You Don't Know Me: 'A startlingly confident and deft debut' Tana French by Imran Mahmood
As chosen by The BBC RADIO 2 BOOK CLUB and one of The TELEGRAPH'S CRIME BOOKS OF THE YEAR.
'Remarkable' Simon Mayo, BBC Radio 2
It's easy to judge between right and wrong - isn't it?
Not until you hear a convincing truth.
Now it's up to you to decide...
An unnamed defendant stands accused of murder. Just before the Closing Speeches, the young man sacks his lawyer, and decides to give his own defence speech.
He tells us that his barrister told him to leave some things out. Sometimes, the truth can be too difficult to explain, or believe. But he thinks that if he's going to go down for life, he might as well go down telling the truth.
There are eight pieces of evidence against him. As he talks us through them one by one, his life is in our hands. We, the reader - member of the jury - must keep an open mind till we hear the end of his story. His defence raises many questions... but at the end of the speeches, only one matters:
Did he do it?
PRAISE FOR YOU DON'T KNOW ME
'An original take on a courtroom drama that puts the reader in the position of the jury. Superb character-driven fiction. Masterful' Guardian
'Startlingly original, stunning, superbly executed' DAILY MAIL
'A rollercoaster ride' GUARDIAN
'An exciting first novel, highly original, cleverly plotted and convincingly written' LITERARY REVIEW
'You Don't Know Me is a brave debut by a barrister... an impressively original courtroom drama' THE TIMES
'You'll never guess the ending' THE SUN
'A daring concept executed to perfection, a hypnotic and authentic voice, and questions for us to answer as people and readers' LEE CHILD
'An eye-opening, slick and compulsive thriller with an important message and unique writing' ADAM DEACON, actor, writer, rapper, director - star of Kidulthood and Adulthood
'A startlingly original courtroom drama . . . perfectly executed, gripping the reader from the first sentence with the defendant's unique voice and not letting go until a surprising twist at the end. Mahmood is most definitely one to watch * * * * *' DAILY EXPRESS
'You've never read anything quite like this' BARRY FORSHAW, FINANCIAL TIMES