The Fortune Men
“Narrator Hugh Quarshie is a gifted mimic. His Somali-inflected English and his reading of Arabic give verisimilitude to Mahood Mattan. Quarshie narrates at a measured pace that provides this sad historical novel with a sense of inevitability. Quarshie delivers Welsh, Jamaican, and English accents well and has an ability to place the listener inside the characters’ minds. Best of all, his performance gives dignity to the falsely accused illiterate petty criminal who is convicted of murder and later hanged. The story…comes alive in this audiobook.”
AudioFile
Among shortlisted titles for Booker Prize, 2021
Among shortlisted titles for Costa Novel Award, 2021
Winner of Historical Writers' Association Non-Fiction Crown Award, 2022
Among longlisted titles for Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction, 2022
In Cardiff, Wales in 1952, Mahmood Mattan, a young Somali sailor, is accused of a crime he did not commit: the brutal killing of Violet Volacki, a shopkeeper from Tiger Bay. At first, Mahmood believes he can ignore the fingers pointing his way; he may be a gambler and a petty thief, but he is no murderer. He is a father of three, secure in his innocence and his belief in British justice.
But as the trial draws closer, his prospect for freedom dwindles. Now, Mahmood must stage a terrifying fight for his life, with all the chips stacked against him: a shoddy investigation, an inhumane legal system, and, most evidently, pervasive and deep-rooted racism at every step.
Under the shadow of the hangman's noose, Mahmood begins to realize that even the truth may not be enough to save him. A haunting tale of miscarried justice, this book offers a chilling look at the dark corners of our humanity.
Praise