A A Dhand

A A Dhand (Amit Dhand) is a British-Asian crime-writer. His recent books are set in the West Yorkshire city of Bradford,[1] a former industrial city very much a shadow of its former self and rife with social deprivation, crime and complex inter-communal challenges.[2][3]

A A Dhand
OccupationAuthor
NationalityBritish
GenreCrime fiction
Notable worksHarry Virdee series

Background

Raised in Bradford and the son of an immigrant corner shop owner.[4] He attended the prestigious Fulneck Boarding School in Leeds (of which features in his novels). He originally trained as a pharmacist and worked in London, but returned to his home town to start a pharmacy business and write books.[5]

He is now a regular contributor to a number of British Asian and crime writers' fora.[6]

Writing

Dhand's first novel featured a character Ranjit Singh and is set against the Partition of India and Pakistan in 1947; but it has been his more recent novels that have won him critical acclaim. These have featured the Bradford-based police detective Harry Virdee, a progressive British Sikh who struggles with his cultural identity and family loyalties. Race, violence and exploitation are on the agenda in the Virdee novels, and Dhand has not shied away from controversial issues of tension between British Asian communities and the controversy over such issues as the 'grooming' of vulnerable females by organised gangs of men. Dhand is fairly unique as he sets his protagonists (who are shaped by Asian culture) in a British setting.[7]

His novel Streets of Darkness is being developed as a TV drama.[8]

In August 2023, the BBC announced that the Harry Virdee books would be adapted into a six episode series entitled Virdee, with Sacha Dhawan starring in the title role.[9]

Bibliography
  • Fields of Blood (2015) (featuring character Ranjit Singh)
  • Streets of Darkness (Bantam Press - 16 June 2016) (featuring character Harry Virdee)
  • Girl Zero (Bantam Press - 13 July 2017) (featuring character Harry Virdee)[10]
  • City of Sinners (Bantam Press - 28 June 2018) (featuring character Harry Virdee)
  • One Way Out (Bantam Press - 27 June 2019) (featuring character Harry Virdee)[11]
  • Blood Divide (Bantam Press - 2021) (featuring character Jack Baxi)[12]

References
  1. "Abir Mukherjee and AA Dhand at the 2017 Bradford Literary Festival, Open Book - BBC Radio 4". BBC. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
  2. "A. A. Dhand – The Asian Writer". theasianwriter.co.uk. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
  3. "Bradford author A A Dhand talks Streets of Darkness". www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
  4. Hughes, Sarah (29 May 2016). "Northern noir finds a new detective hero in the dark heart of Yorkshire". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
  5. "AA Dhand: Streets of Darkness - New Writing North". New Writing North. Archived from the original on 28 August 2017. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
  6. "Secrets of Crime Writing - Bradford Literature Festival". Bradford Literature Festival. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
  7. "An interview with Bradford crime writer A.A Dhand - The Bradford Review". www.thebradfordreview.co.uk. Archived from the original on 28 August 2017. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
  8. "FilmWave snaps up rights to Bradford thriller | The Bookseller". www.thebookseller.com. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
  9. "'Happy Valley' Creator Sally Wainwright, Jenna Coleman, Nicôle Lecky, Sacha Dhawan Series Set at BBC". variety.com. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  10. "A. A. Dhand books and biography | Waterstones". www.waterstones.com. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
  11. "Crime author AA Dhand: Life and death on Bradford's 'forgotten' streets | BBC News". Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  12. "The Blood Divide | penguin.co.uk". Retrieved 2 September 2023.
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