Conviction
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4.1 • 856 Ratings
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- $1.99
Publisher Description
A true crime podcast sets a trophy wife's present life on a collision course with her secret past in this "blazingly intense" Reese Witherspoon book club pick and New York Times Best Crime Novel of the Year (A. J. Finn).
The day Anna McDonald's quiet, respectable life exploded started off like all the days before: Packing up the kids for school, making breakfast, listening to yet another true crime podcast. Then her husband comes downstairs with an announcement, and Anna is suddenly, shockingly alone.
Reeling, desperate for distraction, Anna returns to the podcast. Other people's problems are much better than one's own -- a sunken yacht, a murdered family, a hint of international conspiracy. But this case actually is Anna's problem. She knows one of the victims from an earlier life, a life she's taken great pains to leave behind. And she is convinced that she knows what really happened.
Then an unexpected visitor arrives on her front stoop, a meddling neighbor intervenes, and life as Anna knows it is well and truly over. The devils of her past are awakened -- and they're in hot pursuit. Convinced she has no other options, Anna goes on the run, and in pursuit of the truth, with a washed-up musician at her side and the podcast as her guide.
Conviction is "daredevil storytelling at its finest" (NPR's Fresh Air), a breathtaking thriller from one of the most "superbly talented" writers of our time (Hank Phillippi Ryan, bestselling author of Trust Me).
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
The mystery at the heart of Conviction unspools in mesmerizing slo-mo, even as its protagonist’s life unravels at warp speed. On the same day that her marriage disintegrates, Anna discovers an unsettling fact about an old friend while listening to a true-crime podcast. Convinced that the show has gotten things wrong, Anna embarks on a dangerous adventure to confront her troubled past—with an anorexic, washed-up rock star in tow. If Denise Mina’s thriller sounds a little bonkers, that’s because it is. But this unconventional whodunit feels perfect for the age of Reddit theories and Twitter hashtags—and is as bingeable as your favorite podcast.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Anna McDonald, the heroine of this spellbinding thriller from Edgar finalist Mina (The Long Drop), fled her personal problems in London and started over in Glasgow nine years earlier. She's now engrossed in true-crime podcasts such as Death and the Dana, about a murdered family, a sunken yacht named the Dana, and a wrongful conviction. After Anna's partner, Hamish, runs away with her best friend, Estelle, she and Estelle's despondent husband, anorexic former rock star Fin Cohen, embark on a road trip, bingeing Death and the Dana while investigating its claims. Anna soon discovers that she has multiple ties to the tale. When a picture of her and Fin goes viral on social media, dangerous figures from Anna's past get on their trail. The mysteries of Anna's tragic history and the Dana's true fate unfold in tandem, with podcast transcripts peppering the colorful narrative. Anna and Fin alternately bolster and antagonize one another, balancing introspections on modern life and human nature with laugh-out-loud humor. Mina delivers a metafictional marvel that both endorses and exemplifies the power of storytelling.
Customer Reviews
Took a Chance
I’ve never read this author and took a chance. I don’t regret it one bit! I really enjoyed the expressive writing and I could see all of the places she took us to. I could feel the tension and excitement. Highly enjoyable.
This will become an HBO show
Or it should! I loved the characters, the constant plot movement, and fans of true crime and true crime podcasts will love this
A dark story
This book is dark, talks of demons, the occult and seances…several political statements as well.
Unfortunately I stopped reading about 20% of the way in.