Books like The illegal by Lawrence Hill

Keita Ali is a top‑ranked runner from the mountainous island of Zantoroland, famed for producing the fastest marathoners. After a disastrous race in Boston, he is offered a last chance to earn a huge prize by his agent, Anton Hamm, but fails to finish among the winners. Instead of returning him to a lethal homeland, Keita goes into hiding in Freedom State—a wealthy nation that has chosen to deport its refugee population in the inner city of AfricTown. In this underground enclave of illegal immigrants, Keita must stay on the move to avoid Hamm and the officials who will deport him back to Zantoroland. He navigates a complex web of allies and enemies: John Falconer, a film student documenting AfricTown; Ivernia Beech, an elderly resident at risk of assisted living; Rocco Stanton, the Immigration Minister who is also a recreational marathoner; Lula DiStefano, the self‑declared Queen of AfricTown and mistress of a famed brothel; and Viola Hill, a Black journalist investigating corruption between Freedom State’s high officials and Zantoroland. Keita’s fight is not only for his own life but also for that of his sister, as he trains in secret and confronts escalating danger. The Illegal is a fast‑moving literary thriller that explores the peril faced by undocumented refugees struggling to survive in hostile nations.

First publish date: 2016