- Book recommendations
All Them Dogs
Written by Djamel White
- Longlisted
- The Booker Prize 2026
- Published by John Murray
Buy the book
By turns savage, thrilling and unexpectedly tender, All Them Dogs is a gripping story of violence, lust, and greed that explores one man's struggles to find his place in an unsparing world
Things are different since Tony Ward landed back in town. The West Dublin gangland has changed. His old mentor is dead, and his best pal Kenny Boyle is on the straight and narrow.
After five years keeping quiet across the way, Tony is keen to reinstate himself, and when the opportunity arises to work side by side with Darren ‘Flute’ Walsh, a top enforcer of notorious crime boss Aengus Lavelle, it feels like a no brainer.
Biting off more than he can chew has never bothered Tony Ward, but Flute Walsh is not the meek, quiet boy Tony remembers from school. Brooding, stoic, and unpredictably dangerous, Tony finds himself drawn to his new associate in more ways than one.
With retribution from his past actions always close in the rear view, the protection offered by Flute’s standing in the gang is crucial. But how safe is Tony really, when a mutual attraction starts to complicate matters?
All Them Dogs was longlisted for the Booker Prize 2026.
A ballsy, unsentimental portrait of West Dublin gangland, set well off the beaten track of the city’s usual literary landmarks. White has an ear for dialogue that is both racy and real
The Booker Prize 2026 judges
What the judges said
‘All Them Dogs, the debut novel by Djamel White, is a mouthy, ballsy and bracingly unsentimental portrait of West Dublin gangland, set well off the beaten track of the city’s usual literary landmarks. It charts the lives, loyalties and dealings of a semi-organised crime world. Yet, the novel’s real achievement lies in something quieter and more easily overlooked beneath the bullets and bone-breaking dramatics: a subtle, textured humanity woven among the violent hyper-masculine protagonists.
White is an impressive stylist. He has an ear for dialogue that is both racy and real, and a gift for atmospheric description that feels at once inventive and classically grounded. This writer understands that the vernacular of the street, handled with precision and care, can carry as much emotional and literary weight as any elevated register.’
What the critics said
Jake Arnott, the Guardian
‘All Them Dogs has ambitions beyond the harsh restrictions of the crime genre, with a first-person stream of consciousness that follows Chekhov’s notion that that the writer’s duty is to take the part of the guilty men. The character of Tony is a bold choice for this endeavour, often appearing an arrogant bully beyond the reach of even his author’s compassion. And though many frailties are revealed below the braggadocio, the true emotions and psychosexuality of this angry and battered male psyche remain unknowable. But perhaps that’s part of the realism of this novel.’
Kirkus
‘A debut novel of rare force and control.
‘This is a revelation: a mob thriller steeped in the gallows humor of working-class Dublin, yet with notes of tenderness to temper the violence. As narrated by Tony Ward—“lethal weapon forged in 1997 with a rap sheet that’d put them all to shame”—White hauls us through a world of coke dealers, shredded loyalties, and powder-keg masculinity.’
Elizabeth Mannion, The Irish Times
‘All Them Dogs is filled with a street lyricism that mines masculinity in a manner reminiscent of Jim Carroll or Robert McLiam Wilson. There’s a poetry on the pages here that tenderises even the most hardened characters, as they alternately strut and cower at the mercy of criminal impulses. That’s part of this novel’s magic. And it is a magical piece of writing.’
Mairéad Hearne, Irish Examiner
‘There is no shying away from the strong language in this novel, with vehemence and hatred spewing out of every conversation. Yet there are gentle moments and bursts of feeling that offer glimpses into what could have occurred if circumstances had been different.
‘Electricity pulsates through All Them Dogs with an intensity and a sense of urgency that propels the reader forward to the very fitting ending. Prepare yourself for an adrenaline-fuelled, intense rush, a novel that will not allow you to take a breath. Gritty, impacting, emotive, and frighteningly authentic, All Them Dogs is a formidable and assured debut.’
