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Truth Be Told

By: Kia Abdullah
Narrated by: Tania Rodrigues
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Summary

Shortlisted for The Diverse Book Awards 2021

‘Bold and brave, shocking and heartfelt . . . A very special book from a very special author’ Chris Whitaker, bestselling author of Waterstones Thriller of the Month We Begin at the End

‘Abdullah's legal thrillers make John Grisham seem like a maiden aunt’ Sunday Times Crime Club

‘Vividly examines some of the issues that shape (and deform) society . . . A gritty, extremely hard-hitting drama’ Adele Parks, Platinum magazine

‘A masterpiece [and] a triumph . . . When you get to the final chapters, buckle up . . . She writes with such intelligence, research and compassion’ Daily Record

* * * * *

ARE YOU READY TO START THIS CONVERSATION?

Kamran Hadid feels invincible. He attends Hampton school, an elite all-boys boarding school in London, he comes from a wealthy family, and he has a place at Oxford next year. The world is at his feet. And then a night of revelry leads to a drunken encounter and he must ask himself a horrific question.

With the help of assault counsellor, Zara Kaleel, Kamran reports the incident in the hopes that will be the end of it. But it’s only the beginning…

Powerful, explosive and important, Truth Be Told is a contemporary courtroom drama that vividly captures today’s society. You will not stop thinking about it for a long time to come.

* * * * *

‘The court scenes are pacy and atmospheric, and there is more than one unexpected twist’ i

Brave, compelling and absolutely riveting’ A A Dhand, bestselling author of Streets of Darkness

‘Tense, harrowing and brilliantly written. A powerful story’ Khurrum Rahman, author of East of Hounslow

‘An excellent and intelligent novel’ The Literary Review

‘A deeply profound and thought-provoking read’ Heat

©2020 Kia Abdullah (P)2020 HarperCollins Publishers Limited
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Critic reviews

"A superb legal thriller...crackles with tension." (Guardian)

"Topical and gritty." (Observer)

"Vividly examines some of the issues that shape (and deform) society.... A gritty, extremely hard-hitting drama." (Adele Parks, Platinum)

What listeners say about Truth Be Told

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Brilliant !

So well written and really gives an insightful account of honour and culture and where the two things become abusive and twisted. Didn’t guess the plot. A brilliant read and highly recommend.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Should be classed as part of a series

I prefer standalone books. Thankfully I'd listened to the first book already. Good book but less enjoyable because of constant references to her first book, would've been much better without these.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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gripping, with a unique twist

rape or consensual sex?
are barristers concerned with truth or just with winning?
do all parents mess up the kids?
Great twist, you'll never get.
loved it



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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Truth BeTold It’s BRILLiANT

Brilliant book by a brilliantly talented author. Hooked from the very start until the very end. Great narrator too.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Breathtakingly good!

Wow this is an amazing thought provoking novel dealing with the very difficult subject of male rape. It had me hooked from the start and held my attention right up to the very shocking twist at the end.

Ms Abdullah writes sensitively but does not shy away from controversy. Her characters are realistic and beluevable and I especially liked Kamran and rooted for him throughout his ordeal. Zara is a great character who fights her demons but is feisty and independant. This book will stay with me for a long time

I havent read the first book in this series but this works well as a standalone.

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Brilliant

This is the second novel - Truth Be Told which continues the story of a barrister. The first novel Take It Back and this second novel both give an unbiased account of the struggles of both the accused and the victims in equal measure. Thoroughly enjoyable and highly recommended.

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Thought provoking

I loved this and listened across the weekend chilling with my fave food 🥘 😂
Yet another fantastic story with a shocking twist you just don’t see coming at the end.
Kia is a very clever story teller with stacks of researched knowledge that really does teach you a thing or two.
I’m out of Kia books now, booooo!

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Brilliant!

Another perceptive thought-provoking story with a twist at the end that I didn’t see coming! This is the third book by this author that I’ve thoroughly enjoyed and I can’t wait to read the next one.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Terrible narration - hard to listen to.

The narration is so bad. The voices used are childish and the male characters sound like the type of voice you would give to a hungry bear that has just come out of hibernation when reading a bed time story.
The actual plot is good though.

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