
In The Witness, Emmett Hamilton, a young Black male, is with two of his friends in a London park when a white male is fatally stabbed in an altercation. Two independent witnesses identify Hamilton as the assailant holding the knife; he is arrested and held in custody, charged with murder and awaiting trial.
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His defence lawyer Rosa, from a similar background to Hamilton, is not entirely convinced of his guilt, even if the evidence gathered doesn’t point in his favour, nor is he much trying to help himself. Moreover, with the odds stacked against her and her client within a legal system where racial prejudice and misjudgement is rife, how can Rosa prove Hamilton’s innocence?
By day, The Witness’ author Alexandra Wilson is a barrister in England and Wales, and previously wrote the eye-opening In Black And White: A Young Barrister’s Story Of Race And Class In A Broken Justice System. Her debut novel takes you into hostile prisons and tense courtroom environments: as a reader, you come to feel fully involved.
Atmospheric, frighteningly real and apt for the times we live in regarding crime, racism and struggle, what makes The Witness stand out from most crime novels is that Wilson does not shoot herself in the foot by trying to squeeze in multiple flaky plot scenarios. This poignant nailbiter of a thriller is hard to shake off; hopefully, this will not be the last we hear of Rosa.
The Witness, Alexandra Wilson (Sphere)
Price: £18.99/£24.99 audiobook. Info: here
words DAVID NOBAKHT