Conviction was absolutely riveting from the very first page – a vibrant, edgy and brilliantly done character voice, this is a layered tale that sucks you into it’s mysteries then throws you out the other side feeling like you’ve been through the wringer right beside Anna.

Using a podcast as an anchor to mystery storytelling is popular at the moment but I’ve not seen it used in quite this way before – those portions of the plot are fascinatingly immersive (yes I know) a sunken ship haunted by a ghost and the mention of a name that starts Anna’s journey back through a past she hoped she’d left behind. But you can never really leave some things because they never leave you.

It’s a page turner, crime fiction on a higher level, I won’t give too much plot away, suffice to say it is twisty indeed with emotionally charged themes and a clever mystery at the heart of it that is unexpected at every turn. The characters live and breathe on the page, they will stay with you long after you are done.

Conviction as a whole put me in mind of the Latin “Post Hoc, Ergo, Propter Hoc” – After, Therefore, Because of it – events and connections all underneath it all. I loved it because it challenged me, I really didn’t know where it was going to end up.

Absolutely highly recommended. Also before you think I’m cleverer than I am, the Latin came from an episode of the also brilliantly written “The West Wing” and has stayed with me long enough for me to apply it here.

Don’t miss this one.

'Conviction' has pretty much everything you might want from a thriller. It’s gripping, funny and has an enjoyable mystery running through it. It's also wildly different in tone and subject matter to the last Denise Mina book I read, ‘The Long Drop’, which speaks to her talents as a writer. I didn’t like it quite as much as ‘The Long Drop’, but then that was one of my favourite reads of 2018, so the bar was set high. That book was serious and fairly bleak, ‘Conviction’ is a much lighter read.
It opens with heroine Anna confronted by a double whammy of revelations.
1) She discovers, via a true crime podcast, that an old friend of hers is dead and may be responsible for the deaths of his family.
2) Her husband announces he is leaving her for the woman next door.
Those two things set Anna off on an international investigation into the deaths and her own past with the man next door, anorexic pop star Fin.
Whilst it relies on a couple of reasonably unlikely coincidences, the book manages to be quite convincing on its own terms. It’s a fun read and I suspect not meant to be taken too seriously, although there is some effective and thought-provoking commentary on how rape victims are treated by the police and the press.
The plot rattles along at breakneck speed and the amateur investigation is enjoyable. Anna’s sardonic narration and plain speaking is often amusing and added a lot to my enjoyment of the story. It’s perhaps not quite as funny as it might have been, but Mina does have a deftly comic turn of phrase at times.
What really makes the book, though, is the relationship between Anna and Fin. It’s touching, funny and believable. I found myself really rooting for the unlikely pair and I hope that Mina will consider giving them another outing. It might sound like damning with faint praise, but I’d heartily recommend ‘Conviction’ as a holiday read. It’s packed with enjoyable European locations and a bit of glamour, it’ll make you laugh and keep you guessing, and the characters will stay with you.

This is a mad read of a book, a roller coaster ride from start to finish. At times it seemed as though the heroine, Anna, was a female James Bond being chased by the unknown enemy. I couldn't put it down. This is quite a unique book in the writing style, no paragraph is wasted, every page is exciting and the two main characters, Anna and Finn are brilliant. I highly recommend this book but choose a time to read it when you don't have much else to do as you won't be able to put it down. Well done to Denise Mina, an amazing author.

First book I have read by this author,but it won't be the last.I am sorry I am late to the party if she always writes as well as this.I have never read a book like it, it was a story within a story and it was fab.I thought it was very clever and compelling, for me it was a real page turner.I don't want to give anything away I enjoyed the unexpectedness of the book and don't want to spoil it for others, but I really enjoyed reading it.Definite 5 stars from me,and thanks to the publishers and netgalley for an ARC.

I wish there were for than five stars for this amazing book. Wow this is Denise Mina at her shining best ! I was hooked from page one where the quality of the writing just shone through. The use of the podcasts was very cleverly used as the thread pulling the plot. Denise Mina always has complex , feisty ,funny women as the main character and Anna was another with her reactions to Fin lifting the mood. This is a novel to read when you have plenty food in, the door closed and the phone switched off !! There are not many books I have read I would urge people to read but this joins the list. Unique and just brilliant.

This is the first book by the Scottish author, Denise Mina, that I've read and I can say that she deserves the rave reviews written for her previous novels. ''Conviction'' is a tight mystery/thriller, introducing a perfectly drawn main character, Anna McDonald. Anna is a married woman with two little girls and enjoys her everyday routine but already from the first -very well written- pages the audience learns that she has a truly troubled past which she is determined to hide from her family and friends. Anna is also a true crime podcast fan and when she listens the first episode of a new podcast regarding the death of a father along with his two children, she is shocked to the core as the name of the father, and possibly the murderer, is more than familiar to her.
From that point on, Anna will embark on a dangerous adventure, in order to find the truth about what happened the night that the yacht in which the three family members were on and the real reason behind its sinking. At the same time Anna will have to face a family drama, as her husband abandons her in order live with Anna's best friend, Estella. As the, intricate though easy-to-follow, plot unravels the audience learns about the nature of Anna's past suffering and the reason why she adopted a new name and identity.
The main plotline, concerning the yacht's sinking merges with that of Anna's prior life and in the end she will have to encounter the person who was responsible for her ordeals who also holds the key to the yacht mystery. What makes ''Conviction'' a novel that stands out is Denise Mina's wonderful prose and fine-grained characterization. In my opinion her writing style puts her on the top of contemporary European crime fiction authors and she continues in the tradition of many Scottish crime writers, such as Peter May, Ian Rankin, Val McDermid and Philip Kerr The reader identifies with the protagonist even though she is not always likeable as a character and wants a proper resolution for the book's plots and sub-plots. We demand justice for Anna/Sophie and the punishment of the villains. This is a novel that keeps the audience highly engaged and you will find it difficult to put down. I recommend it without any reservation to all crime fiction fanatics and especially to those who enjoy a more literary touch in their crime reads.

I'm a big fan of this author's work and here she cleverly taps into the rising popularity of true crime podcasts. I loved the commentary on the nature of stories early on, and the section on what constitutes family annihilation. Also really enjoyed the humour scattered throughout. The characters are interesting and engaging in a plot where you really don't have a clue what might be coming next; a rarity, and testament to the skill and talent of Denise Mina. Ticks all the boxes. Loved it and didn't want it to end.