder might not have been political at all. (From Minotaur Books)