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Idris Khan #1

The Chemist

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Don’t miss this incredible adrenaline-filled thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat in 2025!‘An author to keep an eye on … Dhand is a fearless writer’ Sunday Times

 * * * *

He knows everything about you. Including how to save you. And how to kill you.

Local pharmacist and pillar of the community, Idris Kalia, spends his days doling out methadone to the hundreds of addicts in his care. They trust Idris with their secrets, and so he knows more than his mild manner suggests. So when his childhood sweetheart, Sarah, doesn't turn up for her daily methadone dose, Idris is worried. Worried enough to go looking for her in the most deprived area of Leeds, alone.

He finds Sarah, and the mess he stumbles on places Idris in the middle of a turf war between the two most powerful drug cartels in Yorkshire. Now, he must use every bit of intelligence and cunning he has to keep those he loves safe.

Because a war is on the way. And when Idris goes after his enemies, they won't see him coming.

* * *

Praise for A. A.

‘Outstanding – relentless, multi-layered suspense and real human drama’ Lee Child

‘Timely, and a compulsive page-turner’ Liz Nugent, author of Strange Sally Diamond

‘This man knows how to keep me up into the early hours. Relentlessly thrilling!’ Vaseem Khan, author of Midnight at Malabar House

‘Deserves attention for its sheer inventiveness and unbridled energy’ The Times

432 pages, Hardcover

Published May 22, 2025

524 people are currently reading
1591 people want to read

About the author

A.A. Dhand

10 books195 followers
A.A. Dhand was raised in Bradford and spent his youth observing the city from behind the counter of a small convenience store. After qualifying as a pharmacist, he worked in London and travelled extensively before returning to Bradford to start his own business and begin writing. The history, diversity and darkness of the city have inspired his Harry Virdee novels.

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5 stars
921 (42%)
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3 stars
316 (14%)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 226 reviews
Profile Image for Nina (ninjasbooks).
1,676 reviews1,865 followers
January 14, 2026
This was so freakin good! I love how fast paced it was, and smart as well. The ending was a bit bonkers, but I didn’t mind. It was just so fun, alive and thrilling.
Profile Image for Ceecee .
2,831 reviews2,387 followers
February 17, 2025
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.
Profile Image for Stephen.
2,231 reviews465 followers
July 28, 2025
mixed feelings about this thriller based in Leeds about the chemist and rival drug gangs
Profile Image for Marianne.
4,564 reviews351 followers
May 6, 2026
The Chemist is the first book in the Idris Khan series by British pharmacist and author, A A Dhand. While most British pharmacists have their hands full coping with increased supply costs and reduced NHS remuneration, in Leeds, Idris Khan also has to find the cash to pay the local drug kingpin for access to the area’s most lucrative source of pharmacy income: supplying methadone and dosette boxes to the residents of The Mews.

Add to that, a new methadone patient, just nineteen and being pimped out by a very nasty type, whom his ex-wife, working for The Elizabeth Project, is trying to protect; a Mews resident trying to escape the clutches of the kingpin to protect his young son; and a marriage that’s not working. The last thing he needs is for the ex-wife he still loves to stab someone with very dangerous friends in the back.

But Idris is a quick thinker: he steps in and does all he can to protect Rebecca and cover their tracks; he’s pretty sure he’s succeeded, but things are going to going to get very complicated quite quickly. And each time he thinks he might have something under control, another snag arrives to add to the tangle.

Over the course of the next few days, he’s fielding threats and blackmail from two competing drug kingpins and that nasty pimp, being observed by a very determined police detective, and manufacturing more lies than he ever dreamt of telling. There’s overdosing, kidnapping, assault, murder, and a lot of illegal use of accountable drugs.

When things get truly desperate, he visits his estranged older brother, serving time in prison, who furnishes a bold but very risky plan designed to solve all those pesky problems. There’s a hefty body count by the time it’s all over, though, six of these by his hand.

Dhand forewarns readers that “for the purposes of drama, policies, drugs and doses have been manipulated to facilitate fiction”, as these would otherwise very probably annoy readers with pharmaceutical knowledge. As it is, the best advice is to don your disbelief suspenders and go with the flow.

What his protagonist deals with will have most in the profession grateful for their own very sedate careers, although they might find Idris a tiny bit arrogant, at times. Fans will be pleased to know that Idris Khan returns in a sequel, The Kingpin. Nail-biting British crime fiction.
Profile Image for Dave C.
96 reviews27 followers
February 10, 2025
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.
Profile Image for Cynth.
267 reviews215 followers
April 26, 2026
This book was absolutely gripping and captivating. I couldn’t put it down. It was gritty, dark and raw. I can’t recommend it enough. The fact that it was set in Leeds, so close to home, made it feel so realistic. I can’t wait to read the sequel. A masterpiece.
1,194 reviews48 followers
April 7, 2025
4.5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and HQ for the advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review.

This is my first of Dhand's books but I can safely say it won't be my last.

This was so hyped up that I was worried it wouldn't live up to my expectations but I needn't have worried.

I've never really connected pharmacists with criminal activity and whatnot. but it makes total sense really. I don't know how it all works behind the scenes, but look at how many drugs they have access to. There's this imbalance of power. And whilst I have used the same pharmacy for over 30 years, I'll always wonder what else they've bene up to.

It was fast paced and exactly what I wanted from a thriller. I read the first 1/4 of it within an hour of going to bed and I had to force myself to put it down because it was just so addictive.

It does, at times, feel just a little bit unrealistic, which usually takes me out of a book but I didn't mind it here to be honest. It sort of made it even more tense and thrilling with how intense it was. I could definitely see it made into a TV series or film.

I found there were bits that made me feel really uncomfortable, which is quite a powerful thing in a thriller, especially when you read as many as I do, to create something that still manages to creep the reader out. There's no sugar-coating it, it's dark and depression, violent, and very intense.

I wasn't a huge fan of any of the characters (that's not an opinion on the writing of them, they were written very well). I mean, the "baddies" were proper villains which was good to read. There's no true "goodies" I didn't think. Everyone is a bit morally grey. Nearly everyone has a villainous side to them, whether out of choice or necessity. I didn't gel with the characters at first, but they did win me over and now I've finished it, I feel they are actually very well created characters with so much depth and so many layers.

I don't know much about the drug industry - at least the illegal one - and my knowledge of pharmacy is just due to my own illnesses, but I didn't realise just how simple it could be for the lines between legal and illegal drugs could blur. But Dhand has made it sound so real and authentic, that even if you've never been in that situation, you can feel it's absolutely true to life.

It finishes well but there is definitely scope for a sequel if Dhand decides to go that way, and I do hope he does because there's a few things I'd like to know more about.
Profile Image for Teresa.
144 reviews3 followers
August 27, 2025
Wow, what a fab book - kept me hooked from beginning to end. The end is left in a what’s going to happen next, therefore I hope there’s a follow up book to see where the chemist ends up. Would highly recommend
Profile Image for Ian.
573 reviews91 followers
September 18, 2025
'From Kingpins and Chemists - to heroes or villains?'

'The Chemist' proved to be a really thrilling, well researched and believable, set within a possible reality, adventure involving gangs, drugs, blackmail and killing. What could there be not to like?

Particularly liked the idea woven into the ending which will probably result in a sequel or two, which will undoubtedly be eagerly awaited. As a slight negative, it did become a bit frustrating reading the phrase 'The Chemist' which seemed to be used on a repeating loop by the author...not really needed as the title of the book obviously goes a long way to explaining itself. But thinking positively, I now know what the difference is between a pharmacist and a chemist - the distinction being clearly drawn within the narrative itself.

Overall - a highly enjoyable British thriller to be recommended. Will certainly be reading more from this highly talented, dark and disturbing, storyteller in future.

Rating: 4.2 stars of the highly addictive, white dust variety.

Profile Image for Tamischa Croes.
137 reviews4 followers
April 27, 2026
3.75⭐️ this is different from what I usually read but I was highly invested in the plot!! Really wanted to know what happens next after every chapter! Kept me entertained till the end! The Chemist is really 😂😂 he is something elsee I am amazed of what a chemist can get away with now

The beginning was a bit meh to get into but after chapter 7 or 8 I was hooked!

Cant wait to continue on this tho! The ending left me wanting to know what comes next
Profile Image for Daniel.
4 reviews
January 25, 2026
- 3.5* an easy and enjoyable read. A few moments which had the beginning of suspense.
Profile Image for Gary Dowden.
547 reviews5 followers
July 7, 2025
Idris - known locally as The Chemist - owns and runs a community pharmacy in one of the most deprived areas of Leeds and largely minds his own business and helps the locals with their daily needs of medication - all done above board and legally. However after an incident involving Rebecca - one of his regular customers - things spiral rapidly out of control as Idris attempts to get her out of a sticky situation.
I loved this and although the storyline is very different, it reminded me of Lock, Stock and two Smoking Barrels as one bad choice soon turns many lives upside down! The characters range from likeable to thoroughly nasty with a couple of scenes really uncomfortable and hard to read and its told from a number of viewpoints, although Idris is the constant among all the various plots.
It's fast paced, unpredictable, shocking and brutal, yet totally gripping and extremely well written and one that I'd highly recommend.
Profile Image for GemsLiteraryGems.
306 reviews4 followers
May 24, 2025
Idris Khan is the pharmacist in Headingley, Leeds, but to his customers he is known as The Chemist. He works long days to keep his business afloat, mostly through supplying methadone to the addicts of the city, and by having access to The Mews, a dangerous estate that is run by a brutal drug cartel. Johangir is the leader of the cartel, which ships illegal immigrants into the country and then gets them addicted for control. His only real competition is the equally brutal Mead family. When Idris' ex-wife misses a dose of her methadone, he goes looking for her and what he finds starts a series of events that leads to a turf war between the Mead family and Johangir. But Idris grew up on these streets and he also knows his drugs, so surely he can do something to stop an all out war.

I enjoyed this book and my only real criticism is that it could've been a little shorter, as it dragged a little in the middle and felt a bit repetitive with the "he's stuck in a bad situation, what will he do?", which did feel a bit drawn out. However, it was worth plodding through the middle section for the dramatic conclusion and the big twists that eventually arrive. Its a dark book at times, with some seriously grim themes, particularly what happens to Al-Noor and Liam, but it was cleverly woven together and having lived in Leeds, I enjoyed being able to picture the locations easily! The characters that are meant to be vile really are horrible and other than poor Al-Noor, they generally deserve what happens to them. But I did find myself frustrated by the number of stupid decisions that Idris makes for such an intelligent guy. The ending was surprising though, and definitely feels like a new series is on the cards. 4.5/5 rounded down to 4
Profile Image for Justin Berry.
377 reviews1 follower
June 21, 2025
There is only one word to describe this and that's relentless.

In fact that's not true, there's also fast paced,I can't ever remember reading a book that left the starting blocks so quickly and didn't let up.

Did I also mention that this book is grittier than a council depot in the depths of winter.

I literally don't have a bad thing to say about this book,and think it has a solid place as one of the top ten books that I've ever been fortunate enough to read.

I think you'll struggle to be entertained by another book as much as this one this year, so if you haven't read it then make sure you do.

If you have an opportunity to get the Goldsboro Edition of this, it is also a thing of beauty to adorn your shelves.

Can't wait for something else from Mr Dhand.
Profile Image for Latifah Illidge.
134 reviews
May 3, 2026
3,5 ⭐️

The chemist got me wanting to become a chemist. Liam got what he deserved! So did Thomas and Jahangir. Pain in my asshole was Amy tho. Everything started with that slut! Who was so unappreciative. Yes i know she young and naive bla bla BUT BYTCH!!’ You could’ve gotten Abused and beat the fuck up and you’re thank you is filming your rescuer and giving it to a sleezeball who don’t even appreciate your dumbass to use as blackmail. Amy should’ve gotten eliminated aswell fok her!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for **DaniJ**.
134 reviews
December 31, 2025
Rounding it up to a 4. It needs to be a movie or a prime/netflix series!
Profile Image for Russ.
7 reviews
February 18, 2026
Such a good read, had me not wanting to put the book down…
Turns out there’s a sequel coming out later this year so I shall be adding that to my list to read!!
Profile Image for Hayley.
111 reviews
March 21, 2026
better than I thought it was going to be, like a 3.75 tbf
39 reviews
April 2, 2026
an interesting idea, setting a pharmacist against rival drug gangs in Leeds.
some of the dialogue was a bit clumsy, and the characters following the usual tropes. An easy entertaining read.
Profile Image for JessViolet.
162 reviews1 follower
January 6, 2026
Smashed this out in a day, what a great story 10/10
Dark but compelling story about a chemist (pharmacist) who gets mixed up in some bad shit but then dispenses some shit of his own!
Profile Image for Ian Motton.
113 reviews
March 29, 2026
Honestly, this was a bit silly and sometimes the writing was incredibly simple and basic. However, it was good fun at times and it built to a satisfying (if silly) conclusion.
Profile Image for Deborah.
542 reviews
July 5, 2025
Action-packed, gritty thriller set in Leeds, where a pharmacist, Idris Khan, administers methadone to the local addicts. His work involves catering to the Mews, a housing estate filled with addiction, crime and misery.

When his ex, Rebecca, needs rescuing from a dangerous situation, Idris must do what it takes to protect her. Suddenly Idris is thrown into the world of drug cartels and a turf war. He has to use all his intelligence and skills to fight ruthless powerful enemies.

The Chemist would translate well to the screen. An exciting read.
Profile Image for Raymond Wolf.
129 reviews6 followers
October 29, 2025
This was nice, tense, fast paced and well written with solid layers. I like the timely execution of action scene. Reminded me of Walter White but it's very different from Breaking Bad, we have a local pharmacist caught in between two drug cartels and he needs to choose a side if he wants to saved his ex wife. That ending could just be the start of something else, could do with a second book and I would definitely read it.
601 reviews
November 29, 2025
Delectably dark and menacing. There’s the brilliant pharmacist, his rocky marriage and his feelings for a vulnerable ex. There’s the gifted inspector with loose ends that need tying up before he succumbs to Parkinson’s. There’s the Leeds tower block, infected by drug barons, their runners and pathetic victims. How can anyone win in this type of environment?
Displaying 1 - 30 of 226 reviews