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Critics' Opinion:
Readers' Opinion:
First Published:
Jun 2019, 384 pages
Paperback:
Apr 2020, 384 pages
Book Reviewed by:
Kim Kovacs
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The captivating, utterly unforgettable new thriller for fans of Killing Eve and The Woman in the Window: A true-crime podcast sets a housewife's present life on a collision course with her secret past.
The day Anna McDonald's quiet, respectable life explodes starts 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 in hot pursuit. Convinced she has no other options, she goes on the run, and in pursuit of the truth, with a washed-up musician at her side and the podcast as her guide.
Excerpt
Conviction
The day my life exploded started well.
It was early morning in November and I woke up without the use of an alarm clock. I was pleased about that. It was a concession to our couples counselling: I wouldn't wake Hamish at six with my alarm clock and he wouldn't play Candy Crush on his phone all evening while ignoring the children.
I was looking forward to my day. I had a new true-crime podcast series waiting on my phone and I'd heard good things about it. I planned to listen to the first episode, get a taste for the story before I woke the kids for school, and then binge on it while I trawled through a day of menial tasks. A good podcast can add a glorious multi-world texture to anything. I've resisted an Assyrian invasion while picking up dry-cleaning. I've seen justice served on a vicious murderer while buying underpants.
I lay in bed savouring the anticipation, watching light from the street ripple across the ceiling, listening as the heating kicked on and the ...
A light, entertaining read that would likely appeal to fans of thrillers, particularly those who prefer strong, interesting female protagonists...continued
Full Review
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(Reviewed by Kim Kovacs).
A.J. Finn, author of The Woman in the Window
You finish a Denise Mina novel feeling enriched and enhanced, as though you'd just discovered some new virtue within yourself, some new inspiration. Conviction is her finest work to date: a dark star of a novel, blazingly intense, up-to-the-minute fresh, and exciting as all hell. Yet again, I'm astounded. Kellye Garrett, author of Hollywood Homicide
With Conviction, Denise Mina has crafted a perfect puzzle, one that when pieced together shows a compelling and sharply funny picture of the darker side of fame, fortune, and today's social media-obsessed culture. The final product is as utterly enjoyable as it is timely. I couldn't put it down.
The action in Denise Mina's novel Conviction is set in motion when the protagonist listens to a true-crime podcast.
Serial audio broadcasts have existed for more than a century; many of us remember gathering around our radios each week to listen to favorite shows, or remember parents or grandparents doing so. In many ways listening to podcasts is a similar experience – they're basically audio shows which can be downloaded to portable devices and be heard on-demand.
The idea first arose at a meeting in 2000 between MTV video jockey Adam Curry and his friend Dave Winer. Curry was looking for a way to distribute video across the Internet but Winer dissuaded him; at the time (pre-broadband) it would take longer to download a video...
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