Jay Qasim - East of Hounslow (Jay Qasim, Book 1)

By Khurrum Rahman

Shortlisted for the Theakstons Old Peculiar Crime Novel of the Year Award 2019, shortlisted for the CWA John Creasey Debut Dagger Award 2018 and the CrimeFest Last Laugh Award 2018

A TELEGRAPH Book of the Year.

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.

The pulse-pounding spy thriller featuring MI5’s most unlikely and hilarious new hero Jay Qasim. Fans of Mick Herron and Ben Aaronvotich will love this fast-paced and gripping new crime thriller series.

Don’t miss the prequel to the series, The Motive, written exclusively for Quick Reads 2021. And keep reading for Jay’s next adventure:
1. East of Hounslow
2. Homegrown Hero
3. Ride or Die

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Readers LOVE the Jay Qasim series:

‘One of the best books I’ve read in a long time’
‘A modern and timely thriller’
‘Exciting, tense and thoroughly engaging’
‘A MUST read gripping, funny thriller’
‘Fast-paced and topical thriller’
‘A real page-turner’
‘Funny and gripping at the same time’

Format: Paperback
Release Date: 12 Jul 2018
Pages: 384
ISBN: 978-0-00-826209-9
Born in Karachi, Pakistan in 1975 Khurrum moved to England when he was one. He is a west London boy and now lives in Berkshire with his wife and two sons.Khurrum is currently working as a Senior IT Officer but his real love is writing. He has a screenplay which has been optioned by a Danish TV producer but is now concentrating on novels. East of Hounslow is his first novel; he is currently working on Homegrown Hero, the second in the Jay Qasim series.

‘Educated me about some of the most urgent issues of our time while making me repeatedly snort with laughter’. Telegraph -

”'Combining humour and tragedy is one of the hardest literary challenges, but Khurrum Rahman succeeds.” - TLS

”'Told with striking panache. Announces the arrival of a fine, fresh new thriller writer” - Daily Mail

”'A very funny but tense thriller…Think Four Lions meets Phone Shop” - Red

”'As much a coming-of-age story as a full-on action thriller, East of Hounslow is thought-provoking and entirely gripping.” - Guardian

”'Sweary, funny and, above all, an absolutely cracking thriller that you’ll tear through, this is the anti-James Bond that the 21st century needs” - Emerald Street

'East of Hounslow, in which a young Muslim finds himself forced to become an MI5 plant in a group of jihadists, is as British as Nelson’s Colum. A superb and exciting debut novel' Telegraph -

”'Clipped dialogues, staccato sentences and the hilariously brilliant prose set the pace of this excellent unputdownable crime thriller. The climax will leave you breathless.” - New Indian Express

‘A brilliant thriller. You’d be mad not to buy this.’Ben Aaronovitch, author of Rivers of London -

”'Excellent book. Phenomenal writing.” - BA Paris, author of Behind Closed Doors

”'I loved it. More please” - Mel McGrath, author of Give Me the Child

”'Builds to a heart-constricting climax” - Times Crime Club

”'The best thriller I’ve read in ages” - Stephen Leather