All Them Dogs by Djamel White- Booker Prize Finalist 2026

A young Irish gangster is caught in a brutal dance between love and loyalty.

Some books you read. This one grabs you by the collar and pulls you in.

Tony Ward is back in Dublin. After five years in England—where he fled after murdering a rival gang member—he returns to find that his mentor is dead and his best friend has gone straight. The world he left behind has shifted beneath his feet.

Keen to reestablish himself, Tony jumps at the chance to work for the enforcer of a local crime boss. But Flute Walsh is a far cry from the boy Tony once knew. Drawn to Flute in ways he never expected, Tony finds the boundaries he thought he understood beginning to break down. Is there room for connection in a world where nothing stays buried, and where retribution is just a bullet away?

By turns savage and tender, unexpected and intimate, All Them Dogs is a gripping story of violence, greed, and desire—one man’s struggle to find balance in an unsparing world.

This is literary crime fiction that lingers. A story that refuses to look away from the messy, aching places where love and loyalty collide. Fans of atmospheric thrillers and character-driven coming-of-age tales will find plenty here to sink into.

We love a book that surprises us, and this debut does exactly that. It’s the kind of read you’ll want to talk about the moment you finish—so save a seat by the window, listen to the waves roll in off the cove, and let this one keep you up past your bedtime.

Nestled on our new release shelf, waiting for you. Come linger a while.

Additional information