Conviction: A Reese Witherspoon x Hello Sunshine Book Club Pick

Product Information

A twisting, darkly comic, thrill-a-minute ride across Europe. If you loved Killing Eve, you'll devour Conviction Erin Kelly, author of HE SAID/SHE SAID An original idea carried out well. Mina’s storytelling is always vivid and exciting, and Anna is a complex, well-rounded figure Jeff Noon, Spectator

I enjoyed the story for the most part, despite my frustration with the main character’s refusal to be honest. And given what I’ve learned so far, i just can’t understand it. I enjoyed the inclusion of a podcast as part of the story, but even that is a little ridiculous. It would be the shortest podcast ever made, and for what purpose? Maybe it gets explained later, which would make it worthwhile. A twisting, darkly comic, thrill-a-minute ride across Europe. If you loved Killing Eve, you'll devour Conviction" -- Erin Kelly Denise Mina was born in East Kilbride in 1966. Her father worked as an engineer. Because of his work, the family moved 21 times in 18 years: from Paris to The Hague, London, Scotland and Bergen; she has also professed an affection for Rutherglen, her mother's home town. [4] Mina left school at 16 and worked in a variety of jobs, including as a kitchen porter, a cook and behind a bar. She also worked for a time in a meat-processing factory. In her twenties she worked in auxiliary nursing for geriatric and terminal care patients, before returning to education and earning a law degree from Glasgow University. [5] Conviction is a wholly different type of novel in the suspense genre. My favorite parts of this book are the interactions between the characters (Anna, Fin and another character named Adam) v. the chapters featuring the actual podcasts (which I think are on the slower side). What I find intriguing is how the author, Denise Mina, intertwines the storylines – which at first, seem quite impossible and then, well, are absolutely seamless.Released, Watt decided to investigate the murders himself and put out the word that he would pay for information. Peter Manuel came forward and the two men met for a drink in Glasgow. They spent eleven hours together, drinking, driving, talking.The next time they met was in the High Court in Glasgow, where Manuel was accused of those murders and many others.

Dark, gritty and chilling, it is steeped in the atmosphere and mores of Glasgow in the 1950s ChoiceNot a single word is wasted in this beautifully written novel. Unsettling, evocative and staggeringly good, it is possibly Mina's finest achievement" * Daily Express *

Returning to it I have finished it in less than 48 hours. It gathers a pace that is unrelenting. The mystery is one you want to see resolved, as you sense the growing threat to Anna and Fin. You fear for their safety and the menace of being followed unravels all Anna’s previous paranoia and fear. That Fin appears oblivious to these dangers is initially understandable but his naivety you fear may get them killed. It was while researching a PhD thesis on the ascription of mental illness to female offenders, and teaching criminology and criminal law at Strathclyde University in the 1990s, that she decided to write her first novel Garnethill, published in 1998 by Transworld. Not a single word is wasted in this beautifully written novel. Unsettling, evocative and staggeringly good, it is possibly Mina’s finest achievement Daily Express True crime stories always have two versions: the official verdict and the story people tell each other. Sometimes the difference is staggering. I can’t give this one star because the hours it kept me glued and entertained in the first half didn’t seem to warrant quite that rating. But if you ask me, well, better skip this one then.

Reader Reviews

The Long Drop is an extraordinarily unsettling, evocative and compelling novel Laura James, AGA Magazine 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. The use of social media is also very cleverly interwoven into Anna’s exposure but also as a means to find out what happened on the Dana - the subject of the podcast Anna initially listens to at home.

The idea of introducing most of the initial plot through a podcast was such a great way to hook the reader in, all the information is told in manageable bitesize chunks as Anna listens to each episode. Her life is broken, her identity compromised and a podcast she listens to further awakens her past. Denise Mina is always brilliant, but Conviction is I think her best yet – joyously dark, comic, loads of fun Alison Flood, Observer, *Books of the Year* Such a busy involved plot. I found the story within a story, the podcast more interesting. Indeed this is the mystery she becomes preoccupied with that gives her some drive to do more than just try to re-invent herself again. On the 19th of September 1956 Peter Manuel broke into a suburban villa in Glasgow and shot three women in their beds. Then he made himself a ham sandwich.

Media Reviews

I love Glasgow,” she says firmly, before qualifying: “But I’m not from here. I live here and I observe here, but I don’t feel Glaswegian.” Misusing her grant she stayed at home and wrote a novel, 'Garnethill' when she was supposed to be studying instead. But Anna and Finn are looking for her because they kind of know who she is. [Anna, Finn and the missing girl] are part of that small community of makers creating stories in new ways and putting them on the internet, not necessarily making a living but finding their way through new media. The story is quite fractured; almost all crime stories have two stories that run parallel to each other. What I was trying to do is take those stories apart and make them more distinct. And I think that’s why people are reading it as a meta story. I recommend Denise Mina a lot to people who are looking for a strong, reliable crime author to add to their reading. CONVICTION is a strong standalone with a tough female protagonist and a super twisty European spree of a plot, I think it's a good place to start if you haven't read her before. 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.