The Chemist
by AA Dhand (HQ, $37.99)
Fresh off his pioneering series starring Bradford detective and progressive British Sikh Harry Virdee being adapted into a six-part BBC drama, AA Dhand has returned to his roots.
The long-time pharmacist’s page-turning latest centres on Idris Khan, the mild-mannered co-owner of a Leeds pharmacy that relies on a steady stream of methadone users to keep its doors open. That and a deal with a local drug kingpin that allows Khan rare access to the Mews, a poverty-stricken council estate. When one of Khan’s patients, his ex Rebecca, doesn’t turn up for her daily dose, Khan goes searching, only to end up elbows deep in a cover-up of a killing and a brewing gang war. How far will he go to survive and protect those he cares about?
The Chemist is a gritty crime thriller that takes readers into tough landscapes and torn lives. With a resourceful, caring “hero” pushed to his limits, amid the action it’s an at-times bleak peek into lives many are unaware of or prefer to ignore: addicts, sex workers and immigrants searching for a better life who’ve ended up with something far worse. Very good.
King of Ashes
by SA Cosby (Headline, $37.99)
Everything burns. It’s a credo for the Carruthers family in Virginian author SA Cosby’s new thriller, or what’s left of them. Their parents put everything into the Carruthers Crematorium in rundown Jefferson Run, the stench of fire and death providing house, education and more. Eldest son Roman now lives the high life in Atlanta, a financial adviser to the stars, but he’s called home by his sister Neveah when their father ends up in a coma following a hit and run. Given their younger brother Dante’s deep debts to some very nasty local gangsters, it may be a warning shot.
When Roman violently discovers his brains and charm may not smooth the waters Dante stirred, he tries to buy their way out with his financial wizardry while plotting payback. Kings of Ashes is another ripsnorter from Cosby. Will Roman have to cast his own soul into the fire? A novel packed with guilt, sacrifice and family, it’s one hell of a ride.
Whisky Valley
by Joan Sauers (Allen & Unwin, $36.99)
Outback Noir for fans of cosy mysteries might be an apt description for screenwriter Joan Sauers’ intriguing series starring historian and amateur sleuth Rose McHugh, set in New South Wales’ scenic Southern Highlands. In this second instalment, Rose is still recovering from events in Echo Lake, in which she tried to find out what happened to a woman who went missing; she’s battling anxiety, seeing a therapist and struggling to go on her beloved bush walks.
But Rose is excited about her sister Kim and her son Sam visiting from the city, sparked by a performance by noted violinist Billy Mah at a local music festival. Sam and Billy were great friends years before. But when Billy vanishes along with his priceless violin and floodwaters begin to rise, Rose must uncover the truth from a web of secrets and lies before police zero in on her son. Whisky Valley is an enjoyable Aussie crime read in a richly evoked setting; solid more than spectacular on the mystery front. Its intriguing sleuth with shades of Marple, lovely touches of local history and wider cast may lure readers to follow the series.
