Without a doubt the best crime thriller I’ve read this year.
An original point of view with the main character being a council estate pharmacist.
When somebody he cares for does something stupid she turns to him for help
Already in money troubles, and with the local drug lords putting the squeeze in him he crosses a line there is no going back from
A story of loyalties and desperation
A brilliant read

Here it is the long-awaited return of AA Dhand! I am delighted to say that this new book is every bit as gripping and intense as the Virdee novels. The Chemist explores the somewhat blurred lines between ‘good’ and ‘evil’ in world where drug dealing gangsters rule. Idris Khan AKA The Chemist, is drawn unwillingly into this world where he must use his knowledge of pharmaceuticals to survive – gripping stuff from the off! The characters are well-written, and the relentless pace make The Chemist an ‘edge of your seat’ read through to the exhilarating conclusion – a conclusion which could be the set up for intriguing next instalment…

Thanks to HQ and NetGalley for ARC.

AA Hand's Verde series has recently made it to the small screens. I'm unfamiliar with his work and wow! What a standalone to start with!

Leeds pharmacist Idris Khan runs a practice serving some of the most vulnerable people in the city, and some of the most notorious. When one of his best-loved patients doesn't appear for her daily methadone dose, he sets off to discover what's up, and it leads both of them into some dark places indeed. People they care for become collateral damage in an attempt to get them out of a terrible situation.

When people who think they have nothing left to lose make desperate choices, sometimes they lose more than they knew was possible. This was certainly grim, gritty, sometimes graphic, and kept me gripped from beginning to end.

I was already a fan of the Harry Virdee books, and love this writer.
Idris Khan is the Chemist, He lives and works in Leeds, part of his job is delivering methadone to the addicts on the notorious Mews estate, run by the sadistic Jahangir.

Idrisi helps his ex-wife Rebecca to cover up a crime involving the brother of Thomas Mead, another crime family and rivals of Jahangir. This leads him into a tangled plot trying to placate the Meads and Jahangir while seeking to keep their trust to maintain the safety of himself and his family.

The threat of violence never lets up throughout the book so you are constantly on edge wondering if the Chemist will make it to the end.

At times, the Chemist's methods feel a bit far-fetched, but despite this, it still keeps you hooked.
Highly recommended.

A. A. Dhand’s The Chemist is a riveting, fast-paced gangland thriller set in the gritty, crime-ridden streets of Leeds. The novel follows Idris Khan, a local pharmacist who dispenses methadone to the countless addicts under his care. Despite his unassuming persona, Idris holds a wealth of knowledge about the secrets of the people around him, making him a quietly powerful figure in the community.

When his childhood sweetheart, Rebecca, fails to show up for her daily dose of methadone, Idris is immediately concerned. His search for her takes him deep into the heart of the most dangerous part of the city, thrusting him into the middle of a bloody turf war between two rival drug cartels. What follows is a thrilling descent into the criminal underworld, where Idris is forced to outsmart his enemies using every ounce of his intelligence and cunning.

Dhand masterfully constructs a tense, immersive world filled with moral ambiguity. The novel is a fascinating exploration of the blurred lines between good and evil as characters navigate the murky waters of gangland conflict. Idris, an anti-hero with a strong moral compass, contrasts with the ruthless criminals he faces. The novel also delves into the tragic realities of the drug trade, where innocent people become pawns in the power struggles between cartels.

The complex, well-drawn characters, the sharp, gritty narrative, and the relentless pace make The Chemist an addictive read. Dhand’s deft handling of suspense and his ability to keep readers on the edge of their seats until the very end makes this book a standout in the contemporary crime genre.

With its thrilling conclusion and open-ended possibilities, The Chemist leaves readers eagerly hoping for more from Idris Khan’s world. A must-read for fans of intense, action-packed gangland stories.

Read more at The Secret Book Review.

Wow! Excitement from the first word. AA Dhand has done it again. The Chemist is a superb novel set in the dark streets of Leeds rather than those of Bradford which he made famous in the Virdee series. This book focuses on Idris Khan a pharmacist known by all as The Chemist of the title who serves the addicts of The Mews the toughest estate in Leeds governed by a ruthless overlord and desired by another. Despite managing to walk the tightrope through the volatile junkies he serves for years Idris eventually gets caught up in all the trouble and the story begins. Wonderful characters, wonderful storyline. I was there on the streets of Leeds. I even felt scared at times! Definitely going to re-read all this author's other books as I'd forgotten how good he was. Recommended to anyone who likes a good thriller crime novel to get their pulse racing.
Thank you to NetGalley and thepublisher for the opportunity to ead an advance copy. All opinions are my own

Think "Breaking Bad" meets "The Responder" meets "Happy Valley" and you have a page-turner like no other in this clever and gritty morality tale!

"Good people do bad things for good causes" is the running sentiment in this thriller as Idris Khan, a Leeds-based pharmacist, finds himself in the middle of a turf war between two notoriously vicious drug cartels.

Idris owns a local pharmacy and whilst his team manage the shop front and deal with general prescriptions, Idris takes care of the needs of the numerous addicts in The Mews, a run-down estate under the control of one of Yorkshire's most notorious crime lords. Every day Idris administers methadone to hundreds of patients – a mix of ex-cons, down-and-outs and illegal immigrants. His ex Rebecca, now a social worker covering red light districts, is also an ex-addict. They met as children, fell in love, and broke apart under tragic circumstances. Their deep affection remains years later, even though Idris is now married to Mariam, a respected GP in the same community.

Avoiding plot spoilers, all I will say is that an event involving Rebecca, who goes the extra mile for a vulnerable young woman in her care, pulls Idris into a life-or-death situation. He has no option but to use his knowledge of pharmaceuticals to try and save the people he cares about. Meanwhile, the police investigation is circling. Can he get away with it when the enigmatic senior police investigator uncovers his involvement and is getting closer to proving it? A cat-and-mouse storyline ensues as Idris races against time.

You'll need to suspend disbelief at some aspects of the darkly written, propulsive plot, which leaves you breathless at times, but it works because the characters are very well drawn – and Idris, in particular, is hard to dislike. Your heart will go out to 'the runner' at The Mews, a Middle Eastern illegal immigrant who made it across the Channel on a boat with his young son. To keep his boy safe, Al Noor has no option but to work for sadistic Johangir, the local kingpin with an ugly appetite.

Idris's team at the pharmacy, although they don't feature much, are present. They care about their jobs, their customers and worry about Idris as tensions mount – and I would have liked to have seen more of them.

AA Dhand is the creator of the new BBC police procedural "Virdee". Don't let that put you off. I'm not a fan of his TV show. Admittedly, I’ve only seen one episode (and that was enough) and I found it clunky, unsubtle and the performances heavy-handed and a little cringe – but I am a fan of The Chemist, which is surely destined for a TV adaptation, too.

This book starts with a bang! There's an armed siege just opposite the local chemist. Idris, the pharmacist there and pillar of the local community, enters the building to try to help. However it seems quite possible that he had prior knowledge of this… I liked that, nice start. Over the course of this book, Idris develops as a character, as does his background, very effectively. The book has a number of characters in, quite a few of which are very unpleasant. Of those who are less unpleasant Idris's wife, a local GP and his ex wife, Sarah, a charity worker and ex addict, are important.

Al-Noor, who lives in the Mews with his young son and who is an immigrant, is another prime character. The Mews is a deprived area where Idris supplies many addicts prescription methadone. It's an area that few people are allowed into and is controlled by a vicious drug lord. Al-Noor works for that drug lord if not voluntarily. Over the course of the book a number of other characters appear with various connections and so there is that gradual reveal of back stories and events that coloured/affected lives.

The pace in this book is relentlessly good. It also papers over some of the credibility cracks quite nicely! I am a fan of Dhand's work generally (& I was watching the television series based on his older books while I was reading this) and aspects of his stories are quite deep and very valid. Some parts are best just accepted. It did leave me wondering at times just when "twisty" become complex and unlikely. While I felt for some of the characters in this I'm not sure any of them really grabbed me. This is really rather a dark and maybe even depressing book. I will say that the "achievements" of the Chemist are very clever and it is a pretty good read. It will suit some people well and I think Dhand fans will be pleased with it.

This was an incredibly engrossing read and I raced through it. The author, A.A. Dhand uses his professional experience as a pharmacist to give credibility to the main protagonist, Idris Khan, who runs and owns his pharmacy in Leeds, servicing The Mews’ residents with their methadone and other meds.
Then one day it all goes wrong when saving his love, Rebecca, and in so doing, starts a chain of events that spirals out of control. To say more would give way to spoilers depriving the reader the thrills and turns of this book.
This is a great read and I hope it will be the start of a series, as in the Harry Virdee series now shown on the BBC.

Thank you NetGalley and the Publishers, HQ, for this ARC.

I found this book something of a strange one and I am still not convinced if I enjoyed it or not.
To be honest, I might have given it a miss after the first few pages, as it didn’t tick the right boxes for me, but I suck with it to the end, but did consider it all to be a bit far fetched and wondered if such events would really happen.
I certainly do not doubt the research that would have gone into it all, but at times thought the storyline to be just that little bit too much.

Idris Khan runs the pharmacy in Headingley, Leeds and is known to his customers as The Chemist. He dispenses many prescriptions including ‘blue scripts’ of methadone and despite how busy he is and the long hours that he works, like many other pharmacies, he’s struggling to make ends meet. He has tough customers and delivers to even tougher areas and so is no stranger to standing up for himself or to witnessing violence. This is especially true of The Mews, home to drug addicts, ex cons and illegal immigrants. It’s a place of misery and cruelty ruled over by Johangir, leader of a drug cartel. Johangir has one competitor, a Yorkshire cartel led by Thomas Mead. When his ex-wife Rebecca doesn’t turn up for her daily dose of methadone, he goes looking for her in a very rundown area of Leeds. He finds her but steps into a nightmare scenario and a turf war between the two cartels. It’s a high stakes game. Can Idris use all of his obvious intelligence to evade the wrath of powerful organisations, to say nothing of the boys in blue? It’s fair to say that stuff hits the fan….

The storytelling is as raw, gritty, unremittingly dark and harsh as many of the characters that enters Idris’s shop and the neighbourhoods that surround it. There’s rage, violence, vengeance, and the cruelty of those lacking morality. I like the conundrum of a good man caught in a desperate trap and using his razor sharp brain to do good by doing bad. As the book progresses I find myself increasing intrigued by the character of Idris who has his own brand of toughness. As the author has a pharmacy background, this gives further credibility to both the character and his actions.

As a whole it feels real and authentic with its portrayal of harsh and difficult areas of Leeds. I’m not going to pretend that the aura isn’t bleak, it is. This is a murky and desolate world with its grim portrayal of addiction and the unrelenting cruel and evil reach of organised crime. On occasions when some of the larger than life brutal characters are on the page, the tension is sky high. It’s a buckle up, rollercoaster ride to the end and nicely set up for promises to be a fascinating follow-up.

Although I don’t find this as immediately grabbing as the brilliant Harry Virdee series, I think AA Dhand is onto another winner. I hope so as it’s an absorbing thriller which would make for a great TV series or film.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to HQ for the much appreciated EPUB in return for an honest review.

The Chemist by A.A. Dhand is a totally gripping contemporary gangland suspense that I read in just two sittings.
The reader enters the criminal underworld of Leeds as we traverse a no-go estate run by unscrupulous drug lords.
There is a tension as rival gangs fight over turf.
Within these turf wars, innocents are caught up and used by the rival gangs as pawns to force a father’s hand.
Those who would do good, find themselves spiraling downwards into a murky grey area as revenge is sought on behalf of the innocent.
Within The Chemist we meet anti-heroes who work to right the wrongs, using whatever is at their disposal. They clash with the law enforcement, even though they have similar goals.
All the characters were well drawn. There were dastardly, evil characters in contrast to those with kind hearts, although these were not pure either.
A.A. Dhand is masterful within the gangland genre. He grabs the reader’s attention from the start and we remain gripped to the end.
The ending is perfectly poised for the reader to hope that we will hear more from the chemist.
I received a free copy via Net Galley. A favourable review was not required. All opinions are my own.

Having read books by this author previously, I was keen to read this one.

This time around we are introduced to Local pharmacist and pillar of the community, Idris Khan. Based in Leeds this story unfolds around drug addiction and the characters that Idris deals with daily.
Idris is soon out of his comfort zone and it's this that leaves you wanting to read more of the book. Drug addiction, murder - this book has plenty to keep you guessing and wondering which way it going.
A decent read with some interesting characters.

The Chemist is an engaging, easy-to-read and enjoyable thriller, which follows the titular character as he gets involved in an ever-escalating situation involving rival drugs gangs in the North of England.

The plot flows nicely and the stakes are continually raised, with a good back-story to explain how the protagonists ended up where they are. There is plenty of suspense, the lead characters are likeable enough, and the ending felt satisfying, setting things up for a sequel.

Overall though, I felt the story lacked that special something I was hoping for.

A solid 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4, as I'm sure many people will enjoy this.

Thank you to Netgalley and HQ for an ARC of this crime-thriller.

A gripping drama which had me hooked from the start.
Well written characters and clever writing.
One not to be missed.
My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my copy.

Having seen reviews for other works by his author I imagined I was going o love this book, no so much I’m afraid, quite generic and at times felt overlong

Absolutely gripping, kept me reading far longer into the night than I should have been.

From the start it's an interesting read - Idris is a pharmacist in the shadow of crime-ridden tower blocks, and has hundreds of addicts coming to the pharmacy for doses of methadone. His friend Rebecca works with a charity looking to help the area's sex workers. From the moment that the latter work leads to a dramatic and distressing incident that involves both Idris and Rebecca, I was hooked.

This is brutal, clever and interesting, my favourite book of the year so far!

Oh My! What a read.

It is filled with tension, it has drama and is really quite thrilling.

I love a good action read and this involving a drugs cartel really seems spot on in terms of reality. It is descriptive, well written and I was hooked..

This would honestly make a brilliant TV drama/film I can already imagine the thrills and spills.

Just amazing

I’ve been waiting for this book since 2019, when I discovered and binged A.A. Dhand’s DI Harry Virdee series.

The Chemist centres around Iris Khan, a law-abiding pharmacist in Leeds. A big chunk of his work is managing methadone prescriptions for addicts in his care. Inevitably this puts him in contact with all sorts of people from the criminal underworld.

Trying to protect someone close to him drags Idris into a desperate battle for survival, with rival drug cartels and the Police among those threatening to ruin his life.

The Chemist is absolutely compelling, inventive and original. It’s fast, theres a huge ‘one-more-chapter factor’. There’s plenty of threat, tension and danger but also sensitivity, empathy and a social awareness. This is one of those rare books that no other author could have written, drawing on A.A. Dhand’s years of experience working as a pharmacist, and a deep knowledge and understanding of the local area and community.

Simply brilliant. State of the art British Crime fiction. Read it as soon as you can!

Thanks to Netgalley and HQ