A most enjoyable read. This book gaps you from the very first page, and the suspense continues through to the very last page. Well written, great characters good plot. Recommended five stars.

Usually you have to figure out who did it, but this book makes you think why and not who. Very well written and keeps you gripped.

There is a very graphic start to this book as disgraced banker Harry is brutally attacked in his own home in front of his wife as they are watching TV one night. The reader is immediately drawn into the lives of Harry, Julie and the attacker who claims to have no particular reason for the attack; to not know who Harry even is. As the story unfolds and the corrosive nature of Julie and Harry's relationship is revealed, the tension ramps. Meanwhile, Harry's attacker, JP Carney has his own story to tell. and it's in stark contrast to the privilege that Harry and Julie have known.

Despite the violence, Carney is the most endearing character and as we hear his story, it becomes apparent that there may well be a link betwee him and the butchered Harry; that he knows exactly who Julie and Harry are and that he is far from the bewildered charater with diminished responsibility that he's thought to be.

I was expecting a police procedural in this book, so I was a little disappointed to find that this wasn't the case. Although the characters were really well drawn, especially Carney and his tender treatment of his sister, I did find the pace a bit plodding at times, but there is a clever twist at the end.

Pull up a chair and enjoy this really good 'whydunit', It's a cracking yarn, told with dark Irish humour and style, of a man breaking into a house and murdering another man in front of his wife. The rest of the book is told from various perspectives and follows the police detective (great character, Alice), the wife and the murderer. It's a story well told and which kept good pace.
I found it flowed well and would read this author again.
Many thanks to netgalley and Quercus books for the opportunity to preview this book.

I really enjoyed this book. The story starts with a man entering a house and beating another man with a golf club in front of his wife. The man then walks in to the police station and hands himself in. He claims that he had a psychotic episode and that the attack was completely random. The story tells of the lives of the 3 people involved and the link is finally revealed. I read this in a day - it's a real page turner! Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.
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You find out on the very first page who did it… you’ll find out on the last page why’

Oh my giddy eye! What a rip-roaring, page turning, explosive first stand alone novel from the Irish Queen of Crime herself, Joanne Spain. From the second you stick your head into this book, you will forget all chores that need to be done, and you might even forget to breathe, as I had to remind myself to do many a time!

Late one night JP Carney confesses to walking into the luxurious home of disgraced banker, Harry, and his wife, Julie McNamara, and rather graphically attacking him whilst she just watches on completely frozen. Julie’s state of mind at the time will certainly come back to haunt her – could she have done more to help?!

The set up of the novel is intriguing – we are thrown straight into the scene of the crime, and then Jo Spain meticulously peels away, layer by layer, the reason why this attack happened. The way Jo develops her characters mentally is cracking, we learn more and more from each of them, and their many hidden secrets. This is intelligent writing; you can’t help but be pulled into each character’s back-story and remain interested throughout. What is JP’s reason behind attacking Harry, and why confess?! Even Julie was mystified by the whole situation to a certain extent… although what is she hiding?

Harry is certainly not whiter than white so I am not surprised his end has come so soon – could his past have finally caught up with him?!

Something is going on here… nothing is as it seems… this twisted thrill-lit will keep you entertained throughout the night! It is certainly one to watch.

Thank you so much to Hannah at Quercus for sending me a copy last year in return for a review. Having loved Jo’s ‘Tom Reynolds series’, I couldn’t wait to dip my toe into this one to see if she could live up to my expectations – and she certainly has, and more!

‘The Confession’ is out this Thursday so head to your local bookshop then, or preorder online now!

So the write up for this looked interesting when I skimmed it. I requested it, read some other books, then picked it on my reading list without remembering what it was about exactly, and man oh man, that was just so worth it. I was so hooked on this book and just wanted to know what was going on every step of the way. I wanted answers!

Spain sets up the story really well. We get this brutal crime, and from there we get three people reconstructing the story for us, from their own perspective. We read about JP from when he was a child and how his upbringing was, and it is quite something to read. Then there is Julie telling us about her marriage to her husband, the man so brutally and senselessly attacked by JP, and finally there is Alice, relentlessly pursuing the truth, desperately clawing at the crime to see how it all fits.

So the story is told in those three fragmented parts, each contributing to the story every step of the way. It is easy to pick up where you left off, as well as to see which character’s section you are reading, which is dead helpful. I appreciated how you never really get a sense of who has done what, and who is innocent, and who is wrong. Each character has their own reasons, their own flaws, their own idiosyncrasies, and the book blends them and blurs them all so well that you are on the fence the whole time, commiserating with a character one moment and condemning them the next.

Something that did irritate me endlessly, however, was the constant referencing of Julie’s tits. Not breasts, not ample chest, but tits, and this point was hammered in, as though this character was definitely purely by her tits. I don’t know, it got old and annoying really quickly, and just felt out of place in this the whole time.

The Confession is written well and flows, you just breeze through it, and just want to know what is going on because the pacing, too, is spot on. Not too much information too quickly, not too little too slowly, so you get just the right amount of satisfaction to keep you going back for more and more. I could highly recommend this read, and have no regrets for checking it out. I had an absolute blast with it, and found it super entertaining.

Really liked this book. Very well written and gripping throughout. I’d never have guessed the outcome. Will be reading more from this author.

The Confession put me in mind of a TV series from a while back entitled ‘Motive’. More of a whydunit - the victim and perpetrator revealed right at the get-go.

Here we have just that. JP Carney walks into the home of Harry McNamara and his wife Julie and brutally batters him with a golf club, whilst Julie watches in horror. An hour later Carney hands himself into the Garda and confesses his crime. Is this a calculated move by Carney? He claims he did not know the victim or why he did what he did.

The Confession is a very clever psychological thriller, written back-to-front as it were. Harry McNamara is very rich, a disgraced banker with a history of corruption and greed. But is there more to his past? Is there a link between Carney’s act of violence and McNamara’s history?

As the plot slowly unravels we begin to wonder who is the guilty party; did Harry deserve his demise? Is Julie part of a greater conspiracy?

Beautifully crafted by Jo Spain who holds us in suspense right to the end.

A great read.

This is one of them novels that has ALL the hype and it is totally and utterly deserved!
As you read the novel your opinions on the individual characters change with every chapter! At times you loathe them and at times you have so much empathy for their plights! I didn’t know if I was coming or going, with regards to the characters, but they are so engrossing, they read right up until the very last page………….

The novel opens with the scene of a barbaric and violent assault on Harry McNamara. As the reader, the scene instantly conjures up a million questions! Why did the killer strike at Harry? What is the motive? Who is the killer?

The pace of the novel then slows a little, as it details the life story of Harry and wife Julie. How they came to be married, what has occurred in Harry’s career and ultimately, why someone may hate him enough, to take a golf club to his head!!!!!

On the other side of the Irish town John Paul Carney (JP) hands him into the police station. He confesses to the crime of murder and the detectives are left baffled at to the reasoning. JP claims to have no vivid memory of the assault and admits that he simply ‘lost it’. But why what is JP’s link to Harry? Why target Harry? One thing is for certain, this was no random attack……..

The novel then details JP’s early life from childhood to adulthood. The poverty, abuse and mistreatment he has endured is laid bare, for all to see. Yet he still sticks to his original story. This continues to frustrate and rile DS Alice Moody, as she becomes convinced of a connection. Does an abusive childhood nurture a future killer?

“Seamie was a shit dad, but everyone knew the system was a cesspit for kids” – JP

JP’s internal dialogue continues to have the reader engaging with his personal story. I started to warm to his character and almost became defensive of this violent killer!!!

“What mad me this way?
I don’t know. Can you ever really know why you are the way you are?” JP

This novel has it all revenge, betrayal, loyalty, honour and unbreakable bonds. With a toxic marriage at its core, I was absolutely hooked on the blame triangle between Harry, Julie and JP.
If you are a fan of the psychological/thriller genre, then you will LOVE this novel! 5*

“Everything about that night had fate, written all over it”

I thought I’d worked out where this book was going but I was wrong footed many times. A very well written story which grabbed me from the beginning and didn’t let me go until I had found out why, which cleverly wasn’t revealed until the end. Great writing

A really great read, lots of twists and turns coming to a satisfactory conclusion

Many Thanks to netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.

What an excellent read!
Harry and Julie have the perfect life, plenty of money, a nice house and a good relationship. So why does someone beat Harry nearly to death right in front of Julie? And then instantly confess to his crime?

The story starts out with quite a graphic description of events. The reader is given the culprit in the very beginning. So I wasn't sure if this was going to keep my attention but it certainly did!

You are given the story from the perspective of the victims wife, the offender and the detective investigating the case. I think the three completely different views were really interesting. I thought the author even used language that made me believe I was reading a different person each time. This was really effective.

I thought I had guessed the reason but I hadn't! It keeps you wondering until near the end when everything is wrapped up nicely.

My thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read what I considered was a nicely woven story which kept me reading and interested until the end. JP, Julie and Harry's life and thoughts are 'aired' for the reader to examine and contemplate following what first appeared to be a senseless and brutal attack on Harry. As the case goes 'cold' the dogged DS Alice hangs onto her last opportunity to gain a motive for the attack on Harry to obtain justice. Good twists and not quite the ending many might have imagined. Maybe not a conventional book but certainly very enjoyable, which is what good storytelling should be about. - Eddy Weatherill

This book was slightly predictable in my opinion but it was an easy poolside read I think

I was intrigued by the blurb for this book. A compelling read which gave no indication as to how it was going to end. The unravelling of the story made great reading
New author to me and will certainly look out for more books by Jo Spain.

Great psychological thriller, where every one involved has so many dark secrets that unfold slowly to reveal connections to each other. Highly recommend.

I was completely drawn into this book in the first couple of chapters which is always a good sign. I did however find the back story a little slow out and felt that it could have moved forward at a slightly quicker speed. A very clever story with lots of surprises.

A great read, very well written, could not put it down.

This is a brilliant multiple character viewpoint novel about the dangers, delight and drama that is brought about by co-dependancy. Sensitively written - it is a brave attempt to tackle many subjects that are often brushed over or avoided altogether in contemporary fiction.