First published 2021
Mahmood Mattan moves through the busy streets of Tiger Bay in 1952, where Somali sailors mix with West Indian dock workers, Maltese shop owners, and Jewish families. He scrapes by as a petty thief and occasional schemer, separated from his Welsh wife Laura and struggling to see his children. When a local shopkeeper turns up brutally murdered, police attention turns to Mahmood. He feels little concern at first. He knows he committed no murder, and he believes British justice will clear an innocent man. But as evidence mounts against him and his trial approaches, Mahmood discovers that his skin color and outsider status may matter more than facts. The legal system he trusted begins to look like a trap designed to destroy him. With each passing day, the possibility of execution grows more real. Mahmood must confront a bitter truth about the country he calls home.
Genres: literary-fiction, historical-fiction, african-literature, crime
Vibes: emotional, intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, social-commentary
Setting: Tiger Bay, United Kingdom
Period: 1952
ebook · Penguin
Content warnings: racism, violence