May 2017 eBook of the Month.
At once a captivating courtroom drama, and a poignant personal story that explores social disadvantage and London gang culture from the unique perspective of an unforgettable narrator.
An unnamed 21-year-old man is on trial for murder. He’s sacked his lawyer and is in the dock giving his own closing speech to the jury. “Bruv, I need to start telling it like it is,” he asserts, which is exactly what he does. The defendant’s speech is direct, gritty and heartfelt, and takes many “bus diversions” in order to give the jury the full contextual background he believes they need to come to the right verdict. His voice is charismatic and compelling, especially as he describes his tough childhood, and his love for girlfriend Kira, for whom he would do anything.
“I don't remember choosing any of it,” the defendant remarks as he nears the end of his speech, and a lack of choice, and the spiraling, entrapping nature of the gangland world are at the heart of this incisively hard-hitting novel. We hear how kids as young as ten come to carry guns and drugs for gang leaders, how teenage girls are sold into a life of addiction and prostitution. And, through the narrator’s decision to tell it exactly as it is, we’re asked to consider the repercussions of a system in which the accused are often tried by juries who are nothing like themselves, and know nothing of their worlds. Indeed, the narrator concludes by asking the jury to “try and be me” when they deliver their verdict. This is crime fiction with conscience, and an utterly un-put-down-able debut that had me hooked from start to finish. ~ Joanne Owen
| Primary Genre | Political / Legal Thrillers |
| Other Genres: |
The gripping courtroom thriller adapted for the screen by the team behind BBC1 blockbuster VIGIL
'A daring concept executed to perfection' LEE CHILD
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It's easy to judge between right and wrong . . . Isn't it?
An unnamed defendant stands accused of murder.
The evidence is overwhelming. But just before the Closing Speeches, the young man sacks his lawyer, and gives his own defence speech. It is about the woman he loves, who got into terrible trouble. It's about how he risked everything to save her.
His barrister told him not to tell the full story.
Now, as he talks us through the eight pieces of evidence against him, his life is in our hands. We, the reader - member of the jury - must keep an open mind.
He swears he's innocent.
But in the end, all that matters is: Do you believe him?
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***A Radio 2 Book Club pick and the Telegraph's Best Crime Novels of the Year***
'Searing and heart-breaking, genre-bending . . . triumphantly reconfigures the traditional whodunnit into something remarkable' Ruth Ware
'Bold and original . . . a thrilling new voice in crime fiction' Tim Weaver
'A startlingly confident and deft debut' Tana French
'A dazzling debut - authentic, funny, sad, sympathetic. I was utterly gripped' Gillian McAllister
'Utterly compelling' Daily Mail
'Superb character-driven fiction. Masterful' Guardian
Longlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger
Longlisted for the Theakstons Crime Novel of the Year
You Don't Know Me features in the following genres: Political / Legal Thrillers, Crime and Mystery, Psychological thriller, Thriller and Suspense, Fiction
You Don't Know Me is available in Paperback, Hardback
You Don't Know Me was written by Imran Mahmood and published by Penguin Books an imprint of Penguin Books Ltd
You Don't Know Me has 391 pages
