Not a book that I felt comfortable reading at all, so for that reason I did not finish it and will not be giving a review in these circumstances.

Since publication this story has been made into a tv programme, with some licence of changes, but the same basic storyline. When a person is accused, and stands in the court, how well do we know them? The points made by the prosecution to define their guilt are made up of elements thst can often become a different picture when interpreted within a different milieu.
How can we know the inner life of another? Their true motives? Their real motives, emotions, and experiences prior to our seeing them in court. What made them the person they are now and why their behaviour is often dictated by their surroundings. We do now know, however, that gangs are insiduous in the way they suck youngsters into their culture. And that those living in deprived areas find gangs supportive as they provide a way to live that is validated.
This story is told with empathy and understanding and leads us, the readers, into this gang life and what it iis like to be living in deprived areas and the pressures on those who do.

Omg......... this book was amazing I flew threw the pages with Olympic speed I was hooked from the very first page. I found it full of twists and turns threw out and it kept me on the edge of my seat all the way threw  I would defiantly recommend this book if you like a good book to keep you reading threw the night hopefully you enjoy it as much as I did

This book was one that I read and felt like I wanted to read more. It was well paced and the writing kept me engaged.

A young man stands accused of murder. The evidence is overwhelming.
But at his trial, this man tells an extraordinary story.
It is about the woman he loves, who got into terrible trouble. It's about how he risked everything to save her.
He swears he's innocent. But in the end, all that matters is this: do you believe him?

Oh wow this book wasn’t good it was absolutely brilliant. Right from the start I was drawn right into the story and found it hard to put this book down. A nail biting legal thriller that is so deserving of 5⭐️

I feel somewhat divided about this book. Yes, it is a good idea, but I have to confess I did find the subject matter quite depressing, and t wasn't particularly enjoyable reading. The ending was also annoying - I'm sure the idea of the book and of the ending was a good idea, but in practice it felt a little flat. Nearly a three star book, although that felt ungenerous and picky, as it was quite well written.

I've heard so much about You Don't Know Me and I was delighted to finally be able to read it. It's an unusual format: the whole book is the closing speech by the defendant in a murder trial. I wasn't sure how this would work and if the format would be able to maintain my attention. It definitely works and I was definitely engaged! The speech draws us in to the defendant's life and encourages the reader to think about his situation, even though we may not be entirely comfortable with some of the choices he makes. I was rooting for him to succeed. 

The author's writing style is really clever, in that he places the reader in the position of the jury. This meant that I was constantly evaluating everything I read, trying to determine the truth and think about whether the defendant was guilty. I wanted to find out the answers to the questions that were posed by the prosecution and this kept me reading. 

Through You Don't Know Me, Mahmood explores a number of themes such as stereotypes and racism. The novel definitely opened my eyes to these issues and the way in which they relate to the justice system.

You Don't Know Me is one of the most thrilling legal thrillers I have ever read. It's a gritty, realistic, heart stopping, thrill a minute ride that will have you hooked from the off with no choice but to put your life on hold until you've finished it, it's a complete sleep stealer!

First, I received an ARC of this from the publisher but I actually bought it on Audible and listened to it in two days, I couldn't stop! I was hooked from the off.

On the last day of his murder trial, the accused sacks his lawyer and decides to do his own closing speech.

In the sense of a typical legal drama, we don't see the actual trial, we don't have lawyers throwing evidence around the courtroom, we don't have the usual tricks, jargon, or deception that the legal teams bring, oh no, we have a young man fighting for his life and deciding to take a chance on the truth.

Or is it?

Stood on trial for murder, the accused talks us through the evidence provided by both sides, he tells us he's been advised not to tell his side and just trust what his legal team have done. But he thinks the jury need to hear everything, the truth, the whole, and nothing but the truth.

As the accused takes each piece of evidence and gives his justification for it, we are taken on a journey through his life in and around the drug gangs of London. We are shown a life through the eyes of a young man trying to keep his family safe and stay away from the trouble that is so easy for young people to fall into.

I think You Don't Know Me is one of the most compelling reads of the year. Brilliantly written and utterly spellbinding. Using the defendant as the narrator, telling his story in a way only he can, sharing the twists ad turns that brought him to this point in his life … captivating!

I love Mahmood's writing style, he gets inside the head of characters making them real and relatable, they could be anyone you walk past in the street.

It's hard to talk about the plot on this one but rest assured, it is bloody brilliant and an absolute must read! I love everything about this book and I cannot wait to see what the author has in store for us in the future.

The Audible version is narrated by the talented Adam Deacon who brought the characters to life and whose voice held me captivated throughout.

I lost interest. This wasn’t the book I thought it would be. The writing wasn’t engaging and I felt it was written well but wasn’t as thought provoking as it could have been. DNF

You Don’t Know Me

An unnamed defendant stands accused of murder. Just before the closing speeches, he sacks his lawyer and decides to give his own defence speech. He tells us how his barrister told him to omit key pieces of evidence from his account. He believes he’s going down for life, so he may as well tell the whole truth.

This is a powerful and haunting debut novel. It had me hooked from the beginning. It got under my skin and I truly became a member of the jury, having to decide whether this young man was guilty or innocent. Five stars for this amazing book.

This one had me hooked from the very first page. Brilliant courtroom drama following an impassioned closing speech by the defendant. Really interesting way to tell the story and I know you’re not supposed to....but you can’t really help developing a fondness for our honest accused. Smart and avoids all the cliche pitfalls.

You don't know me by Imran Mahmood is a good paced thriller of a book that I enjoyed reading and that most people will enjoy.

Your daughter is taken but 9 years later she’s back but she’s not yours . A twisty plot leading to a wow twisty ending . This book focuses on Rachel and her obsession to getting her daughter back and the consequences that follow . Highly recommend 4.5 stars

Really enjoyable read. Good characters and a Good story. Well worth a read. Think others will enjoy.

An intriguing format where the accused outlines his case to the reader. Mahmood has brought a fresh perspective to legal/courtroom thrillers while addressing some tricky issues. A promising debut.

This is a fascinating book that is very different to the style of books that are very popular at the moment.

For my penultimate read of 2018, You Don’t Know Me really did tick all of the boxes. For starters, the main character: I felt like I really knew him by the end of the book and yet we never get to know his name. Imran Mahmood paints the reader into the role of juror in what is, sadly, a very timely novel. Our main character is on the stand for murder of a London gang member; a murder he is adamant he didn’t commit.

Throughout the course of the book our leading man looks at the eight key pieces of evidence the prosecution are hoping will sink him without a trace and resign him to a lengthy jail term. Deciding his legal representation isn’t quite grasping the need to tell the whole truth, something that has changed as the reader discovers since he first gave evidence, leads the main character to go it alone for his closing statement. And here is where this book is interesting: it solely contains the closing statement of the accused.

He dives into each piece of evidence presented against him, agreeing that each one in turn adds to the look of guilt assuming you only look at it from the angle the prosecution directs you to. But he goes on to explain that viewed from another perspective each item paints a very different picture. The concept left me thinking throughout the book, never quite certain what the truth really was.

I loved the way You Don’t Know Me really brought into stark relief how life in certain parts of London, and a great many other large cities across the UK, if not the world, really is right now. I found myself feeling like I was in the court listening, analysing, assessing everything presented to me, everything so well argued that it all had more than one way of being reviewed. And the real clincher for this book? In the end, no verdict is given. As we are there as a member of the jury, we are left to pronounce guilt or innocence ourselves. If I am entirely honest, I really don’t know that I am overly sure even now on that score!

I really enjoyed this novel; it’s very different from crime novels that I’ve read before and so it was refreshing. This is a book about a young man who is in court charged with murder. The entire book is set in the courtroom and is told entirely from the defendant’s perspective. I had an ARC of this to read but I ended up buying the audio book and it works so brilliantly on audio as it made me feel like I was right there in the courtroom listening along with the jury to this man’s story. I listened to the whole book in one sitting as I just wanted to know how he ended up here. The ending is one that will divide readers but I loved it! I recommend this one.

You Don’t Know Me is an original and audacious story with a compelling protagonist who tells an enthralling tale.

It is a bold decision of Imran Mahmood’s to have only one voice speak throughout practically the entire book and here it largely works well; the defendant tells his own story, drawing a vivid picture of his circumstances in his own authentic words. Some of the scenes described are graphic, brutal, desperate and eyeopening, but there are also occasional darkly or drily humorous moments.

For the majority of the book I was gripped by the story unfolding although there were just a couple of points around the middle where things felt a bit slower or repetitive. However, the tension overall continues to ramp up and the final quarter particularly is tense and thrilling. There are some brilliantly shocking moments and some very moving ones also. It is a true rollercoaster of emotions, right up until the end.

This is an innovative and clever book – and certainly one I will be thinking about for some time to come.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin UK – Michael Joseph for the ARC of You Don’t Know Me.

Wow, what an amazing book, so different from anything else I’ve read. The whole story is about an accused murderer conducting his own defence. His closing statement to the jury, which takes 10 days is quite gripping, I loved the twist at the end.
Well worth a read.