The Chemist

AA Dhand
Genre: Crime Thriller
432 pages
Publisher: HQ

Synopsis
Local pharmacist and pillar of the community, Idris Khan, spends his days doling out methadone to the hundreds of addicts in his care. They trust Idris with their secrets, and so he knows more than his mild manner suggests. So when his childhood sweetheart, Rebecca, doesn’t turn up for her daily methadone dose, Idris is worried. Worried enough to go looking for her in the most deprived area of Leeds, alone.

The mess Idris finds catapults him into the middle of a turf war between the two most powerful drug cartels in Yorkshire. Now, he must use every bit of intelligence and cunning he has to keep those he loves safe.

Because a war is on the way. And when Idris goes after his enemies, they won’t see him coming.

My review
The Chemist is an excellent crime fiction novel from AA Dhand. Every now and then, I try an author I haven’t read before and wonder why it took me so long to discover them. Dhand is definitely one of those authors. This is dark, gritty crime fiction at its best. There are no unnecessary gimmicks, just a gripping story that pulled me right into its harsh, brutal world. It’s bleak, violent, intense, and at times genuinely disturbing, but that’s exactly what makes it so good.

Idris, known locally as The Chemist, runs a community pharmacy in one of the most deprived areas of Leeds. He generally keeps his head down, helps the locals, and gets on with his life. But when an incident involving Rebecca, one of his regular customers and his ex-wife, pulls him into a dangerous situation, everything starts to spiral out of control.

It was incredibly easy to root for Idris and Rebecca. The characters felt real, and Dhand does a fantastic job of showing how quickly things can go wrong when people get caught up in circumstances beyond their control. What really stood out to me was how authentic everything felt. I’m not familiar with the world of drug crime, but Dhand makes it feel disturbingly believable. He also explores the people caught up in that world, from those at the top to those further down who are desperately trying to escape and build a better life for themselves and their families. Some never seem to fully break free, no matter how hard they try.

The Chemist is fast-paced, unpredictable, and absolutely gripping. I flew through it and couldn’t wait to see how everything would unfold. Dhand has definitely earned a place on my list of authors to keep an eye on, and I’m already looking forward to reading The Kingpin, the next book in the series.

My recommendation: If you enjoy dark, gritty, realistic crime fiction, this one is well worth picking up!