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Almost Surely Dead
A psychological thriller with a twist, Almost Surely Dead is a chilling account of how one woman’s life spins out of control after a terrifying—and seemingly random—attempt on her life.
Dunia Ahmed lives an ordinary life—or she definitely used to. Now she’s the subject of a true crime podcast. She’s been missing for over a year, and no one knows if she’s dead or alive. But her story has listeners obsessed, and people everywhere are sporting merch that demands “Find Dunia!” In the days before her disappearance, Dunia is a successful pharmacist living in New York. The daughter of Pakistani immigrants, she’s coping with a broken engagement and the death of her mother. But then something happens that really shakes up her someone tries to murder her. When her would-be killer winds up dead, Dunia figures the worst is over. But then there’s another attempt on her life…and another. And police suspect someone close to her may be the culprit. Dunia struggles to make sense of what’s happening. And as childhood superstitions seep into her reality, she becomes convinced that someone—or some thing —is truly after her.
Dunia Ahmed lives an ordinary life—or she definitely used to. Now she’s the subject of a true crime podcast. She’s been missing for over a year, and no one knows if she’s dead or alive. But her story has listeners obsessed, and people everywhere are sporting merch that demands “Find Dunia!” In the days before her disappearance, Dunia is a successful pharmacist living in New York. The daughter of Pakistani immigrants, she’s coping with a broken engagement and the death of her mother. But then something happens that really shakes up her someone tries to murder her. When her would-be killer winds up dead, Dunia figures the worst is over. But then there’s another attempt on her life…and another. And police suspect someone close to her may be the culprit. Dunia struggles to make sense of what’s happening. And as childhood superstitions seep into her reality, she becomes convinced that someone—or some thing —is truly after her.
298 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 6, 2024
About the author
Amina Akhtar
3 books359 followersAmina Akhtar is a former fashion writer and editor. She’s worked at Vogue, Elle.com, Style.com, NYTimes.com, and NYMag.com where she was the founding editor of The Cut blog. She’s written for numerous publications, including Yahoo Style, Fashionista, xoJane, Refinery29, Billboard, and for brands like Bergdorf Goodman and H&M’s 10 Years of Style tome. After toiling in the fashion ranks for over fifteen years, she now writes full time in the desert mountains, where she’s detoxing from her once glam life. #FashionVictim is Amina’s first novel.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,664 reviews
August 28, 2023
Let me get the reviews started by saying how much I loved this book. It got me out of a reading slump. When I say I read it one evening...and I was tearing through the pages too. The subway-riding New Yorker in me was freaked out about that opening though.
This book is such a perfect mix of culture, suspense and character. And really shows us why it's so important to publish a diverse group of authors who are able to bring their talent and culture to crime fiction.
This book is such a perfect mix of culture, suspense and character. And really shows us why it's so important to publish a diverse group of authors who are able to bring their talent and culture to crime fiction.
January 6, 2024
It started strong, but I felt the whole premise fell apart and the ending was not satisfying. Maybe 2.5⭐️
January 2, 2024
I was able to get a copy of this book on Amazon FirstReads... started it in the evening and woke up to immediately finish it, as I was very gripped by the mystery!
I loved that our main character was Pakistani and that so much of the mystery, as well as sub-plot was infused with aspects of Islamic culture, Desi culture, and folklore. I wish it had more of this.
The multi-POV was well done (and I say this as someone who normally avoids books written in multi-POV). I loved current day and 5-year old Dunia exposition. However, I will say that the podcast POV got to the point where I wanted to just skip those chapters. I completelyyy understand that the author wrote those white women to be insufferable and looking to profit off someone else's pain. Mission accomplished, but I really think I would have been even more engaged with that aspect of the story if it were podcasters taking the whole "Find Dunia" movement more seriously and potentially doing deep dives into what a jinn is to educate the audience (and therefore the reader).
I also guessed the "whodunnit" piece VERY early on, so I think that's why I wished that POV was something a little different.
Overall, I would read more from this author and I do think this book will be well-received for a super digestible and binge-worthy thriller mystery.
I loved that our main character was Pakistani and that so much of the mystery, as well as sub-plot was infused with aspects of Islamic culture, Desi culture, and folklore. I wish it had more of this.
The multi-POV was well done (and I say this as someone who normally avoids books written in multi-POV). I loved current day and 5-year old Dunia exposition. However, I will say that the podcast POV got to the point where I wanted to just skip those chapters. I completelyyy understand that the author wrote those white women to be insufferable and looking to profit off someone else's pain. Mission accomplished, but I really think I would have been even more engaged with that aspect of the story if it were podcasters taking the whole "Find Dunia" movement more seriously and potentially doing deep dives into what a jinn is to educate the audience (and therefore the reader).
I also guessed the "whodunnit" piece VERY early on, so I think that's why I wished that POV was something a little different.
Overall, I would read more from this author and I do think this book will be well-received for a super digestible and binge-worthy thriller mystery.
January 7, 2024
There were good ideas here, but this was just so poorly written. Choppy sentences, lots of exclamation points, silly inner dialogue. Typos. Very unrealistic as far as what was able to be said by police witnesses etc on a random podcast regarding an open case. Interesting concept, very poor execution.
January 11, 2024
I really wanted to like this book, and in some ways I did. The concept was interesting, I enjoyed seeing the story play out from a variety of perspectives, and the inclusion of the South Asian folklore was captivating (especially as I personally hadn't heard of it before). However, the actual execution of the book really fell flat. Ultimately, while I was interested enough to see it through, the book was more of a chore than a fun experience.
My biggest issue was the writing itself. It just felt so juvenile and underdeveloped. Adult-Dunia spoke the exact same way as Child-Dunia, which was jarring. Choppy sentences, exclamation marks, sporadic acknowledgements of the audience, and a tendency to tell instead of show made the tone a lot more casual and relaxed than it should've been for a book about a woman who is constantly about to be murdered. It felt more like I was reading a summary told by a friend than a thrilling account of a haunting tale. There were also many examples of Dunia repeating herself or contradicting herself within a short timespan, which was just frustrating.
Dunia herself was also just not an exciting character. She was a passive observer through pretty much the whole thing, letting everyone else tell her key information and do things to her. Other than one self-defense class, she never took an active role in protecting herself or moving the story along. In fact, there was really no development from her at all. She would say that she needed to do something differently, but it was always irrelevant in one way or another. All she really did was complain about how terrible her life was or how bad of a person she was. While it's a very realistic feeling, it doesn't make for an engaging character. The self-deprecation got really old really fast, especially considering she acted the exact same throughout the entire book.
That all being said, the saving grace of the book was the general concept. With more time and care put into the execution, I think I would've rated the book a lot higher, because I do think it has a good foundation. I'm going to be vague in an effort to not spoil the book, but I think it's safe to say that some of the answers regarding Dunia's mystery lie in the South Asian folklore that Dunia was both never taught and fled from in her adult life. I was very interested to learn about this stuff, and it was the most interesting part of the story. However, it was only ever told to Dunia (and, by extension, us) through conversations where someone else was going the research. I wanted Dunia to be more involved in the process of learning about and unpacking the truth of these cultural stories, both because it would've made the book more interesting and because it would've added some depth to Dunia's character as she reconnects to her lost history.
Taking Dunia out of the investigation entirely made the story bland, often leaning more towards the tone of a college lecture (which is a lazy plot device for exposition that, yes, this book had) than a thriller. But more than that, it contributed to a weak ending. Every answer was given to us either by Dunia's friends or by the podcast hosts (which I'll get into more in a moment). Instead of putting the reader right in the middle of things, we were just told the answers as if the author was checking off her "loose plot thread" list. While this does mean there's no room for holes, it also means there's no depth to the story. No real motives or grey areas to contemplate, just facts. The slight bit of suspense that had been built all just fizzled away because the author decided to be done, not because things reached a natural or exciting ending.
By far the best-executed sections were the podcast transcripts. The story is told from three points of view: 5-year-old Dunia, pre-disappearance Dunia, and the true crime podcast transcripts. While the hosts were absolutely insufferable (in this house we hate true crime), I liked how different their perspective was. The contrast between how they interpreted things (either through interviews or just general biases) and how Dunia experienced them was cool. I wish that the author had embraced that more with each of the different POVs. Each of them had a unique vantage point through which they were seeing Dunia's case unfold, and it would've been cool if the reader was given more of a chance to sift through each person's biases to find the true series of events. Instead, all the Child-Dunia and podcast sections did was spoil the main storyline and take away what little tension there was.
I also want to point out that, in general, the author seemed to do a lot better writing dialogue than prose. While most of Dunia's narration drove me crazy, I liked the conversations (even if there were too many of them). I attribute this to part of the reason why I liked the podcast sections more: as they were transcripts, they were just straight dialogue. Each character had a voice that came across really well and made me enjoy reading it, even if they were obnoxious true crime podcasters.
Finally, I wish that the "social politics" (for lack of a better phrase) was woven into the story better. When intersectionality was written naturally, I appreciated it. However, most of the time, these aspects were written in a way that felt preachy, even though I agreed with them. Again, speaking in vague terms to avoid spoilers: there's a message throughout about how the police are general unhelpful to women of color. That is a fact. But the narrative we were being presented didn't really match up with this message. In fact, the cops seemed to be almost TOO active in Dunia's case (as there were a lot of things that they did that would definitely not happen in real life). So Dunia complaining about the cops not taking her seriously never really made sense because we knew they were investigating this case for a really long time. A simple change like making Dunia's case cold by the time of the podcast (or even after the first murder attempt) would've helped a lot to convey the point that the author was trying to make. And there are many other examples like this; it's not that these issues don't exist in real life, it's that they don't exist for Dunia, which means there wasn't really a place for them in this story.
"Almost Surely Dead" could have been really good, it just never lived up to it's full potential. Everything felt half-baked and underwhelming, despite few moments of intrigue. With a little bit more work, I think a lot of it could've been saved.
My biggest issue was the writing itself. It just felt so juvenile and underdeveloped. Adult-Dunia spoke the exact same way as Child-Dunia, which was jarring. Choppy sentences, exclamation marks, sporadic acknowledgements of the audience, and a tendency to tell instead of show made the tone a lot more casual and relaxed than it should've been for a book about a woman who is constantly about to be murdered. It felt more like I was reading a summary told by a friend than a thrilling account of a haunting tale. There were also many examples of Dunia repeating herself or contradicting herself within a short timespan, which was just frustrating.
Dunia herself was also just not an exciting character. She was a passive observer through pretty much the whole thing, letting everyone else tell her key information and do things to her. Other than one self-defense class, she never took an active role in protecting herself or moving the story along. In fact, there was really no development from her at all. She would say that she needed to do something differently, but it was always irrelevant in one way or another. All she really did was complain about how terrible her life was or how bad of a person she was. While it's a very realistic feeling, it doesn't make for an engaging character. The self-deprecation got really old really fast, especially considering she acted the exact same throughout the entire book.
That all being said, the saving grace of the book was the general concept. With more time and care put into the execution, I think I would've rated the book a lot higher, because I do think it has a good foundation. I'm going to be vague in an effort to not spoil the book, but I think it's safe to say that some of the answers regarding Dunia's mystery lie in the South Asian folklore that Dunia was both never taught and fled from in her adult life. I was very interested to learn about this stuff, and it was the most interesting part of the story. However, it was only ever told to Dunia (and, by extension, us) through conversations where someone else was going the research. I wanted Dunia to be more involved in the process of learning about and unpacking the truth of these cultural stories, both because it would've made the book more interesting and because it would've added some depth to Dunia's character as she reconnects to her lost history.
Taking Dunia out of the investigation entirely made the story bland, often leaning more towards the tone of a college lecture (which is a lazy plot device for exposition that, yes, this book had) than a thriller. But more than that, it contributed to a weak ending. Every answer was given to us either by Dunia's friends or by the podcast hosts (which I'll get into more in a moment). Instead of putting the reader right in the middle of things, we were just told the answers as if the author was checking off her "loose plot thread" list. While this does mean there's no room for holes, it also means there's no depth to the story. No real motives or grey areas to contemplate, just facts. The slight bit of suspense that had been built all just fizzled away because the author decided to be done, not because things reached a natural or exciting ending.
By far the best-executed sections were the podcast transcripts. The story is told from three points of view: 5-year-old Dunia, pre-disappearance Dunia, and the true crime podcast transcripts. While the hosts were absolutely insufferable (in this house we hate true crime), I liked how different their perspective was. The contrast between how they interpreted things (either through interviews or just general biases) and how Dunia experienced them was cool. I wish that the author had embraced that more with each of the different POVs. Each of them had a unique vantage point through which they were seeing Dunia's case unfold, and it would've been cool if the reader was given more of a chance to sift through each person's biases to find the true series of events. Instead, all the Child-Dunia and podcast sections did was spoil the main storyline and take away what little tension there was.
I also want to point out that, in general, the author seemed to do a lot better writing dialogue than prose. While most of Dunia's narration drove me crazy, I liked the conversations (even if there were too many of them). I attribute this to part of the reason why I liked the podcast sections more: as they were transcripts, they were just straight dialogue. Each character had a voice that came across really well and made me enjoy reading it, even if they were obnoxious true crime podcasters.
Finally, I wish that the "social politics" (for lack of a better phrase) was woven into the story better. When intersectionality was written naturally, I appreciated it. However, most of the time, these aspects were written in a way that felt preachy, even though I agreed with them. Again, speaking in vague terms to avoid spoilers: there's a message throughout about how the police are general unhelpful to women of color. That is a fact. But the narrative we were being presented didn't really match up with this message. In fact, the cops seemed to be almost TOO active in Dunia's case (as there were a lot of things that they did that would definitely not happen in real life). So Dunia complaining about the cops not taking her seriously never really made sense because we knew they were investigating this case for a really long time. A simple change like making Dunia's case cold by the time of the podcast (or even after the first murder attempt) would've helped a lot to convey the point that the author was trying to make. And there are many other examples like this; it's not that these issues don't exist in real life, it's that they don't exist for Dunia, which means there wasn't really a place for them in this story.
"Almost Surely Dead" could have been really good, it just never lived up to it's full potential. Everything felt half-baked and underwhelming, despite few moments of intrigue. With a little bit more work, I think a lot of it could've been saved.
February 5, 2024
Won't Get Fooled Again
Review of the Amazon First Reads Kindle eBook edition (January 1, 2024), released in advance of the official publication by Mindy’s Book Studio in hardcover/paperback/eBook/audio formats (February 1, 2024)
This is my second encounter with the celebrity imprint publisher Mindy's Book Studio (fronted by writer/actress Mindy Kaling) via Amazon Prime First Reads and also the second time I have been deceived by the advance promotional materials. Both books were promoted as "Mystery" but in fact belonged in other genres. I reviewed I'll Stop the World (2023) as YA Stephen King-lite. Almost Surely Dead instead of being "Mystery" is in the "Supernatural Fantasy" genre.
The book does start off with an intriguing premise with pharmacist Dunia being targeted with murderous attacks on the subway and on the street. Then she disappears. Much of the story is told in hindsight by some attention seeking exploiters who deliver cringe-worthy commentary in their "Finding Dunia" podcast. There is also a 5-year-old Dunia backstory which gives an earlier perspective. Instead of a real-world explanation, the solution comes out of the supernatural realm and even with that revelation it still requires an Unsatisfactory Ending Alert™.
Much of what goes on is quite banal and involves a lot of wine drinking and whining. The final culprit reveal is easy to forecast based on Ebert's Law of the Economy of Characters. That the police would actually go on a podcast and reveal details of an ongoing investigation is completely unbelievable. Anyway, I hope to not be fooled again. The cover art was quite striking though and that did draw me in.
Trivia and Links
Amazon Prime First Reads advance reading copies (ARCs) are available to Amazon Prime subscribers. They offer advance reads of books in Kindle eBook format one month before the date of official release. The current month's selection is available here (Link goes to Amazon US, adjust for your own country or region).
Review of the Amazon First Reads Kindle eBook edition (January 1, 2024), released in advance of the official publication by Mindy’s Book Studio in hardcover/paperback/eBook/audio formats (February 1, 2024)
It was surreal to listen to your own life become entertainment fodder. I guessed that was the best anyone could hope for in this life. That people found you to be interesting enough to make a podcast about you.
This is my second encounter with the celebrity imprint publisher Mindy's Book Studio (fronted by writer/actress Mindy Kaling) via Amazon Prime First Reads and also the second time I have been deceived by the advance promotional materials. Both books were promoted as "Mystery" but in fact belonged in other genres. I reviewed I'll Stop the World (2023) as YA Stephen King-lite. Almost Surely Dead instead of being "Mystery" is in the "Supernatural Fantasy" genre.
The book does start off with an intriguing premise with pharmacist Dunia being targeted with murderous attacks on the subway and on the street. Then she disappears. Much of the story is told in hindsight by some attention seeking exploiters who deliver cringe-worthy commentary in their "Finding Dunia" podcast. There is also a 5-year-old Dunia backstory which gives an earlier perspective. Instead of a real-world explanation, the solution comes out of the supernatural realm and even with that revelation it still requires an Unsatisfactory Ending Alert™.
Much of what goes on is quite banal and involves a lot of wine drinking and whining. The final culprit reveal is easy to forecast based on Ebert's Law of the Economy of Characters. That the police would actually go on a podcast and reveal details of an ongoing investigation is completely unbelievable. Anyway, I hope to not be fooled again. The cover art was quite striking though and that did draw me in.
Trivia and Links
Amazon Prime First Reads advance reading copies (ARCs) are available to Amazon Prime subscribers. They offer advance reads of books in Kindle eBook format one month before the date of official release. The current month's selection is available here (Link goes to Amazon US, adjust for your own country or region).
October 20, 2023
Great read but the ending fell a lil flat
January 8, 2024
what?
Terrible ending. Kept you hooked, then let you down.
Do not recommend if you want a book that has closure.
Terrible ending. Kept you hooked, then let you down.
Do not recommend if you want a book that has closure.
July 10, 2024
I got to about 100 pages in on this audiobook and decided that it wasn't my thing! I think it could be really good if you're into true crime style reads- but I didn't connect with the style.
January 11, 2024
They will literally publish anything. The dialog was so robotic, the story was stupid and the writing was terrible.
February 3, 2024
Thank you NetGalley and Mindy’s Book Studio for the copy of Almost Surely Dead. I have been anxiously awaiting Amina Akhtar’s new book ever since I read her stunning book Kismet so I was excited to jump right in to this one. I was immediately drawn into Dunia’s story, from the attempt on her life to a podcast delving into her disappearance. The podcast was interesting and Amanda and Danielle are suitably exasperating. I loved learning about her childhood and the jinn stories her father told her, and as much as I loved her relationship with her father, I hated how she was treated by her mother. There is a captivating cast of characters and figuring out who the culprit was didn’t interfere in my enjoyment of the journey to seeing them unmasked. If you want a book you can’t put down with a mesmerizing story, don’t miss this one. Now the long wait for Akthar’s next book. I already can’t wait!
March 5, 2024
This book was a great idea, but unfortunately, it didn't turn out to be a good book. The story is about Dunia, a 40 something (?) single pharmisist living in NYC. When she is attacked on the subway, her life begins to fall apart, and we see how alone she is. She appears to be estranged from her family, who are from Pakistan. She has one best friend, who is successful and a bit too busy to hang out, and one scary ex-boyfriend.
The Good: I generally don't like it when a book pretends to be one genre and then switches to another, especially when it's a crime mystery and the supernatural is used to explain the mystery. However, in this book, it didn't bother me much because there were hints of the supernatural right from the beginning, like the mysterious smoke surrounding the first attacker. Additionally, I appreciated how the supernatural elements were gradually revealed and intertwined with Dunia's childhood and culture. The reveal of Baba to be make-believe/Jinn was by far the best aspect of the book! There are also some spooky scenes, like when Liz puts up the cameras and when she starts to suspect there is a supernatural being stalking her at the country house. I liked the 3 POVs that the author used. 5-year-old Dunia, adult Dunia, and a crime podcast that takes place after Dunia disappears.
The Bad: While the 5 year old Dunia segments were necessary to introduce Dunia's backstory and family, they got to be a little annoying. Little Dunia was too sweet, and her perception of her family not loving her seemed whiny. Adult Dunia came across as still whining about the same thing- her mom didn't love her. Her sister was the favorite. She still just wanted to be a good girl. She was just a bit flat as a character. The podcasters were more like a Saturday night skit of annoying podcasters/white women than real characters. They were all just a bit flat. And that doesn't even touch on Liz. Surely, every reader knew the moment she was introduced that she was a playing the part of the creepy too friendly fake who was up to no good. Yet, the author seems to present her evilness as the big twist at the end of the book. It made no sense. You can't write a character as that obviously "the bad guy" and then also try to use her being "the bad guy" as a shocking twist.
The whole ending was just bad and did not make sense. While David was presented as a creepy ex-turned-stalker, it didn't really make sense that he would pay another guy to kill Dunia. And was David super wealthy? He wasn't presented as a guy who had enough resources to pay Skylar enough money to set him and Liz up financially (she said at the end of the book that this one job was going to make them enough money that they would not have to worry about her being cut off financially). But that is just a side issue. Let's ignore that and move to the big problems:
Why did Skylar have the creepy wall art? And apparent obsession with Dunia? Being paid to kill her does not explain that. Didn't he also have a "feral look in his eye" and then suddenly apologize? All as if he had been possessed? And how did the girl at the make-up place seem to "fly" over the displays? And why did she try to both stab Dunia and strangle her in public? There was no way she was going to get away with that; even if she had managed to kill Dunia, she was going to jail. That whole scene only makes sense if she was basically possessed with an uncontrollable urge to kill Dunia, as a paid assassain it makes zero sense. And why would Liz try to hire some random makeup clerk to kill Dunia? Really odd choice in assasain to start with. And if Liz was not possessed, her obsession with finishing Skylar's "job" is more than a bit insane. It is painfully clear that the author wrote most of the book as if these people were possessed by the Jinn, but then just decided to have it be a money thing. And didn't bother to go back and rewrite the scenes.
Also, why would the Jinn have killed Dunia's dad for almost suggesting she tell him goodbye, but then allow Dunia's mom to take her to the exorcism? He could have killed the mom and never been separated from Dunia. If Dunia's mom loved her so much, but was just scared of the Jinn, why did she tell Dunia that she was to blame for her dad's death? And why wasn't she nicer after the Jinn was restrained?
How did Dunia hiding at the end of the book help keep Kendra or her sister safe? It seems like the Jinn might get angry at her for hiding and go after her loved ones.
And finally, the learning to be loud and fight dirty seemed like it was added in after the rest of the book was finished. Like an editor decided there needed to be more girl power. Because there is a scene where she goes to one class. Then we had her think about it a few times. But she is never loud and never fights at all, much less dirty. At the end she tells herself that she is ready to fight dirty . . . then goes into hiding. She fought zero times in this book.
At the very end, I held out hope that there would be an actual twist and Zabir would turn out to be the Jinn, and that by "hiding" Dunia actually ended up agreeing to go with the Jinn.
And what was with the sleepwalking? How does that relate to her having a Jinn? And she wrote her own scary notes? Was she possessed?
The Good: I generally don't like it when a book pretends to be one genre and then switches to another, especially when it's a crime mystery and the supernatural is used to explain the mystery. However, in this book, it didn't bother me much because there were hints of the supernatural right from the beginning, like the mysterious smoke surrounding the first attacker. Additionally, I appreciated how the supernatural elements were gradually revealed and intertwined with Dunia's childhood and culture. The reveal of Baba to be make-believe/Jinn was by far the best aspect of the book! There are also some spooky scenes, like when Liz puts up the cameras and when she starts to suspect there is a supernatural being stalking her at the country house. I liked the 3 POVs that the author used. 5-year-old Dunia, adult Dunia, and a crime podcast that takes place after Dunia disappears.
The Bad: While the 5 year old Dunia segments were necessary to introduce Dunia's backstory and family, they got to be a little annoying. Little Dunia was too sweet, and her perception of her family not loving her seemed whiny. Adult Dunia came across as still whining about the same thing- her mom didn't love her. Her sister was the favorite. She still just wanted to be a good girl. She was just a bit flat as a character. The podcasters were more like a Saturday night skit of annoying podcasters/white women than real characters. They were all just a bit flat. And that doesn't even touch on Liz. Surely, every reader knew the moment she was introduced that she was a playing the part of the creepy too friendly fake who was up to no good. Yet, the author seems to present her evilness as the big twist at the end of the book. It made no sense. You can't write a character as that obviously "the bad guy" and then also try to use her being "the bad guy" as a shocking twist.
The whole ending was just bad and did not make sense. While David was presented as a creepy ex-turned-stalker, it didn't really make sense that he would pay another guy to kill Dunia. And was David super wealthy? He wasn't presented as a guy who had enough resources to pay Skylar enough money to set him and Liz up financially (she said at the end of the book that this one job was going to make them enough money that they would not have to worry about her being cut off financially). But that is just a side issue. Let's ignore that and move to the big problems:
Why did Skylar have the creepy wall art? And apparent obsession with Dunia? Being paid to kill her does not explain that. Didn't he also have a "feral look in his eye" and then suddenly apologize? All as if he had been possessed? And how did the girl at the make-up place seem to "fly" over the displays? And why did she try to both stab Dunia and strangle her in public? There was no way she was going to get away with that; even if she had managed to kill Dunia, she was going to jail. That whole scene only makes sense if she was basically possessed with an uncontrollable urge to kill Dunia, as a paid assassain it makes zero sense. And why would Liz try to hire some random makeup clerk to kill Dunia? Really odd choice in assasain to start with. And if Liz was not possessed, her obsession with finishing Skylar's "job" is more than a bit insane. It is painfully clear that the author wrote most of the book as if these people were possessed by the Jinn, but then just decided to have it be a money thing. And didn't bother to go back and rewrite the scenes.
Also, why would the Jinn have killed Dunia's dad for almost suggesting she tell him goodbye, but then allow Dunia's mom to take her to the exorcism? He could have killed the mom and never been separated from Dunia. If Dunia's mom loved her so much, but was just scared of the Jinn, why did she tell Dunia that she was to blame for her dad's death? And why wasn't she nicer after the Jinn was restrained?
How did Dunia hiding at the end of the book help keep Kendra or her sister safe? It seems like the Jinn might get angry at her for hiding and go after her loved ones.
And finally, the learning to be loud and fight dirty seemed like it was added in after the rest of the book was finished. Like an editor decided there needed to be more girl power. Because there is a scene where she goes to one class. Then we had her think about it a few times. But she is never loud and never fights at all, much less dirty. At the end she tells herself that she is ready to fight dirty . . . then goes into hiding. She fought zero times in this book.
At the very end, I held out hope that there would be an actual twist and Zabir would turn out to be the Jinn, and that by "hiding" Dunia actually ended up agreeing to go with the Jinn.
And what was with the sleepwalking? How does that relate to her having a Jinn? And she wrote her own scary notes? Was she possessed?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 9, 2024
This book had SO much potential, but it was so poorly written and side characters were not developed at all. I’m floored at how many exclamation ! Points! Were used! In conversations! Like a middle schooler. Weird.
February 1, 2024
Almost Surely Dead is a completely gripping page turner.
Dunia, a Pakistani American, is almost killed on the subway. Mysterious things continue to happen to Dunia until she eventually disappears several months after the attempted murder. A true crime podcast tries to get to the bottom of the story. What really happened to Dunia?
I loved the story telling, from present day accounts via the podcast transcripts, to "then" the time leading to her disappearance, to the "way back" when Dunia was a young child. I was completely immersed.
This book is completely addictive with a dash of terrifying. It was definitely scarier than I expected.
Dunia, a Pakistani American, is almost killed on the subway. Mysterious things continue to happen to Dunia until she eventually disappears several months after the attempted murder. A true crime podcast tries to get to the bottom of the story. What really happened to Dunia?
I loved the story telling, from present day accounts via the podcast transcripts, to "then" the time leading to her disappearance, to the "way back" when Dunia was a young child. I was completely immersed.
This book is completely addictive with a dash of terrifying. It was definitely scarier than I expected.
February 4, 2024
Mysterious, surprisingly and scary
I loved this novel and hope to see a sequel come out as the ending left it hanging.
I enjoyed learning about a different culture and its traditions.
A Jinn? This Jinn is a friend and later in the main characters life turns malevolent.
I liked the way this author would go to the past and back to the present with great timing in events.
I was enthralled with the whole novel. The backdrop of each character is well placed in the story.
Anyone who loves mystery, thrillers, and scary should enjoy this.
I loved this novel and hope to see a sequel come out as the ending left it hanging.
I enjoyed learning about a different culture and its traditions.
A Jinn? This Jinn is a friend and later in the main characters life turns malevolent.
I liked the way this author would go to the past and back to the present with great timing in events.
I was enthralled with the whole novel. The backdrop of each character is well placed in the story.
Anyone who loves mystery, thrillers, and scary should enjoy this.
February 12, 2024
More often than not, I dislike multi pov books. However, this one did not disappoint me. I love a great thriller and toss in the podcast aspect and I was engrossed in the story. I loved how Amina Akhtar put a cultural aspect into the story as well.
Dunia is almost killed on the subway. Got the next few months, crazy things happen happen to Dunia. Then one day, she just disappears. A podcast pocus up her story to try to solve the mystery.
This was an overall good story that held my attention. The writing wasn't the best so I figured a 3 star was a good rating.
Dunia is almost killed on the subway. Got the next few months, crazy things happen happen to Dunia. Then one day, she just disappears. A podcast pocus up her story to try to solve the mystery.
This was an overall good story that held my attention. The writing wasn't the best so I figured a 3 star was a good rating.
January 21, 2024
It’s a shame this book is so terribly written since the story is so unique and intriguing. The dialogue is cheesy, the inner dialogue was choppy, there were random exclamation points everywhere! But the story drew me in, and I wanted to keep reading? It felt like a first draft that really needed to be cleaned up.
I also feel like it started strong, and then fell flat. I was confused by the disappointing ending but won’t say why because of spoilers.
I want to give it a 2 for writing but a 4 for the story, so let’s do 3/3.5 stars. What a rough rating to give.
Got this one for free for Amazon pick of the month.
I also feel like it started strong, and then fell flat. I was confused by the disappointing ending but won’t say why because of spoilers.
I want to give it a 2 for writing but a 4 for the story, so let’s do 3/3.5 stars. What a rough rating to give.
Got this one for free for Amazon pick of the month.
January 6, 2024
Amazon first read.
This was a strange book. It kept me reading,although I didn't care for the ending. Fantasy,horror and thriller rolled into one.
This was a strange book. It kept me reading,although I didn't care for the ending. Fantasy,horror and thriller rolled into one.
January 3, 2024
This was SO good. Part stalker, part supernatural, part cultural, all educational. After each chapter, we have a podcast element and the hosts are insufferable, much like many of the TC podcasts we love to hate. There are also chapters of our MC as a five-year-old where I gained lots of empathy for her and her family. I would have enjoyed this book more if it weren't so predictable. I'm sorry, but if anyone is ever as nice to me as , that's a huge red flag. In this economy? No ma'am.
January 5, 2024
I might be alone on this, but I felt like the summary of this book didn’t really give enough to match what to expect in the story. I chose this as one of my Amazon first read options and wasn’t a fan. I do find it interesting when they incorporate a podcast about a missing person or crime so I enjoyed that part. This book has things about ghosts, ouija boards, exorcism, etc. that is very much not my thing.
February 21, 2024
I LOVED THIS BOOK
February 1, 2024
I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The author personally provided me with this ARC through Instagram, and I'm very thankful. Akhtar has a sense of sarcasm in her writing that I very much enjoy.
Almost Surely Dead starts off with a bang. Dunia Ahmed is a single 30-something single woman living in NYC as a pharmacist, and she's been riding the subway for years. She noticed a man she referred to as her subway boyfriend, who is a guy sketching in a notepad as she commutes home from work. One day, as she's getting off at her stop, he grabs her very hard and pushes her toward the tracks. Dunia manages to scream and passersby save her life. In absolute shock, the man leaps in front of the oncoming train. The detective who investigates the crime Alvarez discovers there was a payment to his account before he died and a mysterious girlfriend named B.
Dunia tries to go back to some semblance of a normal life, but she's too afraid to get on the subway again. Her best friend introduces her to Liz Small, one of the investors in her makeup and beauty line. She has an ex stalking her, her sister's husband's cousin is interested in her, and she's haunted by a jinn. We get flashbacks to Dunia as a 5 year old. There's a lot of trauma and PTSD. Somehow, though, Dunia survives the attacks on her life, but it gets more bizarre and escalates. There was something I predicted early on, but it didn't hinder my enjoyment of the book.
I enjoyed the paranormal folklore part of the mystery because it doesn't take over what actually happens in real life. There are also chapters with these 2 women doing a podcast about Dunia. I don't want to say too much, but I enjoyed the format.
TW for loss of a parent, PTSD and trauma from attempted murders, the supernatural/haunting. 4/5 stars, release date 2/1/24.
Almost Surely Dead starts off with a bang. Dunia Ahmed is a single 30-something single woman living in NYC as a pharmacist, and she's been riding the subway for years. She noticed a man she referred to as her subway boyfriend, who is a guy sketching in a notepad as she commutes home from work. One day, as she's getting off at her stop, he grabs her very hard and pushes her toward the tracks. Dunia manages to scream and passersby save her life. In absolute shock, the man leaps in front of the oncoming train. The detective who investigates the crime Alvarez discovers there was a payment to his account before he died and a mysterious girlfriend named B.
Dunia tries to go back to some semblance of a normal life, but she's too afraid to get on the subway again. Her best friend introduces her to Liz Small, one of the investors in her makeup and beauty line. She has an ex stalking her, her sister's husband's cousin is interested in her, and she's haunted by a jinn. We get flashbacks to Dunia as a 5 year old. There's a lot of trauma and PTSD. Somehow, though, Dunia survives the attacks on her life, but it gets more bizarre and escalates. There was something I predicted early on, but it didn't hinder my enjoyment of the book.
I enjoyed the paranormal folklore part of the mystery because it doesn't take over what actually happens in real life. There are also chapters with these 2 women doing a podcast about Dunia. I don't want to say too much, but I enjoyed the format.
TW for loss of a parent, PTSD and trauma from attempted murders, the supernatural/haunting. 4/5 stars, release date 2/1/24.
Read
January 9, 2024I can't even give this one a 1 star rating it is so terrible. The characters are flat, the same paragraph keeps repeating over & over. After so many attacks & injuries, her friends still ask "Are you ok?" What the heck! The supernatural was unbelievable & how many times does she say "I want to be a good girl" in so many several different ways. Do not waste your time, I can't believe I didn't quit reading after a couple chapters but I seldom do that as I want to give any book a chance.
September 17, 2024
1.5 ⭐️
I liked the concept but it was poorly executed
I liked the concept but it was poorly executed
January 12, 2024
It was ok. Entertaining, but very predictable. The ending fell kinda flat.
October 28, 2024
This was a really good book that is action-packed from literally the very first page. It centers on Dunia, who is living a pretty normal life until someone (seemingly randomly) tries to kill her. Things spiral out of control at that point as Dunia tries to figure out what is going on and why. The story is told in 3 timelines: when Dunia was 5 years old, when all of the crazy stuff is happening to her, and in current time in form of a podcast when Dunia goes missing.
Dunia was a likable character and we get to know her well based on the chapters told from her childhood. I don’t know anything about Pakistani folklore but the supernatural twist on the storyline was very fascinating to me. The story is fast-paced through all 3 narratives and is filled with a mix of very believable characters. The end of the book (intentionally) didn’t answer all my questions, but I felt like it worked with the rest of the story.
Overall, this was a unique story that covered material with which I was previously unfamiliar, and I enjoyed immersing myself in the cultural beliefs while reading a really fast-paced book. I would recommend to those who enjoy psychological thrillers.
Dunia was a likable character and we get to know her well based on the chapters told from her childhood. I don’t know anything about Pakistani folklore but the supernatural twist on the storyline was very fascinating to me. The story is fast-paced through all 3 narratives and is filled with a mix of very believable characters. The end of the book (intentionally) didn’t answer all my questions, but I felt like it worked with the rest of the story.
Overall, this was a unique story that covered material with which I was previously unfamiliar, and I enjoyed immersing myself in the cultural beliefs while reading a really fast-paced book. I would recommend to those who enjoy psychological thrillers.
March 11, 2024
Wow, this was horrible. The concept was interesting but poorly written, and the execution fell flat. It just was not a good story.
1.5 stars -an absolute chore to read. I would not recommend it at all.
1.5 stars -an absolute chore to read. I would not recommend it at all.
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February 11, 2024I enjoyed Amina Akhtar's 'Kismet', a clever, witty gothic thriller that kept me turning the pages, so I was keen to try 'Almost Surely Dead', especially as it was described as a psychological thriller with some supernatural elements.
The opening scene, which was an attempt on the life of the main character, Dunia Ahmed, was beautifully done: immediately immersive, exciting, tense and intriguing. If this opening had been a series pilot, I'd have signed up to binge-watch the next three episodes immediately.
I liked the interweaving of the story of five-year-old Dunia with the Dunia in her thirties timeline. The 'voice' given to young Dunia was engaging and the events, filtered through the perceptions of a child, were intriguing.
Initially, I thought the addition of a present-day podcast taking a retrospective view of the events being described in the older Dunia story was a good way of increasing the tension by planting doubt and foreshadowing. Personally, I dislike true crime podcasts and this podcasting pair reminded of all the reasons I don't listen to them.
For the first third of the book, things were going reasonably well. There'd been a second attempt on Dunia's life, she was surrounded by people who were hard to trust and everything I learned about her childhood suggested that I'd be bumping into the supernatural or at least the very strange, pretty soon.
By the halfway mark, things were going less well. For me, the tension dissipated. I should have been turning pages more eagerly than I was. Partly, that was because I wasn't invested in the grown-up version of Dunia. There didn't seem to be much about her to hold onto. She was passive, dependent and insecure. That matched well with her backstory but it didn't make me cheer her on. Shortly before I abandoned the book, Dunia was taking self-defence classes and telling herself she was a survivor, not a victim. But I didn't believe her. Maybe, in the second half of the book, she comes into her power and takes control of her life but I wasn't sure that I'd believe that either.
The podcast also started to irritate me. To me, it felt like a tease that was interrupting the story and slowing it down. The effect on me was to lower the tension in the story.
I hesitated to set the book aside when I had less than half of it to go. I'd have liked to have found out if was right in my guesses about what was going on and who the bad guys were but I found that I didn't care enough about what happened to Dunia to stick around and find out.
This is a book with a lot of potential and your reading experience may be different than mine. If you read it and enjoy it, please share your thoughts here or send me a link to your review.
The opening scene, which was an attempt on the life of the main character, Dunia Ahmed, was beautifully done: immediately immersive, exciting, tense and intriguing. If this opening had been a series pilot, I'd have signed up to binge-watch the next three episodes immediately.
I liked the interweaving of the story of five-year-old Dunia with the Dunia in her thirties timeline. The 'voice' given to young Dunia was engaging and the events, filtered through the perceptions of a child, were intriguing.
Initially, I thought the addition of a present-day podcast taking a retrospective view of the events being described in the older Dunia story was a good way of increasing the tension by planting doubt and foreshadowing. Personally, I dislike true crime podcasts and this podcasting pair reminded of all the reasons I don't listen to them.
For the first third of the book, things were going reasonably well. There'd been a second attempt on Dunia's life, she was surrounded by people who were hard to trust and everything I learned about her childhood suggested that I'd be bumping into the supernatural or at least the very strange, pretty soon.
By the halfway mark, things were going less well. For me, the tension dissipated. I should have been turning pages more eagerly than I was. Partly, that was because I wasn't invested in the grown-up version of Dunia. There didn't seem to be much about her to hold onto. She was passive, dependent and insecure. That matched well with her backstory but it didn't make me cheer her on. Shortly before I abandoned the book, Dunia was taking self-defence classes and telling herself she was a survivor, not a victim. But I didn't believe her. Maybe, in the second half of the book, she comes into her power and takes control of her life but I wasn't sure that I'd believe that either.
The podcast also started to irritate me. To me, it felt like a tease that was interrupting the story and slowing it down. The effect on me was to lower the tension in the story.
I hesitated to set the book aside when I had less than half of it to go. I'd have liked to have found out if was right in my guesses about what was going on and who the bad guys were but I found that I didn't care enough about what happened to Dunia to stick around and find out.
This is a book with a lot of potential and your reading experience may be different than mine. If you read it and enjoy it, please share your thoughts here or send me a link to your review.
October 31, 2023
I’ve been wanting to read Kismet by this author since it came out. I’ll have to order it because I liked this book. Can’t remember who sent me the ARC but thanks for the #gifted book.
Quite a good little mystery wrapped around the legend of Jinns. I’m glad they aren’t a part of American culture because as I read this by an open window at night - I couldn’t help but be a little scared. You’ll know why once you read this book. Not of our culture Ive only learned a little about them. Whatever you do DO NOT ever let them in if they come a knocking.
What could be more terrifying than that??!!! Out of this world terror.
Comes out next year!
Quite a good little mystery wrapped around the legend of Jinns. I’m glad they aren’t a part of American culture because as I read this by an open window at night - I couldn’t help but be a little scared. You’ll know why once you read this book. Not of our culture Ive only learned a little about them. Whatever you do DO NOT ever let them in if they come a knocking.
What could be more terrifying than that??!!! Out of this world terror.
Comes out next year!
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