For me this book was too disjointed. It was hard to figure out if I wasn't 'getting it', or it just didn't flow well. I think the story could have been very interesting, but for me it fell flat. Hard to understand with characters that did not intrigue me.

And... action! 4½ stars

As Anna does all her usual early morning tasks, she’s expecting this to be a routine day. But then her best friend, Estelle, turns up at the door, and her husband, Hamish, comes downstairs with a suitcase and an announcement – he’s leaving Anna and going off with Estelle, taking the kids with him. Left alone and feeling shattered, Anna looks for something to distract her mind, and begins listening to a true-crime podcast. She’s amazed to discover that an old friend of hers, Leon, is at the centre of the story – as victim, or murderer, or perhaps both. With nothing better to do and not wishing to dwell on her broken life, Anna sets off to look up old acquaintances and do a bit of digging. Along the way she acquires a travelling companion – Estelle’s abandoned husband, Fin...

There are some dark elements to the story – rape, murder, suicide, anorexia – but the tone is surprisingly light. In the hands of someone less skilled I might have said too light – the handling of the anorexia in particular veered close to being a bit too jocular at times, even though I thought it was a quite realistic portrayal. But Mina keeps the book rattling along as such a pace that there’s no time to dwell on the bleaker themes – this is very much an action thriller. We soon learn that Anna is a woman with a past, one that has damaged her but made her strong. She’s a survivor, and since she quickly decides she’s not going to wallow in misery over her marriage, the reader is happily saved from wallowing with her.

Like all thrillers, the less you know going in the more you’ll enjoy it, so I won’t go too deeply into the story. Anna’s past soon erupts into the present and, as she and Fin hunt for the truth about Leon’s death, she in turn becomes hunted by the people she has been hiding from for years. It becomes a dangerous race across Europe as they begin to suspect that past and present might be connected in some way. Anna and Fin are an unlikely pairing (as Anna would be the first to point out) and their interactions add a lot to the humour and give the book its warmth. There’s an enjoyable mix of excitement and humour, with some serious moments to keep it grounded, and the tension gradually builds to an excellent (if improbable) and totally unexpected dénouement.

OK, credibility got thrown overboard fairly early on and, after struggling to the surface a couple of times, finally sank without trace. If you’re looking for deep and meaningful, this isn’t it, despite it touching on some of the themes of the moment. But I found it thoroughly enjoyable, fast-paced and fun, and very well written. This is only the second Mina I’ve read, the other being the darkly realistic The Long Drop, and I find it hard to imagine two books more different in tone and style. I’m looking forward to getting to know her work better and, meantime, happily recommend this one. If Hitchcock were still with us, he could make it into a great film...

4½ stars for me, so rounded up.

NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, Harvill Secker.

This is one of those books that you can kind of picture yourself being the main character and having empathy when it all starts to go wrong. Then there are little snippets that make you go ?? And then it turns, and there are more whoa! moments than there are normality. Overall, it is a stunning book and a really good read, albeit slightly unrealistic, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

A solid thriller from Denise Mina set in the world of true crime podcasts.

Mina always keeps her work measured and believable and this is no exception. Not one for page turning thrills, this has more depth than your average thriller.

For housewife Anna the day starts like any other.  She prepares her children's breakfast and settles down to listen to a podcast over a cup of coffee.  However she is shocked to hear that the podcast is that of a crime involving an old friend and it knocks her life awry.  Then her husband decides to up and leave her for her best friend and Anna decides to find out what happened to her friend and confront her past.

Having long been a fan of Mina's writing I found it hard to adjust to the style of this writing.  The plot is dark but the writing featherlight and the juxtaposition is unsettling.  However once fully engaged the cleverness came to the fore.  Mina is an expert at plotting a complex story and peopling it with flawed characters yet leaving the reader totally satisfied and this does not disappoint.

This book had the makings of a good story but was overcontrived and quite unbelievable. The characters were two dimensional and the plot was weak.

Really enjoyed this book. I felt it was a bit different and kept me captivated and engrossed throughout. Recommend as a read!

A well-written well thought out plot, thrilling, witty and insightful. I loved the characters and Mina's style of writing. . Definitely, a must read for all crime thriller fans. looking forward to reading more from this author.

Conviction is an unusual crime thriller by the acclaimed Scottish author Denise Mina. A troubled housewife addicted to crime podcasts is drawn into a mystery after an acquaintance is murdered. This is a fast moving novel with a quirky, interesting protagonist and a dark, twist filled plot.

Denise Mina has been an author I have wanted to try for a while now. In fact, quite a long while now – far too many books and never enough time. As well as reading lots of very positive things about her books in general, she is also Scottish. And I do try and support my fellow Scots whenever possible. So, when Conviction popped up on NetGalley I was delighted to be approved for an eARC. Plus, that cover!

I had very little idea what to expect when I first picked up Conviction, I don’t know if I missed the hype or if it was completely off my radar, but I went into the book cold, I didn’t even properly read the book blurb until I was a good 20% or so in.

Conviction starts with a rather memorable opening. It sets itself up as being a story within a story. Personally, I thought it had a bit of an odd structure. It was written as a book – let me explain before you roll your eyes at me and say yes, yes, it is a book…duh! But it starts off with the main character telling us she’s written a book of her recent experiences and here it is.

A bit different, yes?

But I kind of felt that the structure took all the tension and suspense out of the story. It had already been written by the main character, so we knew she was fine, she had lived to tell the tale so to speak. I just found it a little odd at points. I’m not sure that the story within a story added anything to the plot. Or I didn't quite get it, which is entirely plausible.

I loved the whole podcast story arc that was central to the plot, I found it fascinating. I’ve only just recently gotten into podcasts and now I seem to find them being discussed and written about everywhere, which is fantastic. Podcasts rule!

I loved the settings for this book, always great to see Scotland feature but it really was an around the world trip. I absolutely believe that Conviction would make the basis of an amazing blockbuster movie, it had that feel to it when I was reading. You know the way some books do? It’s not just me, is it?

I am quite keen on reading more by Denise Mina because I loved a lot of Conviction, but I didn’t quite love the novel. For me it was good but just missed out on being great. I would still happily recommend it thou because it was an entertaining blockbuster of a book that kept me reading until all was finally revealed, and I didn’t guess the majority of all the twists and turns. The writing was also great. Really great.

I must go and find some other bloggers reviews of this one. I was left with mostly positive, but maybe a bit of mixed feelings about conviction.

I received a copy of Conviction by Denise Mina from the publisher via NetGalley – Thank you!

Crazy action packed thriller. I lost a tiny bit of momentum mid way through the book, but it picked back up and I ultimately enjoyed it. Quirky characters . I really like Denise Mina's sense of humour!

I really enjoyed this book. The story within a story element was very compelling, and as a podcast fan this appealed to me immediately! The characters were complex and relatable.

Could not put it down ! Very clearly a Denise Mina book, it’s dark and gritty with touches of sadness- there is also a compelling story at the heart of it which is current and topical. Would you go to these lengths based on s guy you met once 10 years ago ? Who knows but this is a cracker of a book which twists and turns it’s way right to the end.

I pretty much fell in love with the two main characters Anna and Fin - the others are less well developed.

Read, it will not disappoint

Brilliant book, really enjoyed it, I’m looking forward to reading this author’s other books. Highly recommended

Many thanks to Netgalley and Denise Mins for the copy of this book. I agreed to give my unbiased opinion voluntarily.

This novel was not my usual cup of tea. I think I misunderstood the description but I am glad I did. It took me a while to get into the novel but when I did I couldn't put it down. It was easy to follow and the plot twist was virtually impossible to see coming. This book toys with a lot of emotion and is written in a way that you feel it while reading and that is a rare trait in a novel and a skill few authors have. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes crime, thrillers, and mystery books. It was a step out of my comfort zone and I step I'm glad I took. Now it's your turn to take it.

4 Stars

Could this be an autobiography?

Anna McDonald is enjoying a quiet cup of coffee, listening to a podcast on the tragic accident where three people were killed when their boat sunk. She's particularly interested in this podcast as she knew the man Leon Parker who was on board the vessel with his two teenage children when it sank. It is assumed by the authorities that he killed them and himself, by blowing up the boat.

Anna is so engrossed in the story of this true-life mystery when she sees her husband, Hamish coming down the stairs with a suitcase. She’s shocked when he tells her that he’s taking their two young daughters away with him and his new girlfriend (“so that they can get to know each other”). It turns out that the girlfriend is Estelle and she’s supposed to be Anna’s best friend.

Her sobs can’t drown out the sound of Fin Cohen, Estelle’s anorexic, and famous band-boy husband trying to get her to open the door. When she does, someone manages to take a photo of them together, and the photo is soon splashed across Twitter, and her real identity is revealed. She has been hiding behind the false name of Anna for years.

Fin refuses to leave Anna, hellbent on getting away from the house and going on the run, before the people she has been hiding from, come after her again. Anna gets Fin to listen to the podcast with her and this timid, over-sensitive man, filled with his anorexic foibles, decides that they should solve who really sunk the boat killing Leon Parker and his two children.

It’s a mad-cap crazy book filled with bizarre, but very likeable characters. Fear can sometimes bring out the best in people, and that's what makes this book such fun. After all, what is the worst that can happen to you when you've got hitmen looking for you? Run? Hide? Or brazenly face them?

Treebeard

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

I knew from the first page I was going to love this book and then to find out that Anna spent so much time reading I knew she was a worthy heroine and that the one with the problem was Hamish! I have read quite a few of Denise Mina's books but not read any for a while - I will be remedying that as soon as possible.
The plot was fascinating, the podcasts intriguing, the writing excellent and the characters so well drawn I felt completely invested in them. Add to that humour and complexity of the story, there is nothing not to like.
Many thanks to Netgalley/Denise Mina/Random House UK for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

When Anna’s relationship falls apart she retreats into a world of true crime podcasts, but when she recognises one of the victims she realises she may be the key to solving the case.

I wasn’t particularly convinced by Conviction (sorry, I had to!) On the one hand, I did really enjoy the idea of a case stemming from a podcast. I am an avid listener to True Crime Podcasts such as Serial, My Favourite Murder and Up and Vanished and really enjoy the idea of ordinary people going out and doing their own research into crimes and possibly even solving them. I liked the format of the Death and the Dana podcast within the book and it really did feel like you were ‘listening’ to an actual podcast. I sympathised with Anna to a certain extent, withdrawing into her podcast world as her relationship fell apart and the story did hold my interest throughout.

However, I found the whole plot to be both over-the-top and a bit too linear, as odd as that sounds. The idea of so many people following them and the extent that the main ‘baddie’ would go to catch them and murder people just seemed a bit far-fetched for their motivation if I’m being honest. I think this wasn’t helped by Anna’s personality which seemed to flip-flop from hysterical rage to calm planning a little too often to emote genuine sympathy for her, particularly as she got on the road with Fin.

The story itself is actually quite straight forward and suffers from being a bit one directional. There’s no big twist or super reveal here, the baddie presented from the beginning is the same one all the way through and we don’t even really get their motivations presented to us at any point to truly understand why they did what they did.

Overall Conviction is fairly standard crime story – it just needed to be slightly more realistic and with a few more narrative threads to keep my interest, I’m afraid. Thank you to NetGalley, Random House UK – Vintage Publishing & Harvill Secker for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Conviction has a strong female lead who, after listening to too many true crime podcasts decides to try and solve crimes herself. This book is completely gripping with excellent dark humour. I found once I picked it up, I couldn't put it down as it is so well written and addictive. It's a convincing read with believable and likable characters and it feels really different to the other types of thriller I've read recently and I would thoroughly recommend it!

A thriller of the highest order, literally breath taking. This is a complex tale of greed, power and corruption that is unravelled by the enigmatic Anna who has experienced more than her fair share of trauma. Her husband is leaving her for her best friend and this is the catalyst for her setting off to solve an unsolved crime along with an unlikely companion, her best friends ex who is a music celeb and anorexic . This is high energy stuff, darkly comic, bang up to date and you won’t be able to put it down.