Monday 19 July 2021

I Know What I Saw by Imran Mahmood


Thrilled today to be sharing my review of I Know What I Saw by Imran Mahmood as part of the blog tour. Many thanks to Tracy Fenton at Compulsive Readers for inviting me and to the publisher for my review copy.



The Blurb

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 Review

Xander Shute, a formally successful, now homeless man, seeks a doorway to take shelter in following a fight with another homeless man. He finds the door of the house he's chosen is ajar and creeps inside to rest. He is disturbed by people returning to the house and, unable to help without giving himself away,  witnesses a woman's murder. He does the right thing and reports the crime to the police. They are sceptical, despite the level of detail Xander gives them, and as the investigation progresses Xander begins to wish he'd never gone to them in the first place. 

This is Imran Mahmood's second book, following You Don't Know Me which is sitting on my TBR shelf (bookcase!) and which I've heard really good things about. So I was very keen to read this one, another standalone, again told in the first person. 

In Xander Shute, Mahmood has created a complex, multilayered character. Once a hugely successful business man with a nice home, a good income and a happy relationship, Shute has spent the last thirty odd years on the street, having disappeared by choice. This time of living by his wits and the traumas that led to it have dulled the memories of his life before. But certain events, smells (there's a beautiful happy/sad memory evoked by a decent similar to Wotsits) and places in the present jar fragments of thoughts, awakening long buried memories of ealier times in Xander's mind. The reader discovers his former life in this way, bit by bit, little by little. But it becomes clear that Shute is an unreliable narrator and neither he, nor the reader, can be sure his recollections are full or even if his memories are real.  

There is a fully fleshed out cast of backing characters both good and bad. Chief amongst these is Seb, an old friend of Xander's who steps up.when needed without question. Although it becomes clear his reasons for doing so might not be entirely wholesome. But it was Amit who stole my heart. A studious young schoolboy, often to be found in the library, who helps out Xander when he can in return for a favour once done for him. 

The storyline snakes between the present and various key moments in the past as Xander seeks to discover the truth. Mahmood has shaped him into a sympathetic character, I think, and it would take a cold hearted person not to be rooting for him, even whilst we have no idea what the truth is. And when it comes, it hurts. 

I Know What I Saw is a beautifully written tale of loss, brokenness, forgotten memories, remembered truths, a search for redemption, weaved into a story of murder and mystery. I enjoyed the author's style of writing, his descriptions have a lyrical way about them. It's not a fast paced book, especially the first half, but the quality of the writing is such that it doesn't need to be - you'll be hooked anyway. This is one for your TBR pile! 


The Author


Imran Mahmood is a practising barrister with almost 30 years' experience fighting cases in court. He hails from Liverpool but now lives in London with his wife and daughters. His debut novel You Don't Know Me was chosen by Simon Mayo as a BBC Radio 2 Book Club for 2017 and longlisted for Theakston Crime Novel of the Year and for the CWA Gold Dagger, and is currently being adapted for screen in four parts. When not in court or writing novels he can sometimes be found on the Red Hot Chilli Writers' podcast as one of the regular contributors. You can find him on Twitter @imranmahmood777


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