I know what I saw - Imran Mahmood

*You Don't Know Me, the adaptation of Imran Mahmood's brilliant debut thriller, is currently one of the most screened series on Netflix!*LONGLISTED FOR THE THEAKSTON OLD PECULIER CRIME NOVEL OF THE YEAR 2022LONGLISTED FOR THE CWA GOLD DAGGER 2022An impossible crime. A witness no-one wants to believe.'A deftly written and nerve-jangling thriller' Herald 'Simply sensational' M. W. Craven 'A white-knuckle ride' Chris Brookmyre 'Spectacular - an absolute treat' A. A.
Dhand'The ending is like a blow to the gut' Sunday Times 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? 'A terrific novel' Literary Review 'The violent narrative inexorably grips the attention, and the dialogue is always vividly idiomatatic, but it's the examination of the mental state of his intelligent protagonist caught in a downward spiral that affirms his talent' Financial Times 'As a portrait of vulnerability it's sympathetically rendered and the resolution surprisingly disturbing' The Times 'Clever, mercilessly addictive and deeply thought-provoking, I Know What I Saw blends a dynamite plot with heartfelt characterisation' Chris Whitaker 'This complex mystery (set on the streets of London) took my breath away. Gripping and utterly immersive. Mahmood is a master storyteller' Will Dean 'I didn't think Mahmood could top You Don't Know Me but he most certainly has. A searing take-down of privilege, our unequal society and indeed of traditional crime whodunnits.' Gillian McAllister 'A tense literary thriller about the lies we persist in telling ourselves and our inability to escape our damaged pasts - packed with moments of pathos and unexpected humour. I believed completely in Xander Shute' Sarah Vaughan 'Mahmood, following his innovative, breakout hit, You Don't Know Me, once again delivers a twisting narrative full of surprises and blind alleys' Vaseem Khan 'Intelligent and thought-provoking, it marks a welcome return for a supremely talented writer' Abir Mukherjee 'I was a big fan of Imran Mahmood's first book, YOU DON'T KNOW ME, and his second, I KNOW WHAT I SAW, is every bit as gripping, insightful and beautifully written. I was absolutely captivated.' Simon Lelic 'Smart, atmospheric, poignant, and will keep you hooked' Saima Mir 'What an astonishing voice Imran has created for Xander, at once intelligent, resourceful and yet also deeply flawed. I thought the complex plot was handled masterfully, and that double punch at the end was superb' James Oswald 'Mahmood has a rare gift for combining hypnotic prose with a page-turning pace. A gripping and beautiful read' Ayisha Malik 'An intense, complex mind-bender of a book, told through eyes you can't always trust. As compelling a tale as I've ever read; you won't put it down until you know the truth'Tony Kent

Imran Mahmood is a practicing barrister with thirty years' experience fighting cases in courtrooms across the country.

His previous novels have been highly critically acclaimed: You Don't Know Me was a BBC Radio 2 Book Club choice, Goldsboro Book of the Month and was shortlisted for the Glass Bell Award; both this and I Know What I Saw were longlisted for Theakston Crime Novel of the Year and the CWA Gold Dagger. You Don't Know Me was also made into a hugely successful BBC1 adaptation in association with Netflix.

When not in court or writing novels or screenplays he can sometimes be found on the Red Hot Chilli Writers' podcast as one of their regular contributors. He hails from Liverpool but now lives in London with his wife and daughters.
@imranmahmood777

With pace and fineness, I Know What I Saw brings together an impossible crime, a witness no one wants to believe and an unflinching study of life on the streets. Intelligent, imaginative and meticulously plotted, this is an author at the top of his game - simply sensational.
M. W. Craven

It's a truly Hitchcockian thriller ride, a white-knuckle ride through the tortuous labyrinth of human memory.
Chris Brookmyre

Imran Mahmood's new book opens with a bang. When homeless Xander Shute wanders into a seemingly empty house he unwittingly witnesses a murder. But the police claim that almost nothing of what he has seen exists. Is Xander losing his mind? Soon the net tightens as a murder is discovered and Xander becomes the prime suspect. Mahmood, following his innovative, breakout hit, You Don't Know Me, once again delivers a twisting narrative full of surprises and blind alleys. Psychological noir at its most gripping.
Vaseem Khan

Mahmood has a rare gift for combining hypnotic prose with a page-turning pace. A gripping and beautiful read.
Ayisha Malik

Spectacular - an absolute treat.
A. A. Dhand

I stayed up way past lights out last night to finish what was in short a quite phenomenal novel. Having absolutely loved You Don't Know Me, I was fairly certain this one would be good too, but it was far better than I could have hoped. What an astonishing voice Imran has created for Xander, at once intelligent, resourceful and yet also deeply flawed. I thought the complex plot was handled masterfully, and that double punch at the end was superb. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
James Oswald

I didn't think Mahmood could top You Don't Know Me but he most certainly has. A searing take-down of privilege, our unequal society and indeed of traditional crime whodunnits. Mahmood writes sympathetically and intelligently about people who live on the fringes of society.
Gillian McAllister

Smart, atmospheric, poignant, and will keep you hooked.
Saima Mir

This complex mystery (set on the streets of London) took my breath away. Themes of memory, privilege & identity - it's a book that that pulls you in deep. Gripping and utterly immersive. Mahmood is a master storyteller
Will Dean

A tense literary thriller about the lies we persist in telling ourselves and our inability to escape our damaged pasts - packed with moments of pathos and unexpected humour. I believed completely in Xander Shute.
Sarah Vaughan

I Know What I Saw takes us on a tense, nerve-jangling journey into the world of Xander Shute who believes he's witnessed a murder, but also makes us question our own preconceptions towards people who've fallen through society's cracks. Intelligent and thought-provoking, it marks a welcome return for a supremely talented writer.
Abir Mukherjee

Clever, mercilessly addictive and deeply thought-provoking, I Know What I Saw blends a dynamite plot with heartfelt characterisation. Wonderful.
Chris Whitaker

I was a big fan of Imran Mahmood's first book, YOU DON'T KNOW ME, and his second, I KNOW WHAT I SAW, is every bit as gripping, insightful and beautifully written. [...] I was absolutely captivated.
Simon Lelic

An intense, complex mind-bender of a book, told through eyes you can't always trust. As compelling a tale as I've ever read; you won't put it down until you know the truth.
Tony Kent

A mesmerising thriller - wonderful writing and a brilliantly gritty, street-level perspective. Don't miss this one
T. M. Logan

Elegantly constructed, educational, involving and moving, this is a terrific novel
Literary Review

The violent narrative inexorably grips the attention, and the dialogue is always vividly idiomatic, but it's the examination of the mental state of his intelligent protagonist caught in a downward spiral that affirms his talent.
Financial Times