A review by catherine_t
Conviction by Denise Mina

dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Anna McDonald's quiet, respectable life blows up spectacularly when her husband announces he's leaving her for her best friend Estelle. Stunned and grieving, Anna turns to other people's problems, in the form of a true-crime podcast... only it turns out that this particular other person is known to her. She met Leon Parker years earlier, when he was a guest at the hotel where she worked. Now she learns that he died on his yacht with his two children, Violetta and Mark.

Then Fin, Estelle's husband, shows up, and a meddling neighbour interferes, and suddenly Anna's past is roaring back like an express train. She and Fin find themselves on the run, whilst simultaneously investigating Leon's death and podcasting about it.

This was my first Denise Mina, but it won't be my last. I was hooked from the beginning. I loved the whole premise. I thought the characters were great: Anna especially really leapt off the page, but all the characters were exceptional. And I totally didn't expect the twist at the end, even though, in retrospect, all the clues were there. Highly recommended.


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