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salmonator's review
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
yrc's review
4.0
I don't read nearly as many thrillers as I used. but this one was totally worth it!
The premise- a young man who's on trial for murder, and all the proof points to him. Maybe you'd think it's simple, but then you'd be wrong. This book was a fun ride in the best of ways. The man tells a story that just gets more and more interesting as the chapters go by. The descriptions of gang life got a bit grim at times, but were a very important piece of the puzzle. The narrator is great, and the author's story was jaw dropping.
So bottom line- reach out for this book. It'll do the swallowing up for you!
The premise- a young man who's on trial for murder, and all the proof points to him. Maybe you'd think it's simple, but then you'd be wrong. This book was a fun ride in the best of ways. The man tells a story that just gets more and more interesting as the chapters go by. The descriptions of gang life got a bit grim at times, but were a very important piece of the puzzle. The narrator is great, and the author's story was jaw dropping.
So bottom line- reach out for this book. It'll do the swallowing up for you!
novelesque_life's review
3.0
Rating: 2.5 STARS
Straight off, I will warn readers that this novel is in a "conversational" format. The main character in this novel is giving the closing argument in his own case. The unnamed defendant spends the entire book laying out the main evidence against him, and then refuting it by his giving the whole story. At first I was drawn in by the story but halfway I started to care less and never got to really know the main character. However, I was invested enough to want to know how it ends. Unfortunately, the ending ruined the good parts of the novel for me. I gave it 2.5 stars as I think Mahmood has promise as a writer, the first half was realistic and it did get me to finish the novel. I am looking forward to his next novel.
Straight off, I will warn readers that this novel is in a "conversational" format. The main character in this novel is giving the closing argument in his own case. The unnamed defendant spends the entire book laying out the main evidence against him, and then refuting it by his giving the whole story. At first I was drawn in by the story but halfway I started to care less and never got to really know the main character. However, I was invested enough to want to know how it ends. Unfortunately, the ending ruined the good parts of the novel for me. I gave it 2.5 stars as I think Mahmood has promise as a writer, the first half was realistic and it did get me to finish the novel. I am looking forward to his next novel.
readingwithhippos's review
4.0
I picked up this book because I was in the mood for a legal thriller, and it was just what I was looking for even though it was totally different from any other courtroom drama I’ve read. For one, it’s told completely in the first person, in the voice of a defendant on trial for murder. Most legal thrillers take the multiple perspectives approach, showing the players on both sides of the case, so I was curious to see how the author would pull off such a limited narrative. Trust me--it totally works!
Added bonus: the narrator’s voice was completely new to me: a young British man accused of murdering a gang member. I didn’t realize until reading this book that I have always thought of inner-city gangs as an American thing, so this book broadened my perspective and made me eager to learn more about urban British culture as it is today, as opposed to the Downton Abbey-ish British culture represented in most of the books and movies I’ve encountered. I loved all the slang and the cadence of the defendant’s words as he argued his innocence.
The text of the novel itself is made up of the defendant’s closing statement to the jury. He has abruptly fired his lawyer and says he wants to tell the whole truth of what happened. His lawyer advised him to leave some things out when he testified, but the narrator now thinks if he can lay himself bare and help the jury get to know him and his life, they’ll come to believe in his innocence. This structure was super fun for me as a reader--let’s be honest, who doesn’t love judging people? No spoilers here, but I will say that by the end, while I may not have bought every detail of his story, I definitely felt like the character had become a real person to me, guilty or not.
More book recommendations by me at www.readingwithhippos.com
Added bonus: the narrator’s voice was completely new to me: a young British man accused of murdering a gang member. I didn’t realize until reading this book that I have always thought of inner-city gangs as an American thing, so this book broadened my perspective and made me eager to learn more about urban British culture as it is today, as opposed to the Downton Abbey-ish British culture represented in most of the books and movies I’ve encountered. I loved all the slang and the cadence of the defendant’s words as he argued his innocence.
The text of the novel itself is made up of the defendant’s closing statement to the jury. He has abruptly fired his lawyer and says he wants to tell the whole truth of what happened. His lawyer advised him to leave some things out when he testified, but the narrator now thinks if he can lay himself bare and help the jury get to know him and his life, they’ll come to believe in his innocence. This structure was super fun for me as a reader--let’s be honest, who doesn’t love judging people? No spoilers here, but I will say that by the end, while I may not have bought every detail of his story, I definitely felt like the character had become a real person to me, guilty or not.
More book recommendations by me at www.readingwithhippos.com
libronika's review
5.0
If you are at least mildly interested in the synopsis, give this book a try. This might be the best book you read this year, it definitely is high on my list.
Plot is engaging and charakter building flawless. What I loved the most though, is the language. Very characteristic and very well styled to match the personality of the Defendant and the story he is telling.
Just give it a try!
Plot is engaging and charakter building flawless. What I loved the most though, is the language. Very characteristic and very well styled to match the personality of the Defendant and the story he is telling.
Just give it a try!
amigo_reads's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
travelsinfiction's review against another edition
4.0
4.5
Such a unique premise where the defendant is on trial for murder, sacks his lawyer and delivers his own closing speech instead. This book has such a strong tone of voice and it’s hard not to get sucked in. Whilst it did lull in the middle, I was mostly gripped throughout.
I think it also does a great job of showing how easy it is for young men of colour with disadvantaged backgrounds to find themselves caught up in the system. It also really delves into gang culture but in now way glorifies it.
Can’t wait to read more by this author!
Such a unique premise where the defendant is on trial for murder, sacks his lawyer and delivers his own closing speech instead. This book has such a strong tone of voice and it’s hard not to get sucked in. Whilst it did lull in the middle, I was mostly gripped throughout.
I think it also does a great job of showing how easy it is for young men of colour with disadvantaged backgrounds to find themselves caught up in the system. It also really delves into gang culture but in now way glorifies it.
Can’t wait to read more by this author!
morethanmylupus's review
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I enjoyed this book before watching the tv series. The characters are interesting but it felt far fetched and I didn't understand why characters were doing what they were doing a lot of the time.
katieeliza's review
4.0
With thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.
I really enjoyed the structure of this novel, it is a change of most of the novels that are on the market at the moment. The real strength is the plot but I was equally impressed by the writing style - it really created the narrator well.
I really enjoyed the structure of this novel, it is a change of most of the novels that are on the market at the moment. The real strength is the plot but I was equally impressed by the writing style - it really created the narrator well.