In "A Brief History of Seven Killings," Marlon James masterfully combines storytelling with his unparalleled ability to characterize and his meticulous eye for detail to create a novel of radiant ambition and scope. On December 3, 1976, just before the Jamaican parliamentary elections and two days before Bob Marley was set to perform at the Smile Jamaica Concert to ease political tensions in Kingston, seven unnamed gunmen stormed the singer's home, assault rifles in hand. The attack injured Marley, his wife, and his manager, and harmed several others. Officially, little was released about the attackers, but numerous rumors circulated about the fate of the assassins. "A Brief History of Seven Killings" is James' fictional exploration of this dangerous and unstable time in Jamaica's history and beyond. Skillfully spanning decades and continents and populated with a wide array of characters – hitmen, drug dealers, journalists, and more.