Thrillers & Suspense
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Conviction
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).
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).
Editorial Reviews
"Endlessly surprising... This incredible novel...seems to have been written in a white-hot rage.... Mina has always written with a head full of ideas and a mouth full of tough talk. Here, she's finally got a story big enough to hold it all together."―Marilyn Stasio, New York Times Book Review -- Editors' Pick
"Daredevil storytelling at its finest . . . Offers plot twists and zig-zags that take readers on a wild ride. . . . A giddy celebration of the art of storytelling itself."―Fresh Air
"BOOK OF THE WEEK: Mina, queen of the Scottish crime novel, is in stellar form here."―People
"Conviction combines all [Mina's] gifts -- for suspense, humor, menace, sentiment -- in spectacular fashion."―Tom Nolan, Wall Street Journal
"A page-turner with depth and soul."―O, the Oprah Magazine
"Spectacular. If you, dear reader, can sanely spread your enjoyment of it out over, say, a week, you're a more disciplined consumer of suspense fiction than I am. I inhaled this novel in two extended sittings in one day."―Maureen Corrigan, The Washington Post
"Conviction feels as fresh as a fall breeze... I sat up VERY late reading this one, dazzled by how effortlessly Mina spun a complex web."―Moira Macdonald, Seattle Times
"[An] edgy but humorous crime novel."―Christian Science Monitor
"A wonderful mystery... Mina captures the podcast vibe with precision, even down to the annoyingly repetitive ads from sponsors, and the medium's aficionados are sure to love this twist on a standard thriller."―Shelf Awareness
"One of the most talented, most daring, most humane writers of the past twenty years, an artist whose thrillers double as bracing moral inquiries. 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."―A.J. Finn, author of The Woman in the Window
"Such a delight: playful, fast-paced, and entirely compulsive."―Ann Cleeves, author of the bestselling Shetland series
"Conviction is mesmerizing: a tightly woven thriller that deftly combines psychological suspense with dark humor and international intrigue. Once I started reading, I didn't want to stop. If you haven't read Denise Mina yet, you should, and this is the place to start."―Alafair Burke, New York Times bestselling author of...
"Daredevil storytelling at its finest . . . Offers plot twists and zig-zags that take readers on a wild ride. . . . A giddy celebration of the art of storytelling itself."―Fresh Air
"BOOK OF THE WEEK: Mina, queen of the Scottish crime novel, is in stellar form here."―People
"Conviction combines all [Mina's] gifts -- for suspense, humor, menace, sentiment -- in spectacular fashion."―Tom Nolan, Wall Street Journal
"A page-turner with depth and soul."―O, the Oprah Magazine
"Spectacular. If you, dear reader, can sanely spread your enjoyment of it out over, say, a week, you're a more disciplined consumer of suspense fiction than I am. I inhaled this novel in two extended sittings in one day."―Maureen Corrigan, The Washington Post
"Conviction feels as fresh as a fall breeze... I sat up VERY late reading this one, dazzled by how effortlessly Mina spun a complex web."―Moira Macdonald, Seattle Times
"[An] edgy but humorous crime novel."―Christian Science Monitor
"A wonderful mystery... Mina captures the podcast vibe with precision, even down to the annoyingly repetitive ads from sponsors, and the medium's aficionados are sure to love this twist on a standard thriller."―Shelf Awareness
"One of the most talented, most daring, most humane writers of the past twenty years, an artist whose thrillers double as bracing moral inquiries. 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."―A.J. Finn, author of The Woman in the Window
"Such a delight: playful, fast-paced, and entirely compulsive."―Ann Cleeves, author of the bestselling Shetland series
"Conviction is mesmerizing: a tightly woven thriller that deftly combines psychological suspense with dark humor and international intrigue. Once I started reading, I didn't want to stop. If you haven't read Denise Mina yet, you should, and this is the place to start."―Alafair Burke, New York Times bestselling author of...
Readers Top Reviews
WendyMpaul 4 jagsRon
I hate giving up on any book but I just can't seem to get into this at all. I find it a bit confusing. The main character is odd. There seems to be 3 threads or 'stories' running through it, a past event that, unless I've fallen asleep and missed something, isn't explained at all or not very clearly at the start of the book, the second event - break up of a marriage and the third, the character obsessed about the sinking of a ship and the death of an old friend. Finally, more than a third of the way through I had to admit defeat. Sorry, but it just wasn't for me.
KasaC
A great standalone from one of my favorite crime writers who brings so much wisdom, humor, and here, an exceptionally unusually thrilling plotline. Read in two sittings, it was THAT good.
Zubs
A wonderful writer and a great, unusual story. I highly recommend this, as well as the rest of her books. It's been awhile since I enjoyed a novel this much.
carin ryanLab Lady
denise Mina one of my favorites however this one CONVICTION was tedious. Made myself read through. Nothing was cohesive or,for that matter, remotely interesting. Cared not for any character and found I glanced through pages. What happened Denise.
FormerMiller
Wow! Denise Mina is one of my favorite writers and I’ve read all of her books (the Alex Morrow series is my favorite). This is a stand-alone, and it is awesome. Other reviewers have described the plot, but it’s hard to describe just how thrilling it is. You will not be disappointed.
