It's weird reading a book all about riots in the UK whilst there are so many going on. I'm usually not a fan of books set over a short time period, but this one worked pretty well I think.
Inspired by the 2011 riots in London, this book follows a ten day trajectory of riots after a vulnerable man is killed by police whilst trying to restrain him. The book follows the reactions of several key people involved in this: the Prime Minister, Home Secretary, Met police commissioner and a woman at the heart of the riots. It's an interesting insight into the politics and decision making behind how to react to riots from both sides.
I found parts of this book really gripping, especially when things started heating up towards the end to find someone who went missing during the riots. However, I struggled to find some of the characters distinctive from one another at the start, especially the police commissioner and the Home Secretary. The first few 'days' of the book dragged quite a lot for me, and whilst I enjoyed the tension later on, it sort of fizzled away to nothing.
I gave this three stars because it was totally different to anything I've read before, yet failed to grip me at the start.
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