India, June 30 -- Intrigue and danger aren't the words that one would link with a pharmacist. Not at least when the primary need is to feed a family. But Idris Khan isn't your usual protagonist! On the outside, his life with his wife Mariam is idyllic. In truth, it includes dealing with a drug kingpin. With this build up, author AA Dhand - known for his Streets of Darkness series - tries to create a potent crime thriller. However, the formula is truly trite - South Asian characters living in the UK, and trying to navigate racial and family dynamics while being presented with life-threatening circumstances. By the time the hero (a term used loosely) is introduced, he is bruised and bleeding from an unspecified altercation. Following a tense prologue, the reader is transported back in time to somehow figure out what led to this. Meanwhile, the people around the hero are painstakingly described, his relevant relationships are brought into focus, and soon the plot hits the brakes. Idris' relationships turn out to be messy but compelling. Plenty of characters are shown as victims of their circumstances, which makes Dhand's critiques of the system clear. Halfway through, however, Idris cuts a desperate figure as he gets pushed beyond reason. For him, the end increasingly justifies the means, no matter how dubious or who gets entangled in his world. The writing is evocative, which is partly due to Dhand's style and partly because he draws from his lived experience of being a pharmacist. This book thus becomes a real page-turner as one gets to see a whole new world out. But be warned: things and people here are aren't actually as they seem. Title: The Chemist Author: AA Dhand Publisher: HarperCollins Price: Rs.499...