Tannika K Williams Nelson, the author of new novel Underclass 7, is a London based author. After beginning writing at the age of fifteen, she has now completed her second novel. Tannika’s love of writing first developed in secondary school whilst studying English Language.

Alongside writing, her other interests include spoken word poetry and written poetry. Tannika has been determined to pursue a career in writing since she was at school; her other works include short poetry pieces covering topics including politics, society and social interaction. Her wordpress blog features greatly in publishing her recent works.

Underclass 7 is an urban novel focussed on seven young boys with a ‘get rich quick scheme’. Deano and Foss, two of the feature characters, lead their group of friends to an abandoned house in the hope of finding objects of worth, as they might expect in the house of a retired entrepreneur. Of course, that is not all that the boys find on their covert adventure. Upon their search, Foss and his friends discover an alarming stash of money and drugs. Out of his depth and fearful of what they have come across, Foss leaves the burglary contemplating about how he will adjust to a new, wealthy lifestyle as a result of his criminal actions. What he is unaware of is the events to come that will change the lives of the group forever. Tannika leaves a sinister undertone to the fate of her characters.

Tannika K Williams Nelson, Underclass 7’s author, comes from a background of gang violence and youth culture. She says that this has greatly influenced her topics of writing. Her first novel, Tales of the Hood features this as well as Underclass 7. Her current education in Criminal Justice has an impact on how she writes, and Underclass 7 is no exception to this knowledgeable trait. This mystery thriller exposes the consequences of being led by temptation. The group of boys are seen to indulge in the seven deadly sins, which creates their own downfalls.

The novel challenges internal conflict of choice; pride can get the best of you while greed can consume you, and these boys are definitely tempted by greed.  Tannika wants to question how we discover our most indulged sins, her answer is a suggestion of whether we should try it. This hints at what the story will entail, though not all is revealed beforehand. It is a book that you cannot stop reading until you know what happens next; one review says “I just couldn’t put it down”.

As a reader of Underclass 7, prepare to have your mind tricked. The novel will have you questioning your own moral judgement.