Author:A. A. Dhand
Luther meets The Wire, this is the first Detective Harry Virdee novel
The sky over Bradford is heavy with foreboding. It always is. But this morning it has reason to be – this morning a body has been found. And it’s not just any body.
Detective Harry Virdee should be at home with his wife. Impending fatherhood should be all he can think about but he’s been suspended from work just as the biggest case of the year lands on what would have been his desk. He can’t keep himself away.
Determined to restore his reputation, Harry is obliged to take to the shadows in search of notorious ex-convict and prime suspect, Lucas Dwight. But as the motivations of the murder threaten to tip an already unstable city into riotous anarchy, Harry finds his preconceptions turned on their head as he discovers what it’s like to be on the other side of the law…
This up-to-the-minute debut is a scorching story of a city divided . . . Written with pace and precision, it gives us a character destined for television but also announces the arrival of a formidable crime writer.
—— Daily MailOutstanding - relentless, multi-layered suspense and real human drama make this a crime debut to relish
—— Lee ChildA tense slice of neo-noir that has won Dhand comparisons to both BBC drama Luther and HBO’s The Wire
—— ObserverDhand's Streets of Darkness are in Bradford and they sure are dark . . . The blood count is high but the novel deserves attention for its sheer inventiveness and unbridled energy
—— The TimesA sombre, gritty race through the unsettling underbelly of Bradford . . . compelling and unflinching
—— Yorkshire PostA surefooted, exciting and intelligent procedural; a very good debut
—— Stav Sherez[A] promising debut
—— Sunday Times Crime Club *Star Pick*A haunting, brooding debut
—— PsychologiesA chilling, creeping novel with parallels to more modern forms of witch-hunts
—— Red'Anyone who liked Cecilia Ekback's Wolf Winter is going to love this. [It's] about tiny braveries and small courage... a real David and Goliath story, but far less straightforward'
—— Natasha Pulley, author of The Watchmaker of Filigree StreetBeth Underdown cleverly creates a compelling atmosphere of dread and claustrophobia... Even from the distance of nearly four hundred years, her Matthew Hopkins is a genuinely frightening monster
—— Kate Riordan, author of The Girl in the Photograph'A clever, pacey read that blends truth and fiction'
—— The Times'A clever novel with a slow burn of horror'
—— Guardian'An accomplished debut novel... this is a powerful, disturbing book, full of drama, with a masterly evocation of England in the 1640s and a sickening final twist'
—— Sunday Express'Superb: dark, terrifying and utterly compelling'
—— Tracy Borman'Alice's voice reaches us with admirable clarity and she tells a truly horrifying story with compassion and intelligence. This is a truly accomplished and satisfying début novel'
—— Adele GerasA novel for our times. Beth Underdown's The Witchfinder's Sister explores another time and another place to lay bare the visceral horror of what a witch hunt truly is
—— New York Times Book ReviewEntertaining and thought-provoking, with a valuable message for our own times
—— Washington PostIt's a hell of a good book. Funny and scary. She nails the feuding moms.
—— Stephen KingA dark and poignant debut
—— Huffington PostFans of lush, psychological dramas like Top of the Lake or Broadchurch have their winter reading cut out for them. A provocative first novel filled to the brim with dazzling language, mystery, and a profound belief in the human capacity to love and seek forgiveness
—— Kirkus (starred review)Shocking and heartbreaking, Ruskovich has crafted a remarkable love story and a narrative that will stay with readers
—— Publishers Weekly (starred review)With lovely language and piercing pathos, Idaho focuses on the power of love and the possibilities of forgiveness and memory. This debut novel deals blows as large as life
—— Shelf-AwarenessIn Emily Ruskovich's wizardly vision, Idaho is both a place and an emotional dimension. Haunted, haunting, her novel winds through time, braiding events and their consequences in the most unexpected and moving ways
—— Andrea Barrett, author of The Voyage of the NarwhalA novel written like music… a chorus of rich and beautiful voices woven deep in the Idaho woods, each trying to come to their own understanding of a terrible tragedy
—— Hannah Tinti, author of The Good ThiefEmily Ruskovich has written a poem in prose, a beautiful and intricate homage to place, and a celebration of the defeats and triumphs of love. Beautifully crafted, emotionally evocative, and psychologically astute, Idaho is one of the best books I have read in a long time
—— Chinelo Okparanta, author of Under the Udala TreesExquisitely crafted
—— Wall Street JournalIdaho begins with a rusted truck and ends up places you couldn’t imagine. Its language is an enchantment, its vision brutal and sublime
—— Leslie Jamison, author of The Gin ClosetBeautiful, brutal and incandescent
—— Deirdre McNamer, author of Red RoverA strange, uncanny novel, bewitching and heady
—— Laura Freeman , SpectatorRichly rendered characters, with a well-delineated supporting cast and a strong sense of place. A debut of astonishing maturity.
—— Tim Blackburn , GuardianThis beautifully written and poetic novel is fascinating and disturbing… This is a novel which stays in the mind.
—— Dorothy Anderson , NudgeA powerful debut novel.
—— The Mail on SundayI kept flipping back, over and over, rereading pages and saying ‘Oh my God’ to myself.
—— William Leith , Evening StandardMina’s recent novel The Long Drop…is her most interesting work
—— Neil Mackay , HeraldAn atmospheric recreation of a vanished Glasgow…and a compelling exploration of the warped criminal mind. A Mina masterpiece
—— The Times, *Top Ten Crime Novels of the Decade*One of the most exciting writers to have emerged in Britain for years.
—— Ian RankinOne of the most fiercely intelligent of crime writers
—— Daily Telegraph