“There was enough adrenaline coursing through my veins as I devoured the latest thriller from A A Dhand to match the clever mindset and chemical equations of Idris Khan – A K A ‘The Chemist’.”
Idris is the endearing community pharmacist serving the drug-addled community of The Mews poorly funded by the NHS in Leeds.
His clientele are complex but Idris is both empathetic and a deliverer of justice which provides the strength of this fast-paced novel.
Heinous power-playing drug lords find new lows in how to keep their drugged and vulnerable communities in line. Idris and his good friend Al-noor are heroic, giving the novel bouyancy and clear, stark direction.
Whilst the ending gives resolution, I already await the sequel and The Chemist sets itself up with a strong cast of characters we become invested in.
Book Club questions can be based on themes of mis-use of power and the plight of illegal immigrants which is topical in this modern age as we witness vast movements of people across continents.
Sue Reid
Read By Reid NZ
Harper Collins Publishers
ISBN 9780008645847