Unfortunately this one didnt hit the spot for me, I like thrillers where I can understand and usually empathise with the main character, but I didnt understand Xander Shute's motivation and had no desire to get to know him. The style was a bit too impersonal for me too, not to my taste.
But thanks to Netgalley for the chance to read it

You Don’t Know Me by Imran Mahmood was one of my favourite debut reads of the year 2017. It was a stellar story, confidently written, exploring gang culture and gave voice to a marginalised member of the community, whilst being a page-turner. So it was with great expectations I jumped into this.
This story is narrated from the perspective of Xander Shute, a homeless man who discovers the door to Mayfair flat is open when he’s seeking shelter from the pouring rain and a wound - result of a fight with another homeless man over sleeping territory - and drifts inside. He falls asleep on the soft carpet only to be awoken by a couple coming back home to their flat, whose liaison turns violent and eventually into murder. Xander witnesses it all, but due to the nature of his situation he’s deemed as untrustworthy by the police and must set to prove what’s true on his own...

Homelessness in the thriller genre is not often seen but there are some amazing books that have touched upon this theme. How to Disappear by Gillian McAllister is one. Missing by Karin Alvtegen is one of my most favourite scandi-reads about a homeless woman who becomes a fugitive. Mahmood does his best here, but I found Xander just doesn’t work for me. Overall the book felt too contrived. Xander’s reasons for falling off the grid aren’t explored well enough and as a character I found him obstinate and difficult to engage with. It almost like he doesn’t even want to change his situation. There’s hardly any mention of hunger, lack of sleep or exhaustion. I think part of the problem was that for me Xander was written as a hero. He’s strong and big. There was no astute observations on privilege and homelessness.
The murder is your usual standard crime story with the same old unreliable narrator. That’s the other problem. There are moments where the reader remembers more than the protagonist does and it really dampens the suspicion.
There is a twist at the end, but I didn’t find the resolution remotely satisfying. And the time jumps were confusing. I was really confused throughout the book as to what Year this story is supposed to be set in, and the twist had me scratching my head unable to put things in logical order. Unfortunately this was a 1-star read for me.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for this arc. I adored Mahmood’s debut, You Don’t Know Me, which was an original read with a refreshingly unique narrator and concept. Unfortunately this book just didn’t live up to my expectations. I found this lacklustre and a frustrating read. I’ll explain why.
This is narrated from the POV of Xander Shute, who was once a banker, now is homeless trying to forget his past. The story opens with Xander wandering into Hyde Park looking for a spot where he can sleep. He finds one under the slide but is interrupted by another homeless man whose territory he’s trespassed on. A fight ensues. Xander gets a bottle smashed on his head. Injured and bleeding he wanders the dark streets of London. It’s pouring torrential rain. He stops under the stairs of a Victorian house for respite. Then he notices the door is ajar. He decides to wander in, and finds himself falling asleep on the carpet. When he hears noises he wakes up and hides behind a sofa, and witnesses a couple having a drink which escalates into a fight and then cold-blooded murder. The man leaves. Xander too leaves shortly afterwards and soon gets picked up by the police on suspicion for the murder of the homeless man he got into an altercation with. He tells them about the woman he saw got killed. But they discover no woman is missing and there’s no body in the flat...Could Xander be unhinged?

I just could not get on with this book. Part of the problem is that it relies on too many coincidences that I couldn’t suspend my disbelief. There’s a convenient link to the current murder to his past too. The other thing is I found the protagonist boring and stubborn. He WANTS to be lost. When he’s offered food and shelter, whether by the police or his friend Sen, he feels trapped and just wants to be FREE y’all. I found the psychology and the motivations of Xander unfathomable. Even though he’s not the most honest person, he can’t help blurt the truth about the wealthy woman he saw get killed to the police and gets so emotionally invested in her killer being brought to justice that he then decides to do some amateur sleuthing rather than getting his own life on track. I felt so frustrated reading this. I really wanted to DNF but didn’t because I wanted to see how the story would resolve itself. It’s 2/5.

Great thriller about class and privilege. I highly enjoyed this book, felt a kinship with the characters. The ending was well worth it, highly recommend.