Dangerous Influences: Adnan Khan & Mi-Ae Seo

About

Delve into two bold, atmospheric, and quietly haunting thrillers that explore the slippery line between performance and identity, where trust is a luxury and evil wears many faces. In The Hype Beast, Adnan Khan brings us into the gritty life of Hamid Shaikh, a low-level scammer who stumbles into the orbit of a charismatic former detainee turned social-media imam, and finds himself spiralling into a world of manipulation, surveillance and moral compromise. Across the world in The Only Child, Mi-Ae Seo delivers a masterclass in psychological suspense. Criminal psychologist Seonkyeong is asked to interview a notorious serial killer—just as her unsettling young stepdaughter moves in. As chilling parallels emerge between the killer’s past and the girl’s eerie behavior, Seonkyeong must reckon with the shadows at the edge of her own home.

Moderated by Jinwoo Park.

Korean Interpreter: Jennifer (Ye Won) Kim

Seo’s appearance is supported by LTI – Literature Translation Institute of Korea.

The Hypebeast

Striving to get ahead in a world of scams, Hamid is caught in the fervour surrounding a charismatic social-media imam with questionable intentions. Hamid Shaikh is a small-time crook in the big city, hoping that one of his cons will lead to riches. Tax fraud, telemarketing tricks, government scams.

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The Only Child

An eerie and absorbing novel following a criminal psychologist who has discovered shocking and possibly dangerous connections between a serial killer and her stepdaughter. The book to read for fans of the movie Parasite. Criminal psychologist Seonkyeong receives an unexpected call one day.

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Adnan Khan

Adnan Khan is a screenwriter, novelist, and journalist. He has won a National Magazine Award and the RBC Taylor Emerging Writer prize, and his debut novel, There Has to Be a Knife, was named a best Canadian novel of 2019 by the CBC.

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Mi-ae Seo

Mi-ae Seo, dubbed the Queen of Korean Mystery, is a celebrated author known for her psychological thrillers and works like Happy Killers and Thirty Ways to Kill a Husband. Born in Punggi and raised in Seoul, she shifted from drama writing to novels to fully express her passion for mystery.

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