Ready to discover another great book for this 2021? Take a look…
I Know What I Saw by Imran Mahmood
Genre: Thriller
Source: Compulsive Readers
Rating: 4/5
Publisher: Raven Books
Amazon, Hive
About The Book
I saw it. He smothered her, pressing his hands on her face. The police don’t believe me, they say it’s impossible – but I know what I saw.
Xander Shute – once a wealthy banker, now living on the streets – shelters for the night in an empty Mayfair flat. When he hears the occupants returning home, he scrambles to hide. Trapped in his hiding place, he hears the couple argue, and he soon finds himself witnessing a vicious murder.
But who was the dead woman, who the police later tell him can’t have been there? And why is the man Xander saw her with evading justice?
As Xander searches for answers, his memory of the crime comes under scrutiny, forcing him to confront his long-buried past and the stories he’s told about himself.
How much he is willing to risk to understand the brutal truth?
My Thoughts
This book piked my interest since the first read, you don’t know who is talking or what is really happening to the story, but you know that the man, Xander Shute, seems scared and really doesn’t know what’s happening around him. And then, he sees a murder, but did he really see what he thinks? Because the police don’t think so and there’s no victim at the 42 B like he is saying…
Since the beginning you know that the main character has problems with his memory, doesn’t seem to recognize his surroundings or who are his friends, he has been homeless for years, what we don’t know is how he ended in the situation he is living right now.
The chapters of the book are really short, featuring the day that he is living and mixing the plot from the present with new found memories from the past; with friends and lovers. You can feel that something makes Xander make a drastic change in the past; but you can not get the full story till everything is revealed in the end, and that’s why I loved so much this book.
I would love to know a little bit more of the relation between Xander and his family, but at the same time will not focus enough on the plot that the author tries to transmit, the unknown and doubt in every move he makes. We are left without knowing what really happened that night and why he left the life he had working for so long.
There are a few twists on the story, I can’t say they surprised me, but they make the reader more invested on the story, that’s for sure!
If you are looking for a read that will keep you turning pages, this is your book, believe me!
Now it’s you turn to decide if you believe Xander in “I Know What I Saw”.
About The Author
Imran Mahmood is a criminal defence barrister with over 20 years’ experience in the Crown Court and Court of Appeal. He specializes in Legal Aid cases involving violent crimes as well as fraud and sexual offences. He was born in Liverpool and now lives in London with his wife and daughter. You Don’t Know Me was chosen as a BBC Radio 2 Book Club Choice for 2017.
Varietats 