A novel by Sami Shah · Penguin
FANATIC
Every hero is
someone else’s suspect.
A crime thriller about heroism, suspicion and who gets to control the story.
Out
“Stylish, propulsive, and whip-smart.”Kamila Shamsie
The story
One rescue.
Too many versions.
A stranger intervenes when a queer teenager is attacked in a Melbourne park, then disappears. The country wants to celebrate him. But a revelation about his past in Karachi turns that admiration into suspicion.
As journalists chase the story and a far-right network exploits the outrage, the rescuer struggles to protect his family. With Melbourne preparing for Eid al-Adha, competing agendas push the city towards disaster.
Fanatic brings Sami Shah’s experience of newsrooms and media satire to a thriller about the speed at which a hero can become a target.
Pre-order / 9 February 2027
Pick your poison.
Or your format.
Published by Penguin. Paperback: 336 pages.
ISBN 9781761622052.
04 / The occasional dispatch