LONGLISTED FOR THE THEAKSTON OLD PECULIER CRIME NOVEL OF THE YEAR 2022
LONGLISTED FOR THE CWA GOLD DAGGER 2022

An 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