I'm not sure where to start. I didn't like the way the chapters were laid out or the way it jumps from 1st person speech to 2nd/3rd, for me, that was confusing... along with the the jumps in the scenes. One minute you're in the present, the next your in the past with no warning. You don't actually get a chance to learn the characters, remember them, before it jumps into their part.

The story certainly looked promising from the blurb and the cover, and I was really excited to start reading it. I'm disappointed I didn't get along with it, nor with some of the words used that I didn't recognise (I had to look them up, and I don't usually have to do that.) Also, I found the writing style way too formal for the subject and it was difficult. I felt quite disconnected from not just the characters but the actual story itself.

I won't be leaving my review on amazon

This book grabbed me from the very first page. It is not for the faint hearted as it starts with a brutal attack on a man in his own home. The story then unfolds by the author telling the tale from the various characters standpoints. Set in Ireland it uses the economic times and unrest in the banking sector as a backdrop to a very human and unsettling story line. You are never sure where your sympathies should lie as each character has good and bad traits. John Paul is the man who attacks Harry McNamara so brutally at the start of the story and you then begin to find out the reasons behind the attack, which at first appears to be random but is, in fact, anything but. You find out the background behind Harry and his wife Julie and the background behind John Paul and his very difficult childhood with his drunken father and his younger sister, Charlie. A must read.

Wow!!!
If you want edge of your seat, holding your breath, full on thriller...you picked the right book.

A man walks into your home, he attacks your husband in front of you then whispers something in his ear and calmly walks away.....The reasons why come later, but were they the right reasons?
Incredible book, I loved it

I haven't read any of Jo Spain's books before but was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed The Confession. An unusual concept as you know who did it from the first page but not why they did it. Extremely absorbing and the tension builds until the final chapter when the truth is revealed.

A shocking event precedes this story . Julie couldn't believe her luck when Harry Macnamara singled her out and pursued her. He was also pursuing wealth and prepared to take risks for it. These risks caught up with him and Julie realises the man she idolises has feet of clay. Did Harry finally get what he deserved? We are kept waiting to finally understand the title.
How the story unfolds and reading how the characters finally relate to each other was what kept me turning the pages.

I have mixed feelings about this one. The prologue was brilliant - violent and breathtaking, reminding me a bit of Jess Kidd’s prologue to Himself - and it started well with lots of elements that promised to be gripping but ultimately I felt it lost its momentum from about half way through and kind of limped to an unsatisfactory conclusion. There were some great characters and, surprisingly, a lot of humour and I began thinking it was a rather marvellous mix of Clare Mackintosh with a dose of Marian Keyes, which really piqued my interest - but the police element (which Clare Mackintosh does so well) ended up feeling a bit shoe-horned in and underdeveloped and it all felt less and less suspenseful. I enjoyed the writing, the setting and the Irish financial crisis as background but I would have preferred it to be darker and more character-driven. Not a terrible book by any means and I absolutely wanted to keep reading it, I just hoped for a bit more from it so ended up feeling slightly disappointed.

Great plot. I really enjoyed all the twists and turns which Jo created. Well written and I felt I got to know and understand the characters well. They had different story lines but they came together well.
Great book to keep someone happy and contented in front of the fire.

This is a bestseller In the making. It twists and turns, it keeps you enthralled one of the best psychological dramas I have read. Better then Girl on the Train. When is the movie out? This s N author to follow.

This is a very clever and well thought out psychological thriller. With moral dilemmas and what is ‘justice and what is evil. ‘ conundrums to think about.
The ending is very clever and you don’t know what will happen next, until right at the end of the story.
I will read more books by this author and would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good read.
Highly recommended.

This was a very clever book, but not a who done it as you know who did. Felt sorry for JP he never really stood a chance. Am sure this book does explain some of bankers lives. Hope the author will write another book with such description on another subject.
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I read this is one sitting. Utterly gripping. . I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend. Thank you.

Not many books will get down to the action as quickly as The Confession. A brutal attack on one of Ireland’s most successful bankers is vividly described in the opening chapter of Jo Spain’s superb new novel.

JP Carney walks into the home of Harry and Julie McNamara and beats Harry with a golf club as Julie sits watching, frozen in fear and unable to help her husband. It is graphic, it is shocking and it makes you want to read on – what could possibly have led to this?

Knowing Harry will suffer at the hands of Carney the author takes us into the lives of Julie, JP Carney and investigating police office – Alice Moody. We are taken back in time to when Julie first met Harry and we are given a good look at Carney and the tough upbringing he had to endure and the strong bond he formed with his younger sister. As the story unfolds we get to understand more about Carney but it remains unclear why he may have walked into a strangers home and attacked the homeowner. But is Harry McNamara a stranger to JP Carney?

We also follow Julie’s history. Her chance meeting with Harry and the fairy-tale romance as she is courted by one of the most successful (and rich) bankers in Ireland. Once again, as the story unfolds, we see Julie open up more about her relationship with Harry and the pressures and self doubts as she tries to remain Julie rather than Mrs McNamara.

The real-time investigations are being conducted by Alice Moody, my favourite character in The Confession. She cannot accept Carney’s assertion that he has no knowledge of Harry McNamara and that his house was picked at random. Moody will drive the story as she pushes to get to the bottom of Carney’s seemingly random attack and she believes that the McNamara’s may have somehow brought Carney into their lives – even if they don’t know why.

The reason The Confession worked so well for me was the characters driving the story. It is all about the people and how they faced up to several key moments in their lives – all bringing them to a critical point when a seemingly random act of violence will change everything forever.

Wonderfully written and deeply compelling.

The Confession by Jo Spain

JP Carney, walks into the home of Harry & Julie McNamara and brutally attacks Harry, he then hands himself into the Police. What has provoked this attack?

Jo Spain cleverly examines the events in the lives of the characters involved, leading up to the attack. The book is brilliantly and originally plotted, with lots of twist and turns before you eventually find the motive. More of a why dunnit, than a who dunnit! All in all, a brilliant psychological thriller that is well worth the read.

It’s an interesting concept – to begin a book with the crime and confession. Narrated by Julie, JP and DS Moody, the author allows us to unravel the circumstances leading up to one fateful night. My interest began to wane as the story became bogged down with too many unnecessary details, especially when it came to the recounting DS Moody. I didn't feel her contribution to the story added much value to the plot as a whole. Fortunately, my interest did pick up again towards the finale, only to be left with a conclusion that was a little hard to believe.

Overall this was a good story, covering the topics of dysfunctional families; alcoholism; mental health and depression; murder; greed, power and control. Unfortunately I expected to enjoy this more than I actually did. It's a decent enough way to pass the time but I wasn't as gripped as I anticipated.

A dark and twisted thriller, this book hooked me from the get go and kept me guessing until the very end. There are cliff hanger chapters that leave you wanting more and the story is teased in a mysterious way.

Thanks to NetGalley, Quercus books and Jo Spain for my free copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is a book where you want to finish it to find out how it ends but you don’t want to say goodbye to the people in it! I found it to be a highly compulsive and gripping read very hard to put down. I enjoyed it so much and having just finished it yesterday am sad that I won’t be able to discover anymore about Alice, Julie and JP. To be reviewed on Amazon, thanks for the opportunity to read what I am sure will be one of my favourite books of the year.

Unfortunately a DNF for me. The book switches from character to character from the start, I found none of their stories interesting enough to hold on to the book. I didn't even wanted to find out what's really wrong with JD or see how Julia and Harry's marriage was going. Also I didn't understand why the police woman was added to this carnival of miserable souls. Really didn't get why we needed her story line at all.
Maybe this is one of the slow burning, well rewarded books in the end but I gave up at 50%, a bit frustrated really.

Everybody needs someone to look after them. Charlie has JP but who does JP have? Struggling to bring up his younger sister after being deserted by his mentally ill mother and let down by a drunken father, JP finds his way in life by dipping in and out of Ireland's murky underworld. Harry is blessed with a beautiful bright wife and a lucrative career but he just can't help himself when it comes to other women. What did Harry to cause JP to brutally murder him?
The Confession begins with bloody carnage. Harry is beaten to death in front of his wife. The killer then walks into the nearest police station and confesses to the crime. What secrets lie beneath the surface? There are plenty, weaving in and out, all leading to this final act of vengeance.
The storyline was intense and the making of JP, from bright child to angry young man, excellent. I would have liked to read more about the psychological aspects of JPs character growth and a little less about the banking crisis (although I do now feel I am more aware of what actually occurred during those years), but that is just personal preference. Perhaps the narrative could have been a little less padded but in general this was a good read.

The Confession is the first Jo Spain book I have read and it will certainly not be the last! What a gripping story. The brutal crime is committed in the first chapter so we know straight off what happened. The rest of the book is establishing the why. Thoroughly enjoyed this book and did not want to put it down. I love when stories are told through different POVs and this didn't disappoint. Definitely a book I'll be recommending to people. Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for the oppurtunity to read this and share my honest opinion.

Enjoyable book if at times implausible. Different concept knowing the killer from the beginning which was refreshing. I would recommend this book and thank Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it.