All I Said Was True

Longlisted for the 2023 Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award 'I loved every single page!' GILLIAN MCALLISTER, author of WRONG PLACE, WRONG TIME 'A thoroughly compulsive ticking-clock thriller' TM LOGAN, author of THE MOTHER I didn't kill her. Trust me… When Amy Blahn died on a London rooftop, Layla Mahoney was there. Layla was holding her. But all she can say when she's arrested is that 'It was Michael. Find Michael and you'll find out everything you need to know.' The problem is, the police can't find him – they aren't even sure he exists. Layla knows she only has forty-eight hours to convince the police that bringing in the man she knows only as 'Michael' will clear her name and reveal a dangerous game affecting not just Amy and Layla, but her husband Russell and countless others. But as the detectives begin to uncover the whole truth about what happened to Amy, Layla will soon have to decide: how much of that truth can she really risk being exposed? 'A relentless, absorbing thriller' JANICE HALLETT 'The very definition of a compulsive page-turner' CHRIS WHITAKER

About the Author :
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

Review :
A haunting exploration of memory and obsession, of guilt and betrayal – set against the backdrop of a thoroughly compulsive ticking-clock thriller Imran is probably the most exciting crime fiction author in the UK right now and All I Said Was True is further proof of that. The dual narrative is exhilarating, the plot complex and layered, the writing is perfect and the narrator's voice is somehow both unreliable and trustworthy. Superb stuff A twisting path to the moment of murder via a police interview where the truth meets its match. A relentless, absorbing thriller of the darkest paranoid noir I loved every single page! Original and ingenious. There's an authenticity to Imran Mahmood's books that is so rare and rewarding. All I Said Was True is the very definition of a compulsive page-turner A tantalising thriller that bleeds with authenticity. Taut, twisty and fiendishly clever, it will surely confound you until the gripping finale. Mahmood just keeps getting better and better Offering powerful insight into Layla's tortured mind, while also revealing parts of the mystery like a set of Russian dolls, each one concealing another, it underlines barrister Mahmood's considerable talents as a crime writer Wonderfully twisty and kept me guessing all the way to a really satisfying denouement Imran Mahmood's ALL I SAID WAS TRUE is beautifully complex and arresting. I was swept away in Layla's story, though not quite knowing who I should be trusting and when which - for me - is absolutely key in great storytelling. The way that Imran continues to challenge society, and all our many preconceptions within his books is so powerful This novel haunted me with its lyrical lies A suspenseful and intriguing thriller, layered with authenticity and told with real poise Mahmood perfectly executes the killer combination of beautiful prose and a bloody great story. I will read anything he writes Exquisite writing, a voice that pulls you in, and a story where you simply have to know what happened. All I Said Was True by Imran Mahmood is addictive Flawless prose from a skilful mind. Imran Mahmood really knows this world, and he stands head and shoulders above the competition A beautifully written, gripping page-turner that you won't want to put down This beautifully constructed, clever plot and it really delivers on suspense. I was guessing and second guessing myself all the way along. This was such a propulsive book for me I read it in one sitting, eschewing everything else so that I could find out what was going on. For me, that's the mark of a real page-turner and this one has it all. It is unpredictable, intriguing, suspenseful and highly enjoyable Anglo-Asian barrister-cum-novelist Imran Mahmood expertly balances a complex narrative in All I Said Was True ... as his beleaguered protagonist Layla tries to convince the police that a murder she is accused of was committed by a man who does not seem to exist. With an unreliable narrator – is Layla going mad or is her story, no matter how implausible, true? – and plenty of twists and turns, this novel had me hooked, its brisk pace and revelations making it difficult to put down