Clever, unusual, twisty and covering continents. I quite enjoyed this although not as much as other thrillers. But this is the first by this author for me and I would look out for others.

Blimey, this was brilliant and not what I was expecting at all. What. A. Writer. Why has a booze soaked, middle aged, off license owner living in a dodgy area of Bradford been left for dead with a teenage medical student from the right part of town? Hours earlier Jack and Aisha were tortured before Jack's property was set alight. What is the connection between these two individuals and what leads them from a local convent to India? The pacing of this thriller was excellent, ditto the characters, there is no slack in this phenomenally written book. Every word deserves its place on each and every page. I was gripped discovering why Jack's path had finally caught up with him and did not expect what happened at the final showdown at the Golden Temple. Truly excellent.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers for an advance copy of The Blood Divide, a stand-alone thriller set in Bradford and Northern India.

Jack Baxi is woken in the middle of the night by DS Singh, but he doesn’t expect to be tortured, along with a young woman he has never met before, for information about a man neither of them has heard of. Soon Jack and Aisha are running for their lives and searching for an explanation for their predicament, a search that will take them to the slums of Delhi and further north to the militarised zone.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Blood Divide. I was a big fan of Harry Virdee so I was interested to see where the author’s talents could take him with different characters and a different setting. I was not disappointed as this is a tense, well paced thriller with the extra mystery of why. I found it very readable and compulsive.

I found the novel well paced and plotted. The overriding questions of who and why are gradually teased out over the course of the novel with strategic reveals at key moments, with strategic being defined as a little but not enough for the curious reader, thus forcing them to keep reading. Of course, these reveals are not sufficient for the author who sows more confusion by adding extra players with different motives and further layers of complexity with interconnecting relationships between the characters. It sounds confusing but the author’s clear headed style and crisp writing keep it under control and make it easy to follow.

I was fascinated by the historical detail in the novel and the descriptions of India. They supply context and bring the location to life. So why, then, four and not five stars? I thought the ending was a whimper rather than a bang, especially following the high octane action that came before. It seems like a cop out for the cynical Jack, never mind the other events.

The Blood Divide is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

A dark and engaging thriller with a solid plot and likable characters.
Pacy and well written this is one novel that will make you think and test your perprecitves.
Thoroughly enjoyed it.

This was my first book by A. A. Dhand and it was a bit different but I enjoyed it. Its' a dark, complex and fast-paced detective mystery thriller taken place in England and India. The story is a bit uneven and the characters are rather strange but it kept my interest through the whole book. I also liked the political, historical and cultural insights. If you are looking for a different kind of thriller then you will enjoy this book. I will definitely look into Dhand's other work.

Thanks to the author, the publishers and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really did love this book it was a new author (A A Dhand) for me and I was so impressed with the scale and complexity of the read it was so much more than I was expecting. The main character Jack Baxi is so well written and likeable with lots of faults but I felt right from the start his heart was in the right place.
The story starts in Bradford where Jack is tortured along with a young women who Jack has never seen before and what follows is a thrilling and fast paced plot that takes us from Bradford to India and Pakistan. There is so much information in this this book I learn a lot of things I didn’t know and for me that is what made it such a brilliant read it wasn’t just a thriller it had a whole lot more than that.
I also have to mention the other wonderful character Cruise he was for me a real star and made me laugh many times.
So this was a read that I couldn’t put down it had a bit of everything, interesting, thrilling and full of facts it’s a read I can highly recommend and high praise to AA Dhand for a great 5 star read.
My thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK, Bantam Press for giving me the chance to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

What a book! This is one story that I really enjoyed, fast paced from start to finish with some great characters.

Jack Baxi is a corner shop owner and small time crook whose mundane existence is shattered one night by a visit from a corrupt policeman. Jacks journey to find the truth behind his attempted murder leads him to India on a wild chase to find out what happened to his wife.

A great read!

What a brilliant thriller! Absolutely loved it. Really enjoyed the description of the corner shop owner. Characters are written brilliantly and the descriptive writing is just so vivid. I can see myself in the streets of Delhi hear the rush of traffic and the aroma of the whole atmosphere.

I learnt a few cultural insights and found it interesting. As an Asian living in England, I felt like I've been to India and back.

This is a complex yet enjoyable and clever thriller. Thank you NetGalley and Random House UK for my ARC in return for my honest opinion.

The last thing Jack Baxi expected when a detective rang his doorbell in the middle of the night was that he'd be tortured and left for dead, with a young woman he's never met before.

Now, running for their lives, Jack and Aisha frantically try to discover why the detective was so convinced they both have information on a missing person. Jack is a Sikh corner shopkeeper with a criminal record. Aisha is a Muslim medical student from a wealthy family. What could possibly connect them?

The plotting is excellent and the gradual piecing together of the characters' true histories is probably one of the elements I enjoyed most This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

3.5/5.

Read this one fast as it's quite fast paced and just seems to run on. The arena of Bradford/Delhi was a novel setting for me, however something about the novel just didn't sit well. The novel was weighted down in the halting English conversations between the characters, which just fell flat in my opinion. I won't be rushing back to this author in a hurry, although I'm glad to have tried this one.
Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Jack Baxi, a lapsed Sikh and a Bradford newsagent with a shady criminal past drinks himself to sleep every night remembering his dead wife.

Everything comes crashing down one night when a rogue cop turns up with a young Muslim woman in tow.

Thus begins a series of events that lead to the slums of New Delhi and a secret Sikh organisation that doesn't bode well for Jack.

This new novel by AA Dhand departs from his Harry Virdee books but is equally well written and fast paced

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK for this advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
First publication I've read by this author and certainly wasn't disappointed in it.
A cracking read, fast paced and neatly ties together historical events in India with those in modern day England.
A solid four out of five

My thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK for this advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Having read one of the Red Hot Chilli Writers’ books, I wanted to read novels by other members of this group. This book does not disappoint: the plot is excellent, the characters robust and the journey totally absorbing. The pace of this novel is like an express train without brakes! An added bonus were the political, historical and cultural insights. A tense and extremely enjoyable read.

I have read AA Dhand’s , Harry Virdee books, which I have enjoyed reading the series, but this stand alone book The Blood Divide is on another level. It was outstanding, I could taste the dust and see the blood red earth from his descriptive writing. The history and the bloodshed was tangible and the characters were interesting and colourful.
Highly recommended

Such an exciting book that I couldn’t put down. One of the best books I’ve read in ages. A very thrilling, fast-paced storyline which was very well written. The characters were all very believable as well. Highly recommended.

#TheBloodDivide #Netgalley

A very interesting story about a mans hunt for the truth about his past. The story moves from Bradford to Delhi and then to the border between India and Pakistan before the truth is finally revealed. A well written page turner.

This is a great story, I love AA Dhand's earlier work so was really pleased to get this one, and it didn't disappoint. The main plot was fast-paced and exciting with clearly-defined characters. There were so many twists and turns, but everything was explained at the end. It was also very interesting to learn about Indian history, and how past events shape the present times.

I received this book free from Netgalley and the publisher for a review. A very good international thriller could not put it down.

Jack Baxi is a shady corner shop owner in Bradford. He is woken in the middle of the night by a policeman knocking on his door. He is tortured and left for dead. When he comes round he is tied up and there is a young woman he has never met before with him. Jack and Aisha manage to escape and run for their lives. What both of them want to know is why a policeman neither of them know has tortured them both and tried to kill them.

The book actually starts via a prologue in the Punjab in 1947. I am aware that "partition" of India took place then and did have that in mind while reading this. The prologue is as brief as it is dark. The story then moves to Jack and 2019. The story follows Jack and Aisha's attempts to try and find out what exactly is behind the attacks on them. To do so they need to travel and India is the most likely destination - what does lie in the past?

I come to this book as a real fan of AA Dhand's "Harry Virdee" books. This one does have aspects in common with that series while being very different in some ways. The tensions between Muslim and Sikh are a facet of this story. This book has that very pacey feel of the other books. I often found myself thinking "I'll just read one more chapter" and then reading three! The other real commonality to me is the darkness. The Harry Virdee are dark but this one takes darkness to another level.

I found both Jack and Aisha very powerful characters and largely convincing given the story I guess. Honourable mention must go to Cruise too, I enjoyed his presence in this. It provided some light in an otherwise dark picture. I can certainly say I'm glad I read this. Equally I'm sure the many fans of the "Harry" books want to read this. It is a standalone book anyway but I would probably suggest newcomers might go for the first Virdee book for a preference.

Looking back on it I was caught up in this completely however I'm not sure I was fully convinced. For the story to work this probably had to be a less than easy read. I think that the overall story may not work as well as the author intended for some people. The pace and power are there in abundance - Dhand is an excellent writer. I just think that maybe this was a little too dark. I will certainly continue to read any future books by this author.

A dark, complex and fast-paced detective mystery thriller that satisfies. Mostly.

I’m a newcomer to the works of AA Dhand, so when the chance of a NetGalley ARC came up, it was a good opportunity to see what he’s about.

“The Blood Divide” is a stand-alone story, but like the author’s Virdee series, takes place in and around Bradford and within the large Asian community there. But this time we also travel to India and beyond. When shop owner Jack Baxi is awoken at 2am by Detective Kuldeed Singh at his back door, demanding to know if he knows a man called Benedict Cave, he is drawn into a maze of deception and murder. Things get worse when he is kidnapped, along with medical student Aisha.

What follows is a fast-paced journey from Bradford to India, in search of truth, past crimes and justice. The sights, sounds and smells of India are vividly described, and the images conjured up of Delhi and the Golden Temple had me reaching for the atlas and encyclopaedia. As hinted at in the prologue, the reader is introduced to the Partition of India, with its bloodshed and violence. There is sufficient background relating to Jack’s family and the wider Asian community to flesh out the story without slowing the pace of the story.

There’s a taste of John Buchan in here, as well as Dan Brown and even Steve Berry, as the race across India and Pakistan continues. We encounter the obligatory Illuminati-type global organisation, corruption, old secrets, lies, murder and betrayal. There are missionaries and zealots too. Not all the characters are likeable, but they are nicely drawn.

The pacing of the book is a little stilted, but moves forward well enough. Towards the end of the book, I detected some minor continuity errors, which might be due to the preview status of my ARC. Hopefully these will not appear in the final book, as they spoiled the ending a little.

This is a complex thriller with the historical context I love, it’s just the ending which I wasn’t 100% satisfied with. Maybe just me, so I’d encourage Dhand fans and thriller lovers to read the book, and make up their own mind. Definitely recommended.