Daaku

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 hid 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.

Soon, Ruby is doing collections for Indo-Canadian drug dealers. Now "known to police," Ruby is drawn into a gang war just as he's trying to beat the rap on weapons charges and theft - while simultaneously organizing a jailhouse smuggling ring. On the cusp of adulthood, and surrounded by Punjabi terrorists, bikers and Indo-Canadian gangsters, Ruby is drawn like a moth to the glamour of the power, money, and drugs.

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.

Ranj Dhaliwal was raised in Surrey, BC, where he still lives. While growing up, he was exposed to the Indo-Canadian underworld and learned much about "the Game", as it is called. "When I see Ruby," says the first-time author, "I see a bit of myself."