Publication Date: 11 January 2018
Publisher: Quercus
Pages: 400
Genre: Thriller/Mystery
Late one night a man walks into the luxurious home of disgraced banker Harry McNamara and his wife Julie. The man launches an unspeakably brutal attack on Harry as a horror-struck Julie watches, frozen by fear.
Just an hour later the attacker, JP Carney, has handed himself in to the police. He confesses to beating Harry to death, but JP claims that the assault was not premeditated and that he didn’t know the identity of his victim. With a man as notorious as Harry McNamara, the detectives cannot help wondering, was this really a random act of violence or is it linked to one of Harry’s many sins: corruption, greed, betrayal?
This gripping psychological thriller will have you questioning, who – of Harry, Julie and JP – is really the guilty one? And is Carney’s surrender driven by a guilty conscience or is his confession a calculated move in a deadly game?
ReviewThis book is a thriller told in the perspectives of three characters. There is the wife, the attacker of the wife’s husband, and the detective. It was great to see the points of view of all of these characters and what their motives and thoughts were.
Everything comes together in an interesting way. Nothing was overly overwhelming or shocking, but there was something realistic about the events. A lot of the story also feels like a contemporary, and for that I was not overly horrified by anything that took place. There were not many thrilling events in the beginning. I did like the opening chapter, as it was a great chapter to open with.
I did not really enjoy the plot. The writing included a lot of backstory and it made everything progress at a slow pace. There was also a lot of internal dialogue, which made me feel less connected the story. I think the story would have been easier to follow if it focused more on the present rather than telling the readers what the characters were like in the past.
One of the character’s, JP, was difficult to read from. I found that I didn’t care about him or his story and occasionally skipped over his parts. The other two character’s, Julie and Alice, were a little more interesting, but due to the way this book was written it was hard for me to pay attention.
The twist at the end was interesting. I was not really expecting it and it was intriguing that there was a lot of extra things going on behind the initial simplicity of what happened with JP and Harry.
Unfortunately, I did not really enjoy this novel. I seem to be in the minority, so still give it a go if the premise interests you. I would recommend this book to thriller fans who do not want something too horrifying.
Thank you to Quercus for the advanced reader copy that I received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
See The Confession by Jo Spain on Goodreads and purchase through Book Depository*.
*This is an affiliate link, which means I get a small commission if you purchase something using the link provided.
Advertisements Share this:
