I have been in a bit of a weird mood the last few days and haven’t been really enjoying much of anything. So when it came time to pick a book for this week’s post I was sort of stumped for a theme. Even when I used a random number, I kept looking at the books and thinking, “why the hell did I put this on my list!?” I even deleted a couple that really held no interest for me. So I guess that was a good thing about my mood this weekend? Anyways, I finally just decided to do one final random number and just do what ever book came up. Which is why I am here to talk about:
East of Hounslow by Khurrum Rahman
Publication date: July 28, 2020
Summary from Goodreads:
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 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.
I remember coming across this book last summer and thinking it sounded really interesting and something that I would enjoy. I like stories where ordinary people find themselves in extraordinary circumstances and end up being the hero. I have read a lot of cold war thrillers back in the day and this one has a decidedly contemporary feel to that genre. It hasn’t had a lot of reviews on Goodreads, but it has a rating of 4.08 which is pretty good for a debut. I have put a hold on it at the library so I hope that I will be reading it soon.
What do you think? Does this sound like a good book?
Confessions of a Serial Reader 