Great story by A.A. Dhand. Really thrilling read, great characters and an enjoyable story. Highly recommend to others!!

Great follow up to the first book. The settings and characters are excellent and the tensions in the family all come through. He covers situations and event that are prominent today and no holding back. Excellent read.

Girl Zero is the 2nd book in the DI Harry Virdee series set in Bradford written by author A A Dhand and does need to be read in order.

his is the second in the Detective Harry Virdee series of books by A A Dhand. Having read the first in the series I was looking forward to reading this, and I wasn't disappointed. From the murder in the first few pages to the thrilling denouement I was hooked. Harry is a detective, his brother Ronnie is Bradford's premier drugs baron. Their relationship is difficult but they have an understanding and so long as they stick to the rules it works. But when Ronnie's daughter is found murdered, all the rules go out of the window and the brothers have to work together to bring the perpetrator to justice while managing family tensions which constantly simmer in the background. Set against the backdrop of Bradford, a city on the edge, the action ramps up as the brothers close in on their target. This series is peopled with interesting characters and the reader really cares what happens to them. I am already looking forward to reading the next one!

Detective Inspector Hardeep ‘Harry’ Virdee has been estranged from his strongly religious Sikh family ever since he married his wife Saima, a Muslim. The only relative he has contact with is his brother Ronnie, who happens to be a drug lord and powerful member of Bradford’s criminal underworld. When an Asian girl is found murdered, Harry is devastated to discover that it is his beloved niece Tara, Ronnie’s daughter. Although he is excluded from working on the case, Harry is determined to find the monster who killed Tara and begins investigating in secret. When he discovers that something dark is going on in his city, something that Tara may have been murdered to keep covered up, Harry must use all his wits to figure out what is being planned before it is too late. Unfortunately, Ronnie is also determined to find whoever killed his daughter and with his brutal rage and dangerous connections, his methods may not be as in keeping with the law as Harry would like.

This was an exciting, fast-paced crime novel with a unique and likeable main character. Harry is tough, unconventional and motivated by justice but doesn’t quite fit the mould of the usual maverick police officer found in these sorts of books – something about him is unusual and really engaging to read about. Similarly, I found the setting in Bradford to be a real change from the usual trope of setting British crime novels in London and it was really interesting to have an Asian lead and host of Asian characters, as this is definitely a group that is massively underrepresented in crime fiction. The characters were all well rounded and realistic and the plot is well constructed and compelling, keeping you turning pages in an effort to find out how it will all end.

The subplot involving Harry’s father’s total rejection of his son since he ‘betrayed’ his family by marrying a Muslim was an interesting look at a contemporary issue that still affects many Asian families living in Britain, and the author manages to portray the heartbreak of the estrangement accurately and emotionally. I found the fact that Harry’s mother has never met her grandson (Harry’s young son Aaron), due to her husband’s refusal to have anything to do with him, very upsetting and something that is undoubtedly still a problem for many families living in the UK.

Girl Zero touches on some extremely dark topics such as paedophilia and child trafficking and paints a very bleak portrayal of Bradford which is unfortunately probably not too far from the truth in some cases. Some of the characters that Harry comes up against are utterly repugnant, and as a reader, you feel his anger and revulsion at the seedy underworld he uncovers in his home city. Whilst some readers may find some aspects of the novel too dark, it is ultimately gripping and a brave subject for an author to tackle.

I enjoyed Girl Zero and would be interested to read the first instalment in the series and any further books in order to return to Bradford with Harry Virdee and discover more about his city.

Daenerys

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review

After recently discovering Streets of Darkness the first book in the DI Harry Virdee series, I couldn't wait to start this one, and was thrilled when I was accepted to read a review copy via Netgalley.

​I really couldn't wait to get started to see what trouble Harry could get himself into again. And boy he does it spectacularly. When Harry is called out to a body that has been discovered a murder enquiry is set up. But the fact that Harry has just discovered the body is his own niece shocks not only him. He has the duty to let his family know. Problem is his family don't want to know him. He still feels it has to be him to tell them, and you can almost feel the energy, the tension and hate as he is stood at the door where his brother and his parents live. 
​It's heart breaking that Harry doesn't have his family support, but some families take religion, and their culture very serious so that fact that Harry married a Muslim girl, his Sikh family are not best pleased, to say the least.
​On top of that he knows controlling his criminal brother is going to be difficult, and if Harry is to protect his brother from finding the killer and killing him, then he needs to find out who it is,  and where they are before his brother does.

​This was a tense thrilling read, It hooked me in right from the word go, and I couldn't wait to keep picking up my kindle to read some more. This is a series I think any crime thriller fan should get to know. I think everyone everywhere needs to read this book. An exceptional read, I wanted to hug, and slap Harry at times, it's amazing how involved you get with this story. 
​The telling of the story is done so well, with the religious and cultural theme being explained brilliantly. It really is amazing how families can be divided and this book really does highlight that. 

​I would recommend that these books are read in order, I believe it really will help with background history. But read them you must.

Harry Virdee is looking forward to celebrating Diwali with his wife and son but gets called out to a murder scene. He is shocked to find that the victim is his niece, Tara. Breaking the news to Ronnie he is aware that Ronnie will be out for revenge and Ronnie operates on the other side of the law. However as Harry investigates he realises that Tara was involved in something much bigger and more serious that any issues to do with family. Young white girls have been going missing, undetected, and another one is set to 'disappear' in a couple of days.

I really enjoyed Dhand's first novel and this one is even better. In fact I can forgive the rather rushed ending because what makes this book so good is the understanding of a multicultural setting such as Bradford. I know the area well and Hand obviously does because it is not a case of white versus asian, the tensions between Sikh and Muslim are put centre stage. Whilst the plot is a little far-fetched, it does draw on the well-documented concerns about grooming and child abuse at its heart. Harry Virdee is a complex character and this story is very much about him, the police force barely figures. The ending leaves the way open to a next book in the series and I look forward to it.

Girl Zero is an echo of the recent Rotherham child sex ring scandal with the added complication of a family swept up in the controversy of opposing religions. It is the second novel featuring Harry Virdee, who finds himself torn in multiple directions on both a personal and professional level.

His family, devout Sikhs, are unwilling to acknowledge or accept his wife, a devout Muslim. His wife finds herself in the same position, which means the two of them and their young son have no immediate family to support them or be part of their lives.

The message society should be receiving loud and clear is the number of vulnerable children who are falling prey to gangs of pedophiles and ephebophiles without anyone noticing or as we saw in Rotherham, they would rather deny than accept the reality that this type of crime is on the rise. There are scores of children falling through the cracks in the system, and becoming easy targets for child trafficking rings. The truth is so uncomfortable that the majority would rather look the other way than be confronted with the facts.

Harry finds himself balancing precariously on the boundaries of crime and the rule of law when his latest case turns out to be the corpse of someone who is really close to him. He has to make sure his brother doesn’t break the rules he imposed on him, and juggle the hatred he receives from his family.

It’s really great to read a story with a set of characters that doesn’t fit into the usual and expected format. It makes for a more diverse and different set of problems or scenarios, which in turn allows readers to experience a little less white toasted bread with a bit of butter on it.

It’s a fast-paced thriller with a lot of action, well let’s say brutal beatdowns and characters with a serious lack of control instead.

The second book about DI Harry Virdee and equally as riveting as the first one. The subject matter is dark and disturbing but compelling reading. My only complaint is that the book is too short! A great follow uo to Streets of darkness. Fans of Luther will enjoy this book. Thank you Net Galley for my copy. I reviewed on Goodreads and Amazon.

This is an absolutely superb read! The first of AA Dhand's series featuring Harry Virdee and set in Bradford, Streets Of Darkness, was excellent, but this is even better! The background alone is fascinating enough: a young DI estranged from most of his family because his wife is of a different religion, a brother whose criminal deeds stretch Harry's moral limits. When his niece is found dead, he is not allowed to work the case and must strive to find the killers surreptitiously. Dhand is not afraid to tackle issues boldly and the portrait he paints of Bradford is stunning.

I loved the first book in this series, Streets of Darkness and was therefore delighted to read this second in series. Two brothers Harry and Ronnie Vardeep, one a police officer and the other a criminal in their beloved Bradford. An absolutely thrilling read, which I read in one sitting! A tragic and complicated investigation which affects all of the Vardeep family. How will it be resolved, lawfully or unlawfully? Harry's investigation uncovers some unsavoury events happening in Bradford. An outstanding read with twists I did not see coming. Look forward to reading more in this brilliant series!

This is the second book in the series and unusually for me I did read the first book, and I'm glad I did,it set the scene for this one with the family dynamics between Harry and his estranged family.His family have ostracised him because they are Sikh and he has married a Muslim woman .I must admit I had not given any thought to this dichotomy and the after effects on families.This book was as dark as the first book, in fact I think it was even darker, it doesn't put forward the city or the Asian community in a very flattering light and I guess that it is a brave writer who represents his community showing flaws and the some but you do feel that it is a gritty warts all read and it seems very believable. I like the fact that Harry is a bit of a rebel and doesn't conform but wonder how long he will get away with going his own way, I would have expected him to be more accountable.This book dealt with very dark and disturbing subjects and was on point to stories in the news , not an easy read because you know it is based on the truth and it delves into a very unpleasant exploitative world and you have to feel for the poor girls .I wouldn't say this was an enjoyable read because it felt so voyeuristic and true to life but that is a testament to the writing skills of the author and I can't really be too harsh on him for writing in a way that portrays the real life underbelly of the Asian community .All in all a good book but not an easy read.

I enjoyed this author's debut and series opener "Streets of Darkness" when I read it last year so I was quite excited to get my hands on a copy of this follow up. I would recommend following usual series rules and reading book one first even though the main story here is self-contained. Harry's personal life is a tad convoluted and to get the best from him as a character it is better to have read the opener. Indeed, some of his background will also help you understand why he makes certain decisions in this book.
So Harry now has a son and even with this new addition, his family are still not talking to him. A situation that continues to pain him. So much so that it makes what happens next all the more horrific. I guess one of the worst things that can happen to a member of any service is being called to a personal family situation. When you are a detective in a serious crime squad and the family situation is murder, I can only imagine the torment that ensues. Especially when you are estranged from that family. Anyway, Harry finds himself in exactly this situation when a body he is called to turns out to be Tara his niece. Daughter of his gangster brother Ronnie. Excluded from investigating, Harry is allowed to break the news to his family who are hit with the double shock of him turning up at their doorstep in the first place and then compounded when he delivers such bad news. Unable to formally investigate, Harry is given compassionate leave by his boss with the understanding that anything he discovers, he shares and that he plays nice with the formal investigators. But Harry being Harry, with Ronnie as his brother, you just know where it is all going to go. The destination is pretty must set, only the route of the journey is yet to be determined.
Sadly, although a thoroughly decent read, this book didn't quite reach the heady heights of book one for me. My previous connection with Harry has waned a little to the point that I think I am going off him a bit. I can't quite put my finger on exactly why this is but maybe he has become a little bit too maverick for me which doesn't usually bother me. Both books have had him working "outside the law" on suspension in book one and here on compassionate leave. I have yet to see him work in his proper capacity so maybe I need some kind of balance from somewhere else.
There were times when the plot seemed to me to be overly complicated and a bit convoluted. Maybe it was my waning interest in the main character that gave me lapses in concentration which led to my confusion, I am not sure but it's possibly a me thing... It also didn't help that I had only just finished watching a TV drama based around a real life crime that was very similar to the crimes in this book, even using similar names, so that might have been a contributing factor grown from bad timing...
Pacing was good, the action was solid and, in the same vein as books one, quite graphic at times. Characterisation was, on the whole, good too. There was also quite a good balance between description and narrative, especially with regard to the setting of Bradford, almost coming across as a character in itself.
All in all, a good solid read which ticked quite a few of my boxes but for me wasn't nearly as good as book one. Despite any misgivings, I would definitely be interested in book three.

My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Detective Hardeep (Harry) Virdee is sent to investigate the murder of an Asian girl but is totally devasted to find the victim is his niece Tara. Harry is excluded from the case on the grounds of conflict of interest. Harry takes compassionate leave and starts his own investigation. Harry is helped by his brother Ronnie, a drug dealer he is also Tara's father. Harry is estranged from his family, who are Sikh, for marrying a Muslim. Ronnie is the only family member he still has contact with.

Set in Bradford, this is the second book in the series. The first is called Streets of Darkness and I do recommend that you read this one first as it gives a .ittle more background to the family .The pace is set fast from the start. This is a no nonsense thriller that is action packed, at times violent and full of twist and turns. The storyline covers the problems the British Asian Community are facing today. This is a fantastic series and I can't wait to read what happens in the next book in the series. I highly recommend this book.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Random House UK, Transworld Publishiers and the author A. A. Dhand for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is the second novel by A A Dhand, an author who exploded onto the crime fiction scene back in 2016 with his novel Streets of Darkness. So impressed was I with the author’s debut that I rated it as my book of 2016, so I couldn’t wait to get hold of Girl Zero. So, was it any good? Did it live up to Streets of Darkness? Or would Dhand succumb to the dreaded Second Book Syndrome, where the expectations from the first novel were too much and the second novel failed to compare? Well, I’m pleased to say that Girl Zero is a brilliant follow up to Streets of Darkness and Dhand has secured his place as one of the most impressive new voices to appear on the crime fiction landscape in many a year.

Once again, we’re with Detective Inspector Harry Virdee, a Sikh police officer estranged from his family after he chose to marry a Muslim woman. The novel opens with his arrival at the scene of a murder, only to discover the victim is his niece, the daughter of his brother, a drug lord who runs Bradford’s narcotics trade. This is only the start of the narrative however and without giving away too many spoilers, the story soon branches out to encompass the sex trade, the exploitation of vulnerable young women by traffickers, drugs and corruption.

As with the previous novel, Streets of Darkness, in some ways the plot of Girl Zero is beside the point. Streets of Darkness received rave reviews with some (including, but not exclusively, myself) comparing it to The Wire. This comparison is equally valid to the sequel, Girl Zero. The two novels transcend much contemporary crime fiction, for they don’t just have a sense of place, rather they elevate that place – the city of Bradford – into a character in and of itself. Girl Zero takes this further than Streets of Darkness with the characters often referring to Bradford as they might a dark, malignant force. They talk of the city corrupting people; one character even talks of feeding someone to the streets of Bradford and letting the city “do what it does best”. This is never overdone however, it’s not shoehorned into the story, rather it fits with the carefully crafted atmosphere that Dhand has drawn, both in Girl Zero and Streets of Darkness.

As with David Simon’s treatment of Baltimore in The Wire, I can see a criticism being levelled at Dhand here. Some will say that he’s not doing much for Bradford’s image, that he’s bad mouthing the city, hyping its dark side while downplaying its strengths. While that’s a risk with any crime novel or thriller that’s set in a particular locale, I feel it would be unfair here. Bradford does have its problems, ravaged by riots in 2001, plagued by racial division and blighted by poverty. As with David Simon’s television series The Wire, Dhand’s novels focus on these issues – they are crime thrillers after all. But as with The Wire, there’s also a strong sense of good people battling to make their city a better place for ordinary people to live. Whereas David Simon’s series had Dominic West’s character Jmmy McNulty, Dhand’s novels have his protagonist, Detective Inspector Harry Virdee.

Furthermore, while there might be some residents of Baltimore and Bradford who don’t recognise their respective cities in the work of these writers, I suspect there will be others who do. For doesn’t every city have its dark underbelly? And isn’t this always unseen to the well-to-do? As a former journalist, I certainly learnt how to see the darkness hidden in plain sight and there were many times while working for Channel 4 Dispatches that I went to one place or another to find the ugliness that was just beneath the surface. More often than not, when I looked, I found.

Finally, for those who worry about Bradford’s image, there might be one silver lining. Apparently, the success of The Wire has led to a tourism boom, with fans of the programme taking tours of Baltimore’s less salubrious neighbourhoods. Similarly, Breaking Bad led to an influx of visitors to Albuquerque, New Mexico. While in Scotland, fans of Ian Rankin’s Inspector Rebus can take walking tours of Edinburgh dedicated to the character and the locales that appear in the books. If AA Dhand gains the success I think he truly deserves, Bradford may well find itself next on this list and local business may be more than a little grateful.

This is the second in the Detective Hardeep Virdee series and I must say it was a definite 5* from me. The books are definitely best read in order because although you do get some background to book 1 It makes for a more enjoyable read when you know more about the characters and their backgrounds. The book is fast paced and quite violent in places but no more than you would expect from a gritty northern crime thriller set in Bradford. I also like the fact that the author highlights the many cultural differences that the communities face some which seem insurmountable. All in all I loved it

This is the second in the Detective Hardeep ( Harry ) Virdee series, and I loved it!

Harry is without question the best detective in the Bradford Police Force. Bradford is a city in turmoil - drugs, prostitution, racial tension, and an economy that is just a shadow of its former self. Where once wealth and prosperity reigned, it is now very much a city in decline. It also has a large Asian community who's problems/issues come very much under the spotlight.

The story begins with Harry attending the murder scene of a young Asian girl. He's devastated to discover that the girl is his niece Tara, his brother Ronnie's daughter. He's told by his superiors that he can't be a part of the investigation as he's too personally involved. Having read the prequel to Girl Zero, I knew that this small detail wouldn't stop him. The case will take him into Bradford's dark, dangerous, and seedy underworld - a world that his brother Ronnie inhabits. These brothers work on different sides of the fence, and Harry ( a Sikh ) is estranged from the rest of his family for marrying Saima, a Muslim. Ronnie is the only family member who talks to Harry, but this isn't an easy relationship, being tenuous at best. Neither brother though, is averse to using whatever methods they have to in order to get results, and when Harry has to break the news to Ronnie that his beloved daughter has been murdered, it's clear that someone is going to wish they'd never been born!


This particular case mirrors the very real life 'Rotherham child sex abuse' case which has been very prominent here in news reports in the UK in recent times. Obviously it's a distressing subject, but it's told with complete authenticity and is ultimately gripping. The ongoing cultural and religious differences between Sikhs and Muslims plays a valid and heartbreaking part again this time around.



I love this series, Harry is a great character who really hates his enforced estrangement from his family. He and Saima now have a son Aaron, but Harry's family refuse to have anything to do with the little boy which leads to some really moving scenes.


This is shaping up to be a great series, and I look forward to meeting Harry and his little family again in the not too distant future.

* Thank you to Random House UK Transworld Publishers for my ARC for which I have given an honest review*

I would like to thank Netgalley and Penguin Randon House UK for an advance copy of Girl Zero, the second Bradford based novel to feature DI Harry Virdee.

Harry, the best detective on the Bradford force, is called out to the scene of a murder where a young Asian woman has been stabbed to death. To Harry's horror it is his niece Tara. Excluded from the case on the grounds of conflict of interest Harry takes compassionate leave and launches his own investigation, "helped" by Tara's father, his brother, the drug dealer, Ronnie Virdee.

I enjoyed the first novel in the series, Streets of Darkness, and Girl Zero is equally as good, if not better. First and foremost it is a hard boiled thriller with violence, action and plenty of twists and turns and on this level it is a good exciting read but it is more than that, exposing many of the problems facing the British Asian community today.

Harry is estranged from his Sikh family for marrying a Muslim, Saima and the only one he talks to is Ronnie but that is a relationship fraught with conflict as their occupations give them different perspectives on life. As a man brought up in the UK Harry doesn't do the old country values his father has, either religious or cultural, and this is another source of conflict in his life. I understand that this is a serious issue in the Asian community but I have no idea how realistically it is portrayed in the novel. In a side issue in the novel Asian taxi drivers are getting young white teenage girls drunk and abusing them. Every reader is aware of the Rotherham case and knows that this is a reality based situation. I may be squeamish and/or naive but it upset me to see such a scenario repeated in a work of fiction as did the more serious aspects of this plot strand.

If Girl Zero has a downside it is that there is a lack of positivity in its depiction of the Asian community and I can't help comparing it with Western Fringes by Amer Anwar which I read recently and has a much lighter approach to some of the same issues. Harry Virdee is a great guy with a desire to do good but the situation he lives in is so dark his light doesn't shine through.

I think Girl Zero is a good read with an interesting plot which held my interest throughout.