Conviction by Denise Mina

‘Conviction’ is the latest book by Denise Mina and has been selected as a Reese Witherspoon Club Pick for 2020.

It’s just a normal morning for Anna McDonald. Gym kits, packed lunches, getting everyone up and ready. Until she opens the front door to her best friend, Estelle. Anna turns to see her own husband at the top of the stairs, suitcase in hand. They’re leaving together and they’re taking Anna’s two daughters with them. Left alone in the big, dark house, Anna can’t think, she can’t take it in. With her safe, predictable world shattered, she distracts herself with a story: a true-crime podcast. There’s a sunken yacht in the Mediterranean, multiple murders and a hint of power and corruption. Then Anna realises she knew one of the victims in another life. She is convinced she knows what happened. Her past, so carefully hidden until now, will no longer stay silent. This is a murder she can’t ignore, and she throws herself into investigating the case. But little does she know, her past and present lives are about to collide, sending everything she has worked so hard to achieve into freefall.

Having been recently selected for Reese Witherspoon’s Book Club, I was eager to delve into Denise’s latest book and see for myself the hype about the book.

The story is primarily seen through the narrative of Anna McDonald on the day that two major things happens, her husband leaves her for her best friend and an old friend has been killed in a possible triple murder on a boat that is regarded as deeply unlucky.

Shocked with both discoveries, Anna finds herself having to run for her life when her past comes back to haunt her with the help of an anorexic musician/celebrity who decides that now is the time to document their own investigation into the death of Leon Parker and his children.

I devoured this book, Anna is a fascinating characters, she’s volatile, outspoken and is determined to find from her past whilst looking for the truth. She’s relatable in a way, that she doesn’t let others walk over her and even though she is a hiding with celebrity called Fin Cohen, she’s never starstruck and is quick to voice her opinions. I loved the interaction with the pair of them, Fin is timid, withdrawn and struggling with his disorder whilst Anna is quick to tell him to eat up or shut up. In this pacy thriller, interactions between the pair inject some humour into the story and extracts from the podcast really inject mystery into the story as well.

The story is original, quick witted with a ballsy lead riddled with drama and suspense throughout. With a slick plot, intriguing characters and the perfect murder mystery, ‘Conviction’ is a fast paced and atmospheric story from the first page that made for thrilling and entertaining reading.

You can buy ‘Conviction’ from Amazon and is also available to buy from good bookshops.