Conviction

Completely brilliant - engaging voice grabs us as she slowly reveals past transgressions and secrets - when her marriage crumbles , a former celeb trails along, and they solve a present mystery of a mysterious death of an old soul mate, and it circles back to her too. Plausibility is sometimes strained and the attachment, and her accommodation of the tag-along sometimes didn't convince - but overall, the tragedy that is uncovered and its origins in greed, is really deftly set out. Mostly I loved the verve and courage of the narrator .. really expert crime novel,with deep layers ...

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.

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.

Brilliantly engaging, contemporary thriller. A whirlwind journey through Scotland and Europe keeps the reader embedded in the back story of Anna and the solving of the podcast mystery together with her uninvited companion Fin. He just happens to be the husband of the woman that has taken off with Anna's husband and children and also a reclusive burned out rock star. The power of social media plays a key role in their escapades.
This book is uniquely exciting as well as hilarious in parts

Anna is living a double life; a true crime podcast is exploring the sinking of a luxury yacht. How are these two things linked?

That’s the set-up for the superb new crime thriller from Denise Mina. Anna is having a bad day. Her husband is about to run away with her best friend, taking her two daughters with her. Certainly their marriage had been struggling, but had it come to this?

To get away from reality, Anna has become a true crime podcast addict. The latest one is about the unusual sinking of a luxury yacht off the French coast. Anna is floored when she realises she knows the father who died with his two daughters on the boat. The ship’s cook has been jailed for the murders, but the podcast suggests other unearthed evidence.

And what has Anna herself been running away from all these years?

Anna teams up with her friend’s ex, a former musician himself trying to recover from an eating disorder. Together, can they get to the bottom of what’s happened?

This book is an absolute page-turner and manages to combine a number of very contemporary and very relevant themes – not least the surge of interest in true-crime podcasts. The book plays with social media and how the classic “on the run” scenario can be affected if members of the public can snap you in airports with their phones.

Mina keeps us, and her characters, on our toes. The characters are flawed and believable.

I absolutely loved this book – a wonderful read.

Thanks to Random House UK, Vintage Publishing and Netgalley for my ARC.

The overwhelming feeling I got from Conviction – one of my must read books of 2019, was of deliciously enjoyable light and shade. This is a writer having fun and there’s a delicate touch to the writing that allows Mina to deploy her dark humour while wrapping us in an engrossing story that carries us on journeys across Europe (thank goodness there’s no Brexit here yet) in search of a stunning denouement.

Anna McDonald is our protagonist. She lives well in Glasgow’s comfortably corniced West End with her husband, Hamish and her two daughters, Jess and Lizzie. A light and uneasy sleeper, Anna loves having the early mornings to herself when she uses her solitary time to listen to true crime podcasts.

Death and the Dana is her current listen. A six-episode series about the sinking of the Dana, a yacht moored on an island off the west coast of France, near La Rochelle. One night, the ship slipped out of the harbour with its navigation lights off and using no and radio communication. It crossed the shipping channel, suffered an explosion below decks, and sank in the Bay of Biscay. Aboard were a father and his two grown children, Mark and Violetta. The crew had been paid and sent ashore, and the chef had boarded a plane to Lyon. Yet she was charged with and convicted of the murder of al three. Podcast producer Trina Keany is having trouble making sense of this judgement. The sinking of the Dana and the deaths of these three are surrounded by intrigue and have all the hallmarks of a great story; a tragic event, money, a reclusive heiress, ghosts and too many secrets to uncover in one episode.

As the novel begins, Anna’s life is about to be turned upside down. Her best friend, Estelle arrives at the door and as she does so, husband Hamish leaves with her, taking her daughters and leaving her without so much as a backward glance. Hamish and Estelle are off to Portugal with the girls, generously allowing Anna a week to get used to her new situation, and then they’ll be back to live in the house. Hamish generously leaves Anna a wad of cash – ‘re-settlement money’ – so that she can find somewhere else to go. He’s a peach, isn’t he?

Overwhelmed by shock and struggling to understand what has been going on under her nose, Anna’s hold on reality is obtained by her focus on the true crime podcast, mostly because she recognises a name from her past in connection with the crime. Anna met Leon Parker years ago, when she was working as a maid at the chic and exclusive Skibo Castle, where Parker was a guest. They used to chat over a clandestine cigarette by the bins and Anna liked the way that Leon neither patronised nor pawed at her but simply enjoyed sharing stories and the odd joke.

When Fin Cohen, Estelle’s husband, turns up on her doorstep, it’s clear he is in a worse state than Anna. Fin is a rock star, one who had a meteoric rise to fame and then couldn’t handle the pressure; now he is an anorexic and quite fragile. Estelle’s decision to leave him has hit him hard.

Anna and Fin launch decide to take a trip to get away from the wreckage of their lives. As they travel, Anna plays the Dana podcast and Fin, too gets caught up in the mystery. The two set off to work together to solve the mystery behind the sunken Dana – as much a diversion therapy as anything else, but why not? After all, Anna has this wad of cash burning a hole in her pocket.

It isn’t long before we realise that there is more to Anna than we were at first led to believe. Mina spins a compelling first person story narrative – a web within a spider’s web, where the threads are intertwined and to solve one set of murders we will first have to understand what lies behind Anna’s own story and to conquer the dragon that has been breathing fire on Anna’s heels for years.

Anna is stronger than she knows and her resilience will inspire Fin to create their own podcast, a narrative on solving the Dana crimes. Fin’s celebrity status means their podcast jumps high in the ratings from the outset, attracting not only fascinated listeners but also agents of destruction bent on stopping Fin and Anna.

Denise Mina has written a brilliant, character driven, edgy and relatable crime thriller that combines the best characterisation with compelling story telling. There’s so much too this exceptional, layered crime thriller that the reader will be captivated and enthralled by the deft plotting, stunning secrets and rich characters that populate the pages.

Inside this true crime podcast is an even truer story. An everyday story of rape, trauma, persecution and privilege prevailing. A shocking, unhinging tale of how money talks loudest of all.

In Anna, Mina has given us an astonishingly rich character. Anna is a resilient sharp and focussed protagonist whose clear sight and determination can move mountains, when you thought you were getting a story about castles and ghosts. She ought not to be likable. From the beginning of this novel she has been clear that she’s no big fan of the truth. ‘Lie and lie again’ is her motto. Yet despite her penchant for lying and her deceitful behaviour, there’s something about Anna you can’t help but like even before you know her story.

Mina takes her readers on a fascinating journey across Europe in search of the truth. In doing so she articulates the power in speaking the truth and in being heard. Amidst this undeniably gripping crime story there is another story that stands true and proud and calls out its name unashamedly.

This is the power of Conviction, a novel with two stories and two meanings. Amidst the luxury yachts of France’s coastline and glamorous European locations taking us into the world of international finance, Mina spins her pacey tale with dark humour, sordid deeds and fabulously described characters.

Verdict: There’s enough here for every reader with twists and turns to delight and confound. What lingers, though, is the impact of Anna’s ability to finally stop sheltering behind the lies. To feel the impact on her relationships of being able to come out and speak the truth. To finally hear her own story in her own words, told with conviction. That’s a story to be proud of, too.

This book got me hooked as soon as I started reading it and I found it hard to put down, I wanted to know what happened next!

Anna was just an ordinary housewife with a husband who was a lawyer and two girls who she loved dearly. She loved listening to podcasts early in the morning when she got up early and had a bit of me time before the day began and got busy with being a mum. On this particular day she was listening to a true crime podcast about a sunken yacht but it was owned by someone she had known previously years ago. It turned out he had been murdered on the yacht with his family by a young woman who had a cast iron alibi but still found guilty and was still serving her sentence and hadn't lodged an appeal. From there, her day just went downhill......

This book is so absorbing, you get into the story as well and want to know what happens next and follow the true crime story too, just like Anna as she follows her instincts. Such superb writing you feel you are in the story, it's well written with lots of detail and has been well researched. There is a lot of detail about travelling and foreign travel too. Thoroughly loved this book and read it over 2 days, could easily be read in 1 day if nothing else on though! Will be looking in to more of this author's work. A big 5 out of 5 stars from me!

At one point I stood back and thought is there just too much going on in this book but no I think it was just right. It started with an ordinary day, the world falls apart and it then goes from one extraordinary event to another and from one country to another. The story is brilliant, the book is humorous and witty. The characters were fun, I loved the bickering relationship between Anna and Finn, thrown together by circumstance. The back story which informs all Anna's actions is clever. It is the first book I have read by this author and it certainly won't be the last.

I loved Mina's new book. She takes the podcast genre and whips the reader along a fantastical ride as fast as a Trump twitter.
Anna and her fading-musician-star connection Fin, leave in a flurry when their respective spouses announce they are in a relationship. Anna is escaping her past; Fin his eating disorder and waning star quality.
They are trying to solve an unresolved mystery from a podcast which links unexpectedly to Anna's former life and puts their lives in danger.
The concept works well and helps the plot to race along. At times it feels as if Mina enters the farcical zone but this makes it funny, not detracting from the desire to "read on"!! And so I did and reached the last page smiling and content that my time was well-spent.

What a wonderful book! Conviction is the type of book that keeps you up til 3am because you just can’t put it down! One of the best I’ve read this year.

What sets Denise Mina apart from the rest of the crime crowd is her portrayal of ordinary, humdrum lives which go on to be affected by a single life-altering catalyst. From then on life spirals drastically out of control and that is exactly what happens here with Anna and her family. The scenario manages to remain the right side of credible and, in my opinion, the reason Mina's books are so exceptional is that they feature a potent mix of interesting characters, solid plot, relaxed writing with some real prose gems, lots of excitement, incidents that visibly move you and last but not least witty humour to break up the dark storyline.

Without a doubt, one of the most original domestic thrillers out there although the synopsis sounds rather like every other family drama, but don't be fooled this is a well constructed, thought out and unique piece of crime fiction. I enjoyed the intensity and our fierce female protagonist, Anna, was to die for. Unreservedly recommended to crime, thriller and mystery fans, and those who've adored Mina's past offerings will find more of the same in Conviction. I can't wait to see what she publishes next. Good luck with putting this one down! Many thanks to Harvill Secker for an ARC.

My thanks to Random House U.K. Vintage Publishing for an eARC via NetGalley of Denise Mina’s ‘Conviction’ in exchange for an honest review.

One morning as she prepares her daughters for the school run, Anna McDonald’s life takes an unexpected turn. At the front door is her best friend, Estelle, and Anna is shocked to learn that her husband is leaving her for Estelle and taking their daughters on holiday right now with their new Mummy! Well that was a corker of an opening.

Anna is in shock and distracts herself by listening to a true crime podcast about a sunken yacht in the Mediterranean. Then she realises that she knows one of the victims, a man she met in another life.

From here the plot certainly takes a surprising direction as she and Estelle’s fading rock star husband, Fin, become unlikely investigators into the sinking. As they are about to leave a star-struck neighbour takes a selfie with Fin and Anna is also in the shot. Once it is posted to social media Anna’s past is revealed and she is on the run for her life with a bewildered Fin. The reasons for this is slowly revealed as they bounce around Europe.

Anna proved such a compelling narrator: her voice immediate with a very dry wit. ‘Conviction’ is fast paced with lots of unexpected twists and dark humour.

This is my first book by Mina though certainly not my last. I immediately ordered her graphic novel adaptation of ‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’ and will be looking out for more titles.

Highly recommended.

I just could not put this book down once I started reading it! Set in Glasgow, Fort William and all over Europe, it's a roller-coaster of a read. It has a twisted plot, great characters, it's edgy, a touch of humour and brilliantly written. I won't go into the plot other than to say I totally fell in love with Anna and Fin! This would be a great holiday read and I highly recommend it. A very addictive and heartwarming read. My grateful thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

An amazing and enthralling book. It was the first I read by this author and I'm I happy I got it because it was a great discovery.
This book is unusual, enthralling, atmospheric, and kept on the edge. Something completely out of my comfort zone, I usually go for more classic whodunnit, but a book I really liked and enjoyed.
I look forward to reading other books by this author.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

I loved Conviction; it is gripping, insightful and witty. It is also an enjoyable change of direction from the very good but unremittingly grim The Long Drop.

One of the book’s great features is the narrative voice of Anna, a damaged, often angry woman whose marriage to a wealthy lawyer in Glasgow implodes, revealing that she is not who everyone thinks she is and that her old identity has become public. Details of the death of someone she knew and liked appear on a podcast and there begins a thrilling chase where she and a very famous, complex companion are both on the run and looking for answers to the mystery of the death.

In may ways it’s familiar stuff, but Denise Mina does it so well that it feels fresh. Anna’s voice is wonderfully convincing, the plot is plausible (although suspension of disbelief is a bit of an effort at the end) and Mina offers some very shrewd but wholly un-laboured insights into aspects of fame, the effects of social media both good and bad, attitudes to rape and other important matters which she incorporates into the narrative with a very deft touch. I found it completely compelling with some very welcome smiles and laughs in places.

There is a huge amount of crime fiction around at the moment; much of it is at best pretty average, some of it is good and just a few books are excellent. I’d put this in the excellent bracket, with its combination of a really good story, a great voice some real intellectual content and a fine leaven of wit. Denise Mina is a terrific writer and this is an example of why she is so highly regarded. Very warmly recommended.

(My thanks to Random House for an ATC via NetGalley.)

Here's the thing: Some books just HAVE IT. And this one does. The narrator's voice sinks it's teeth into your brain and won't let go. This is often the case with podcasts, ironically.

I LOVED this book. I've read a few in the past 2 years that have podcasts as the main plot point, or at least referenced to, (because I'm also obsessed with this one) so maybe that's one reason I loved it so much...but, I think it's mostly the great storytelling ability of Denise Mina.

The only bad thing about this book was that it had to end. Thanks for letting me review it. Five stars!

With thanks to Random House and NetGalley for the ARC.

Denise Mina is a phenomenon. Book after book she continually raises the bar. She is undoubtedly one of the finest writers working today in any genre.

This book opens with Anna McDonald, middle class mother of two and podcast addict being dramatically dumped by her lawyer husband. As if that's not bed enough her best friend is the other woman.

Anna is not the most emotionally stable of people and we soon learn that this relates to a dark, secretive past.

The lastest podcast she is listening to has details of the death of someone she knew in her past life and she is compelled to try and solve the mystery of his death.

She is joined in this quest by her best friends dumped husband, Fin, an anorexic ex rock star.

Their quest takes them from Scotland to Italy and France in an action packed, and frequently very funny, adventure.

Anna and Fin are a brilliant, if very offbeat, team. Funny, captivating and I'd love to spend more time with them. Their interactions are funny and touching and totally believable.

An absolute rollercoaster of a book and I was very saddened to reach the end.
Hopefully Denise can find an reason for them to work together again. I'd be the first in the queue.

One of the best books of 2019.

Go buy it.

If there is only one crime thriller book you read this year, make sure it is this one from the award winning Scottish writer, Denise Mina. This is a markedly different read from her previous works, it has a lightness of touch, is darkly humorous, relevant in our contemporary world of #MeToo, and utterly riveting. The well to do Anna McDonald is married to lawyer, Hamish, and two young daughters, Jess and Lizzie. Anna is a true crime podcast obsessive, her latest one is entitled Death and the Dana, produced by Trina Keany. The Dana is a sunken yacht in the Bay of Biscay in which a murdered family, a father and his daughter and son, 21 year old Violetta and 16 year old Mark died, a tragic event shrouded in mystery and secrets. The Dana has a history of ghosts and tragedies that have sealed its reputation as a cursed vessel. On a morning that is to shatter her life apart, Anna is engaged in the everyday preparations for her family when her best friend, Estelle arrives. Hamish has a packed suitcase, he is leaving her for Estelle, taking Jess and Lizzie with him.

It soon becomes clear Anna has a troubled hidden past that has required her to live under the radar with a new identity. As Anna drowns in her overwhelming misery, she can focus only on the podcast, shocked when she recognises a name, a man she briefly knew when working at Skibo Castle, a man she is certain is a good person. To her surprise, Fin Cohen, Estelle's washed out ex-rock star husband, turns up on her doorstep. Fin is jittery and volatile, suffering from an anorexia that descended on him amidst his failure to handle his sudden meteoric fame and celebrity. Fin's appearance gives Anna a reason to rise above the mire of her personal horrors. Fin and Anna take off on a odd couple odyssey in which Fin becomes caught up in the unfolding crime podcast which has the two of them working together to solve the mystery behind the sunken Dana. However, social media and Fin's fame on Twitter threatens to expose Anna's traumatic past, bringing with it deadly dangers as they visit Skibo Castle, London, and go to the coastal resort of Saint Martin in France and Venice in Italy.

Denisa Mina writes a vividly beguiling, edgy, and all consuming crime read of the highest order that just grabs you from the beginning and never once lets you go until you get to the very last page. In Anna, Mina creates what she refers to as an amazing woman, and she is right. Anna is one of the huge numbers of women who have survived the kind of abuse, assault and trauma which society deems can only mean what happened to them was not so bad without once acknowledging that these women are truly amazing to have come through the darkest and most soul destroying of experiences. There is a wonderful host of characters that inhabit the novel, from Fin, Adam, the drug addict and an unforgettable gangster on a train. All in all, this is a stellar novel that any crime fiction and thriller fan is likely to adore. An absolute must read that comes highly recommended! Many thanks to Random House Vintage for an ARC.

Hooked from the first to the last page, I could not put this book down.
I have been thoroughly entertained for the last few hours. A ROLLERCOASTER from the start and the action, tension and suspense never lets up. Be warned you need to clear your schedule when reading this book. I promise you will not be disappointed.
Really clever story telling. In places I have laughed out loud, been holding my breath and tapping my kindle faster and faster. An easy five stars and so Highly Recommended.
I would like to thank the author, Random House UK and Netgalley for the ARC in return for giving an honest review.

Conviction has one of the most enjoyable and compelling first-person narrators I've read in ages. I love the podcast angle, the relationships between the characters, and the black humour of the protagonist's voice. This is a true page-turner and kept me gripped throughout.

This is a rollercoaster of a book - it sucks you in, throws you around corners at high speed and leaves you dizzy and wrung-out at the end. Denise Mina is a master of her craft and writes with panache, touching on serious issues as well as some humorous moments. The characters are believable and you are swept further into the mystery and mayhem with every page. Diametrically different from any of her previous novels, Conviction is highly recommended.

Scotland’s Denise Mina burnished her ‘Crown Princess of Crime’ reputation with her previous novel, the historic inspired-by-a-true-story tale The Long Drop, wowing readers, critics, and awards judges. After celebrating the twentieth anniversary last year of her striking debut Garnethill, Mina now underlines her versatile talents and doyenne status with a zesty tale imbued with plenty of up-to-the-minute issues.

A sparkling standalone, CONVICTION centers on Glasgow wife and mother Anna McDonald, who lives a fairly domestic existence with her lawyer husband Hamish and two young daughters. She makes lunches, listens to true crime podcasts, and gets the kids ready for school. It’s a life that’s comfortable and feels safe, but that may be what Anna needs given the very public trauma she suffered years before. Now living under a new identity, Anna’s lukewarm reality is upturned in a single day when Hamish leaves her for her best friend, and she learns on her latest podcast that an old acquaintance is dead. Even worse, a powerful woman who made Anna’s past life hell could be involved in some way. Untethered and desperate for a distraction, Anna becomes obsessed with the podcast, and starts picking at the case, finding an unlikely ally in the form of the anorexic ex of her former best friend. Together they follow a trail from the Scottish Highlands to continental Europe, hunting for truth while visiting hideaways of the rich and the wretched and trying to stay ahead of some dangerous people.

There’s a real verve to Mina’s storytelling, which blends gut-punch moments with great characterization, a clever structure, and nice touches of black humor. Conviction is a whirlwind, in the finest way.

What an astonishing book. It starts off with explosive force and doesn’t let up the whole way through.

The mystery of a curiously disengaged woman whose husband leaves her for her best friend, gradually, very gradually, unravels via her obsession with a true crime podcast alongside the arrival of her best friend’s anorexic rock star husband. They set out on a journey together, reluctant travelling companions, and bit by bit, as her link to the podcast becomes apparent, the mystery deepens then begins to reveal itself as their situation becomes ever more perilous.

An absolutely gripping yarn, beautifully told and unputdownable. Lovely writing, great characters, and a great trip through Europe to boot, this is highly recommended.

Anna McDonald and her husband live in Glasgow, Scotland with their two daughters. Anna is not her real name, something bad happened to her relating to a wealthy business woman - Gretchen Teigler. Anna is devastated when her husband Hamish leaves her with her best friend Estelle together with their two girls.
Anna and Fin ( who is Estelle's husband ) investigate the sinking of a wealthy man's yacht, killing him and his two children. Anna has evidence that points to Gretchen Teigler's involvement, however there are people intent on silencing Anna for good!
This is another fast paced thriller from this excellent author. I have read all her works, particularly liking the Paddy Meehan series and also the Alex Morrow books.
Highly recommended, keeps you reading and on the edge of your seat. See my full review on the Euro-Crime website.

Denise Mina's previous book was a true crime story about the Glasgow criminal Peter Manuel. Her latest novel, Conviction, is partly set in Glasgow and features a main character who loves listening to true crime podcasts. This was a fabulous read which kept me enthralled and guessing from start to finish. In addition to the Glasgow location the reader is taken to Ile de Re in France where I shall be travelling this summer and also to Fort William where I spend a week or so every year. Locations were only one of the reasons I found this book so riveting however. The characters, particularly Anna and Fin, are really well crafted and the narrative reveals more about each of them as the story progresses and they find out more about each other. When listening to a true crime podcast Anna hears a familiar name and discovers that someone she once knew has died, with his two children, in suspicious circumstances in a boating tragedy. This coincides with her finding out that her husband has been having an affair with her best friend. Anna's reaction to these two events is to head off to find out what really happened on the boat. She accidentally hooks up on this escapade with Fin, the husband of her best friend, who decides to create a podcast of his own recounting their exploits. The two travel across Scotland, France and Italy, finding themselves in very dangerous situations and eventually solving the mystery. What really makes Conviction stand out is that while being an engaging murder mystery and thriller it is also very funny. I have already recommended Conviction to friends and family and would thoroughly recommend to readers who enjoy thrillers with strong characters and lots of surprises and twists. I received a complimentary ARC of this title from the publisher via Net Galley in return for an honest review.

This is a wonderfully sprawling tale with a twisted plot, most of which would easily feature in today's news headlines. The story opens with Anna McDonald, wife of a well-heeled Glasgow lawyer and mother of two young daughters, listening to a true crime podcast titled "Death and the Dana" as she prepares her daughters'clothes and packed lunches for school.
Suddenly, a name from her past leaps out from the podcast.
A man she knew briefly a decade ago is dead, killed in an explosion aboard a yacht which sank in the Bay of Biscay. With him were his teenage daughter and son. A young woman was arrested for planting explosives on the Dana and is now in prison. As she struggles to take in this news, her best friend Estelle arrives to collect her daughters for the school run - or so Anna thinks. Instead, Anna discovers her husband Hamish is leaving her for good, taking their daughters with him. He and Estelle have had an affair and amid a brief shouting match with Hamish and Estelle, Anna's world falls apart.
With her life seemingly in tatters, she decides to distract herself from her family problems by investigating Leon's death. Then Estelle's husband Fin - a one-time rock star who suffers from anorexia - turns up and the two set off on an incredible journey which first takes them north to Skibo Castle (built by the fabulously wealthy businessman, Andrew Carnegie) then down to London to meet Tina, the broadcaster of the true crime podcast and on to Saint-Martin-de-Ré where the Dana was docked before its' final fateful journey.
From there, she and Fin travel on to Italy and back to France.
Half way through the book, we learn the shocking truth of Anna's past and how her present actions will place her in mortal danger.
Along the way we meet some old friends of hers and more fantastical characters including hired killers and lackeys of the very rich desperate to prevent Anna from discovering the truth about her past and how it affects the present.
This is a wonderfully original crime novel from a writer at the top of her form. It fails to conform to the usual boundaries of crime fiction and in Anna it has a tough female lead character who will have you cheering her on. By turns, darkly comic and heart-wrenchingly sad, this is a terrific read. Highly recommended.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Harvill Secker for a copy of this book in return for an unbiased review.

Love how twisted and messed up this book is, and who do you believe??

This offers a great story with twists and turns throughout!

Conviction by Denise Mina 🖤
Thanks @netgalley @dam7337 and @randomhouse for my ARC
Publication date 16th May 2019
‘A sunken yacht, a Murder onboard and a secret still unsolved’. •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Wow. This is my first book by Denise Mina. It is also one of the best books I’ve ever read. I absolutely loved the way the story was told, such an original and modern way. I don’t want to say too much as it was a pleasant surprise for me and I think that made the book even more special. The story is told by Anna McDonald, who I personally thought was hilariously funny. She was just so honest and candid about her life, she really made the story. The story is dark and at parts pretty bloody scary but just so good. •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
I literally couldn’t put this book down. It was gripping, suspenseful, funny and had a fabulous mystery running throughout. Denise Mina’s writing style is pure genius, there are stories upon stories in one sitting. A true genius in my eyes. Maybe it’s the Glaswegian in me 😊 I can’t wait to read everything else she has written. One of the best Scottish writers out there. Highly, highly recommended xx

Clever, witty and full of twists and turns that keep you guessing, Conviction is narrated by a character that wants to get to the truth of both her own hidden background and a former murder case. The main character is drawn with deft strokes and we are rooting for her right from the start, despite her idiosyncrasies. Mina cleverly uses podcasts as a narrative device, which gives the story an 'of the time' feel. The travel undertaken by the amateur sleuths provides additional interest. I'm a big fan of Mina and love this new departure in her work.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.
Five stars all round

Hell yes!!! All the love for this book.
Anna is an amazing character; she has a tragic back story, one that doesn't define her, but unfortunately dominates her life when her husband deals her a gut wrenching blow at the start of the book. Armed only with her wits, an envelope full of cash, a chic designer ensemble, a hapless male anorexic sidekick and an unerring obsession with a true crime podcast, she sets out to free herself from the ghosts of her past (who have come to shut her up once and for all thanks to a nosy neighbour posting a photo on instagram).
This involves a violent escapade across Europe that had me laughing out loud, cringing and fist punching the air. Seriously, if Anna were real I would be demanding that she comes out for a drink with me. Hopefully it will be a fun night out, not one of those where you end up getting pissed with a mercenary assassin and have to flea to Lyon. !

My huge thanks go to Net Galley and the publishers for the advanced copy in return for an honest review.

I recently went to a talk by Denise Mina at Glasgow University where she mentioned how much she loved podcasts and true crime stories. Well, she has used both to great effect here. Anna McDonald is an ordinary Glaswegian woman, living with partner Hamish and their two children. She and Hamish are not particularly happy and she distracts herself by reading and by listening to true crime podcasts. One morning she is listening to one such podcast when she realises that she knows one of the people featured in it but she barely has time to come to terms with it when the doorbell goes. Her friend Estelle is outside with a suitcase waiting for Hamish. They are going off together and taking the children with them. Devastated, Anna considers killing herself but when Estelle's anorexic husband Fin calls round she decides not to. Together she and Fin go for a drive ending up in the Highlands where Anna's past rears up to meet her with terrifying consequences.

Anyone who has been to a Denise Mina talk knows that she is a warm and witty person and there is plenty of warmth and wit in this book. I have always enjoyed her books but this is exceptional. Farfetched at times, yes, but who cares. It's great!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

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.