Ranj Dhaliwal was born in Vancouver. He grew up and continues to live in Surrey, British Columbia. His knowledge of the Indo-Canadian communities informs his first two thrillers.
Fiction
Daaku: A Novel
Vancouver: New Star Books, 2006.
PS8607.H35 D33 2006
Publisher’s Synopsis (From its website)
In the violent and ruthless world of Indo-Canadian gangs, Ruby Pandher is on his way up. A self-described daaku (Punjabi for outlaw), Ruby learns young that might, in the form of his drunken father’s fists, is right and that money is easier to steal than earn. Ruby’s small-time scams reveal a knack for leadership and after his first stint in youth detention, the big-timers start to notice his potential.
A story of betrayal, cold-blooded murder and the rise and eventual fall of one gangster, Daaku is a bullet-riddled grand tour of Indo-Canadian gangland.
Fiction
Daaku: The Gangster’s Life
Vancouver: New Star Books, 2011.
Publisher’s Synopsis (From its website)
Daaku: The Gangster’s Life picks up the story of Indo–Canadian gangster Ruby Pandher, the hero of Ranj Dhaliwal’s bestseller Daaku, as he recovers from a failed hit by his own associates.
Violence, wild partying and flashy purchases mark Ruby’s comeback. Ruby’s eyes and perspective are widened by the new contacts he makes, as he tries to measure up to.
Selected Criticism and Interpretation
Chilana, Rajwant Singh. “Ranj Dhaliwhal.” In South Asian Writers in Canada: A Bio-Bibliographical Study. Surrey, BC: Asian Publications, 2017, 257.
Z1376 .S68 C45 2017