A Brief History of Seven Killings

A Brief History of Seven Killings is the third novel by Jamaican author Marlon James. It was published in 2014 by Riverhead Books. The novel spans several decades and explores the attempted assassination of Bob Marley in Jamaica in 1976 and its aftermath, through the crack wars in New York City in the 1980s and a changed Jamaica in the 1990s.

Synopsis
The novel has five sections, each named after a musical track and covering the events of a single day:
 * “Original Rockers: December 2, 1976”
 * “Ambush in the Night: December 3, 1976”
 * “Shadow Dancin’: February 15, 1979”
 * “White Lines/Kids in America: August 14, 1985”
 * “Sound Boy Killing: March 22, 1991”

The first part of the novel is set in Kingston, Jamaica, in the build-up to the Smile Jamaica Concert held on 5 December 1976, and describes politically motivated violence between gangs associated with the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) and the People's National Party (PNP), especially in the West Kingston neighbourhoods of Tivoli Gardens and Matthews Lane (renamed in the novel as Copenhagen City and Eight Lanes), including involvement of the CIA in the Jamaican politics of the time. As well as Marley (who is referred to as "the Singer" throughout), other real-life characters depicted or fictionalized in the book include Kingston gangsters Winston "Burry Boy" Blake and George "Feathermop" Spence, Claude Massop and Lester Lloyd Coke (Jim Brown) of the JLP and Aston Thomson (Buckie Marshall) of the PNP.

Characters
CAST OF CHARACTERS

Greater Kingston from 1959
 * Sir Arthur Jennings, former politician, deceased
 * The Singer, reggae superstar of the world
 * Peter Nasser, politician, strategist
 * Nina Burgess, former receptionist, presently unemployed
 * Kim-Marie Burgess, her sister
 * Ras Trent, Kim-Marie’s lover
 * Doctor Love / Luis Hernán Rodrigo de las Casas, CIA consultant
 * Barry Diflorio, CIA station chief, Jamaica
 * Claire Diflorio, his wife
 * William Adler, former field officer, CIA, now rogue
 * Alex Pierce, journalist, Rolling Stone
 * Mark Lansing, filmmaker, son of Richard Lansing, former CIA director
 * Louis Johnson, field officer, CIA
 * Mr. Clark, field officer, CIA
 * Bill Bilson, journalist, the Jamaica Gleaner
 * Sally Q, fixer, informant
 * Tony McFerson, politician
 * Officer Watson, police
 * Officer Nevis, police
 * Officer Grant, police

Copenhagen City
 * Papa-Lo / Raymond Clarke, don of Copenhagen City, 1960–1979
 * Josey Wales, head enforcer, don of Copenhagen City, 1979–1991, leader of the Storm Posse
 * Weeper, gang enforcer, Storm Posse head enforcer, Manhattan/Brooklyn
 * Demus, gang member
 * Heckle, gang member
 * Bam-Bam, gang member
 * Funky Chicken, gang member
 * Renton, gang member
 * Leggo Beast, gang member
 * Tony Pavarotti, enforcer, sniper
 * Priest, messenger, informer
 * Junior Soul, informer/rumored Eight Lanes spy
 * The Wang Gang, gang based in Wang Sang Lands, affiliated with Copenhagen City
 * Copper, gang enforcer
 * Chinaman, gang leader near Copenhagen City
 * Treetop, gang member
 * Bullman, enforcer

The Eight Lanes Outside Jamaica, 1976–1979
 * Shotta Sherrif / Roland Palmer, don of the Eight Lanes, 1975–1980
 * Funnyboy, gang enforcer and second-in-command
 * Buntin-Banton, coleader and don of the Eight Lanes, 1972–1975
 * Dishrag, coleader and don of the Eight Lanes, 1972–1975
 * Donald Casserley, drug trafficker, president, Jamaica Freedom League
 * Richard Lansing, CIA director, 1973–1976
 * Lindon Wolfsbricker, American ambassador to Yugoslavia
 * Admiral Warren Tunney, CIA director, 1977–1981
 * Roger Theroux, field officer, CIA
 * Miles Copeland, CIA station chief, Cairo
 * Edgar Anatolyevich Cheporov, reporter, Novosti News Agency
 * Freddy Lugo, operative, Alpha 66, United Revolutionary Organizations, AMBLOOD
 * Hernán Ricardo Lozano, operative, Alpha 66, United Revolutionary Organizations, AMBLOOD
 * Orlando Bosch, operative Omega 7, United Revolutionary Organizations, AMBLOOD
 * Gael and Freddy, operatives, Omega 7, United Revolutionary Organizations, AMBLOOD
 * Sal Resnick, journalist, New York Times

Montego Bay, 1979
 * Kim Clarke, unemployed
 * Charles/Chuck, engineer, Alcorp Bauxite

Miami and New York, 1985–1991
 * Storm Posse, Jamaican drug syndicate
 * Ranking Dons, rival Jamaican drug syndicate
 * Eubie, head enforcer, Storm Posse, Queens/Bronx
 * A-Plus, associate of Tristan Phillips
 * Pig Tails, enforcer, Storm Posse, Queens/Bronx
 * Ren-Dog, enforcer, Storm Posse, Queens/Bronx
 * Omar, enforcer, Storm Posse, Manhattan/Brooklyn
 * Romeo, drug dealer, Storm Posse, Brooklyn
 * Tristan Phillips, inmate, Rikers, member of Ranking Dons
 * John-John K, hit man, carjacker
 * Paco, carjacker
 * Griselda Blanco, drug lord, Medellín cartel Miami operations
 * Baxter, enforcer for Griselda Blanco
 * The Hawaiian Shirts, enforcers for Griselda Blanco
 * Kenneth Colthirst, New York resident, 5th Avenue
 * Gaston Colthirst, his son
 * Gail Colthirst, his daughter-in-law
 * Dorcas Palmer, caregiver
 * Millicent Segree, student nurse
 * Miss Betsy, manager, God Bless Employment Agency
 * Monifah Thibodeaux, drug addict

Reception
James' novel was praised for its mastery of voice and genre, encompassing historical epic, spy novel, gang thriller and mythical saga all at once. Writing in Literary Review, Kevin Power praises Marlon James' energy and imagination in his characters' voices: "his command of a range of tones and voices approaches the virtuoso." However, Power notes the novel's lack of narrative momentum necessary to propel it through nearly 700 pages.

According to Book Marks, the book received "positive" reviews based on 11 critic reviews with 5 being "rave" and 4 being "positive" and 1 being "mixed" and 1 being "pan".

Awards
The book was awarded the 2015 Booker Prize. This was the first time that a Jamaican-born author had won the prize. According to the BBC: "[Booker chair of judges Michael] Wood said the judges came to a unanimous decision in less than two hours. He praised the book's 'many voices'—it contains more than 75 characters—which 'went from Jamaican slang to Biblical heights'".

In a podcast interview, James said he spent part of the £50,000 Booker Prize money on a lamp in the shape of a life-size horse.

Television
HBO optioned the novel in May 2015 and is planning a television series, although no debut date has been announced.