I’m beyond excited to be joining the blog tour for The Confession and my thanks to Anne Cater of Random Things Tours for the invitation. This is the first book I’ve actually read by Jo Spain although I have been collecting her DI Tom Reynolds series and I shall be making even more effort to get to those sooner rather than later.

“It’s the first spray of my husband’s blood hitting the television screen that will haunt me in the weeks to come – a perfect diagonal splash, each droplet descending like a vivid red tear.

That, and the sound of his skull cracking as the blows from the golf club rain down”

With an opening first line like this, who could resist being reeled in.

The Confession is not so much a ‘who-dunnit’ as a ‘why-did-it-happen’. We find out in the first few pages who both the victim and the attacker are but the question is why. Why did JP Carney enter into the McNamara house and beat Harry senseless and why did Harry’s wife Julie just sit and watch. And the most perplexing question of all, why did Carney hand himself in to the police and confess a short time after.

Without a doubt, this will be one of my favourite books of 2018. I was reeled in from the very first page and I was just so totally engrossed throughout. With alternating chapters told by JP, Julie (Harry’s wife) and Alice (the detective), a picture builds up of the lives of those involved and the circumstances that led to this carnage.

Harry was not a blameless victim, he was an extremely rich and well connected banker who had been facing a fraud investigation. His dodgy business dealings and loose morals aside, he wasn’t without charm and it was easy to see why people were taken in by him. Through Julie’s eyes, we see their relationship from their first meeting, and then are privy to the tribulations of their marriage – which perhaps could be described as ‘lovingly toxic’. The old cliche of money not always bringing happiness was certainly true here.

JP was the biggest enigma of all. He had had a difficult background but came across as mostly a basically decent man so why…..? It’s quite rare that I actually feel sorry for the perpetrator in crime stories, but here I did have a lot of sympathy for JP.

Alice Moody is one of the police officers investigating and she was a great character. Certain things didn’t add up for her; she was like a terrier and relentless in trying to get to the truth. It felt at times that she was completely on her own as even some of her colleagues thought we have our man, just let it go.

The Confession is a perfectly crafted thriller with such detailed and realistic characterisation. People have their secrets and loyalties are tested to the extreme. Jo Spain’s talent is in making you care about the characters; using their flaws together with clever plotting to achieve this. Just when you think you have it all worked out, along comes another little curve ball which throws doubt into your mind. I loved it and The Confession thoroughly deserves all the success I’m sure is coming its way.

My thanks to the publisher for the ARC to review.

This review is written with thanks to Quercus Books and Netgalley for my copy of The Confession.
Harry McNamara was one of the world's richest bankers. One night, he is attacked in his home, while his wife, Julie, can do nothing but watch. The perpetrator, JP Carney, later presents himself at the local police station claiming he was in a psychotic state and his actions were nothing more than an opportunistic attack. However, the police believe there must be a link between the perpetrator and the victim. What really happened on the night Harry McNamara was attacked?
I felt that the overriding tone of The Confession was one of unease: I had a feeling as a reader, just like the police, that something wasn't quite right and perhaps someone was holding something back. This piqued my interest and drew me in to what is ultimately a dark and disturbing plot.
The timeline of The Confession moves between the past and the present, and this helps Spain to build up a picture of Harry and Julie's relationship and Harry's work as a banker. This did become a little confusing in places, as I'm not a financial expert! However, I found it fascinating, as I began to learn what made Harry and Julie tick and how they worked together as a couple.
The Confession is narrated in alternate chapters by Julie, Detective Sergeant Alice Moody and JP Carney. This gives the reader insight into the thought processes of all the main characters in the investigation, and allows Spain to maintain the sense of intrigue. It was particularly interesting to learn more about JP's background through this technique.
Overall, The Confession is an exciting psychological thriller which kept me intrigued as the plot unravelled.

We’re only just starting 2018 and already I have a book that will definitely be in my top reads this year. Can you believe it? Well The Confession WILL be in there, my head is still spinning after reading this a few days ago, what a cracker it is.
From page one The Confession had me totally hooked, gee whizz what a prologue. Talk about chilling, spine tingling and jaw dropping. Yes that’s what we start with in The Confession and I have to recommend you don’t start this late one evening as you really wont want to put it down.
Just from reading the description we know that JP Carney has attacked Harry McNamara, what we don’t know is why. What could possibly be the reason for such a brutal attack and is all as it seems? Well Jo Spain takes the reader on a roller coaster of a ride with many twists and turns, I hadn’t a clue who to trust or believe.
Very cleverly written it tells the story not only in the present but we get to hear about the past’s of JP and Julie and Harry McNamara. I have to confess that I did actually feel quite sorry for JP, although he has committed a horrendous crime, things haven’t been easy for him. Harry on the other hand is a despicable man, not nice at all. We really get a feel for the characters throughout the book and one particular character I did like was Alice Moody, she’s a detective investigating the crime and a real down to earth character.
This is a really hard book to review as I really want to tell everyone about it but I don’t want to spoil it for anyone. Argh don’t you just hate it when that happens, but oh boy this really is a book you must read. If you’re a fan of psychological thrillers that are filled with suspense, twists, turns and are total page turners then this is definitely a book for you.

The Confession is a book that has been getting lot of hype on social media and, I’m always slightly nervous about starting books like that. There’s always the worry that I won’t enjoy it as much as everyone else and will spend my days explaining why I don’t like it to fellow confused book lovers. With The Confession I needn’t have worried as I am pleased to re port it is a fantastic and addictive read that truly deserves the hype.

The story opens with a gruesome attack on banker Harry McNamara which is a fairly shocking opener and definitely ensured that I was hooked early on. Te reader finds out who was responsible for the attack a few pages in when the suspect turns himself into the police a few hours after the attack. This did leave me wondering where on earth the story was going to go as half the fun in such books is figuring out who has done the murder. However the author had something much more clever and compelling in mind.

The story is told from three separate points of view.; Julie (Harry’s wife), Alice Moody (the investigating police officer) and JP Carney (the attacker). Throughout the book the reader is taken back over the character’s past and discovers what had happened that provoked such a violent attack on Harry. Through this we discover the true state of Harry and Julie’s marriage and unearth some of the dark secrets contained there. We discover exactly what sort of man harry was and why someone would attack him. We are also taken back over JP’s childhood and early life to discover a sad history of neglect and abuse that was very poignant to read about.

The character development in this book is brilliant and I found myself changing my opinion on them as the book progressed. My favourite character was actually JP (yes the attacker!). His story was a very sad one and I found myself feeling a lot sympathy for him and the hard decisions he had to make. He had to take on a lot of responsibility quite young and I found myself admiring him for doing this. His loyalty toward others and how he puts his life eon hold for them was very admirable. Alice was another great character who I enjoyed reading about. She was very clever and thorough, refusing to give us even when everyone else had made up their minds. I like that she wasn’t perfect and had flaws as it made her seem so much more human. Her banter with DS Gallagher was very funny to read about and helped provide a few lighter moments that broke the tension. I really disliked Julie, finding her incredibly silly and naive. I did feel sorry or her and the situation she finds herself in but I was almost screaming at her to wise up at times as she seemed so determined to hide her head in the sand.

The back stories of the characters gradually reveals the secrets they have been hiding, and a few twists revelations definitely kept my interest and made me want to keep reading. The story is very compelling and I found myself looking forward to picking up the book again to find out what was going to happen. For this reason I think it would be a good book club read as I think it would be a book that everyone would enjoy and be able to read fairly quickly as they would find it impossible to put down.

This is Jo Spain’s second book and I will look forward to reading more from her. If you are a fan of clever, compelling and utterly addictive thrillers you will love this!

Thank you to Quercus books and Anne Cater for my copy of this book and for inviting me onto the blog tour.

Ok, confession time...(haha - see what I did there?) Do you have a favourite book?

Don't give me that "How could you?" look. I know you love ALL the books you own. They are ALL deserving of your love and attention. But what about authors? Can you have favourites of those? Yes?Well ok, then.

I have to confess that this one was special. And Jo Spain, dare I say it? Yes I do - you're one of my favourites.

Harry is famous and wealthy and married and charismatic and handsome and - I'm sure you get the picture, he has it all. Until one night he is attacked in his home by an intruder, who promptly admits that he did it, hands himself over and gets arrested. Now Harry's wife Julie can sleep at night, tucked up in their secure and glamorous home on a golf estate. Except you know she can't. Something's wrong. This is too neat and tidy, and JP's confession is too...well, convenient.

Secrets and lies, layers upon layers of them emerge. Secret secrets and lies about lies. Alice Moody is in charge of the police investigation, and she is marvellous (another favourite, I think). As each truth is teased out, every gaping hole exposed and the last defining detail proved beyond doubt, we are left gasping, breathless, yet unable to look away. Or stop reading.

I dare you to put this book down once you've started. Ok, maybe for a cup of tea while you put the pieces of your shattered heart back together. But not for any longer. As one reviewer has already pointed out, we need a new word for gripping, when it comes to describing The Confession.

Well... that was full on! What a beginning and that ending as well.... speechless really.!

I can't believe I had this book for so long before I read it... started it this afternoon and between Australian Open matches I have just finished it. NetGalley tells me that publication date in Jan 25th but I saw this at the shops this morning.

Reading this book you know who the murderer is.. which I am not used to. What you don't know is why. The story goes back in the lives of the main characters.. Harry - the victim., Julie - his wife and JP - the murderer. I read this in a few hours so that tells you how engrossing the story is.. definitely one that I could not put down.

My first read by this author... certainly won't be the last.

Thanks to NetGalley via Quercia Books for a copy of this book to read in exchange for my honest opinions. I can't recommend this book more!!!

Right from the first page I was hooked. A stranger walks into your home, brutally stabs your husband, whispers in his ear as he leaves and then walks into the near the nearest police and turns himself in.
Full of secrets and lies, this gripping psychological thriller makes a satisfying read. Never sure who to believe, the reader is kept wondering right up until the final paragraph.
Excellent plot, well written and thoroughly recommended. With thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review

The Confession opens in shocking fashion: Harry and Julie McNamara are watching TV at home one evening when a strange man enters the house and brutally attacks Harry with a golf club. Harry's traumatised wife Julie, frozen in shock, is the only witness.

Some time later John Paul Carney walks into a police station, still covered in his victim's blood, and confesses to murdering a stranger during a temporary psychotic episode.

There's no doubt that JP is Harry's attacker. But neither he nor Julie are telling the whole story.

DS Alice Moody isn't convinced the case is quite as open-and-shut as it appears. Harry is a well-known figure - a wealthy banker recently cleared of fraud charges in a high profile court case. Is it really plausible that JP's attack was as random as he claims?

I found The Confession to be an incredibly intriguing and compulsive read. (I stayed up far too late trying to finish it!) In unravelling the truth we delve back into the complex history of Harry and Julie's marriage, and the troubled past of JP. Despite constant speculation, even by close to the end I had no real idea where the story was going... but was desperate to find out.

Highly recommended - this was my first book by Jo Spain, but I'm sure it won't be my last.

Review will also be posted on Amazon and my blog http://atickettoeverywhere.blogspot.co.uk.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an advanced copy of this fabulous book.

Well-paced and brilliantly written – the book starts with a brutal attack in a wealthy couple’s home and then the story begins to unfold chapter by chapter and has you hooked after the prologue. I don't want to say too much as it will spoil it - just read it!

I will definitely be recommending to everyone to read.

I still prefer books without excessive swearing, so that spoiled it for me to some extend, but I did find the storyline intriguing. In particular wondering why he would go and confess straight away.

As soon as I read the blurb for this book it grabbed me - I was intrigued as to how the book would run and if I knew who did it, would it keep me gripped and entertained to the end- well now I have read it - yes- it definitely did!!

I loved the characters and the way the book was laid out with going from past to present with the different characters was easy to follow and I loved that was the way we got to see the story unfold.

I had mixed feelings about Julie's character, sometimes I felt sorry for her, sometimes I wanted to shake her, others I was angry with her, vary rarely does a character get my back up so much (so great writing there!!) and Harry, well he made my blood boil!

4.5 stars from me, loved the concept, loved the characters and plot - loved it - I am having a great start to 2018!! 4.5 stars rounded up to 5 for Goodreads and Amazon

4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is a book of 3 parts - first it starts strong, hooks you in.

Then it lags a bit in the middle and one or two of the characters you started to like, suddenly you don’t and the story slows a bit.

Also I felt the chapters from the police perspective didn’t quite fit or we didn’t need so many of them.

Then the last third the book picks up again with the odd twist and turn and I sped read to the end.

Overall a steady ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to Jo Spain, Quercus and Netgalley for an advance read copy.

Right from the beginning we know who the murderer was but not what his motive was - was it as he said a random attack? The story unfolds being told in chapters through three different people: the killer, the victim’s wife and the police officer. By reading it we build up a picture of the lives of the killer and the victim & his wife and also, to some extent, of the police investigation.

I was blown away with this book and gripped from the very start. Twists and turns throughout and even when you thought you had sussed it out another curve ball was thrown. Keeps you guessing right up to the end.

If going to work hadn’t got in the way I would have devoured this book in one sitting it was that good!!!

I was blown away by this book. It is set in post Celtic-Tiger crash Dublin and is an ingeniously plotted and carefully crafted psychological thriller where we find out whodunit on the very first page. What follows is a wonderful game of cat and mouse where we discover what links disgraced banker Harry McNamara and JP Carney and what led to JP appearing in the home Harry shares with his wife, Julie and attacking Harry with a golf club.

The Confession is a novel which is told backwards, first we have the attack then we learn the back story. There is mystery at the heart of this book; not only in the crime but in the secrets that Julie is keeping. Jo Spain writes a slow building narrative that explores the relationship between Julie and Harry and the many facets of their marriage. He is a successful banker who is seen as being partly responsible for the economic crash in Ireland whilst she is his beautiful and glamorous wife, but scratch the surface and things are not as perfect as they seem.

Jo Spain uses some of my favourite narrative devices in The Confession with both a dual timeline and dual narrative showing us JP and Julie’s viewpoints and their histories. Both techniques are excellently executed and the pacing is wonderful allowing their stories to unfurl slowly. I tried very hard to second guess what was going to happen and in the end decided to let Jo Spain weave her magic and enjoy the ride.

This is an ingeniously plotted novel with some clever twists and perceptive insights into relationships and humans. It is sad in places and I applaud Jo Spain for writing these sections so sensitively and she is unafraid to explore dark subject matter to get to the heart of the human psyche. The Confession examines darkness, crime, love and loyalty in 400 breathless pages where the tension built so wonderfully it had me on the edge of my seat.

I really enjoyed The Confession, it is a clever and classy psychological thriller which raises lots of questions about love and loyalty and I think it is going to be huge. I loved that it was told in reverse as I enjoy a book that opens with questions and I spend the time reading it trying to find the answers. I also thought it was very clever that we only ever meet Harry through the eyes of others – who is the real Harry? Shrewd businessman? Machiavellian? Loyal husband? This book is a wonderful read which I would highly recommend,

The Confession is a whydunnit rather than a whodunnit. We know from the start who beat Harry McNamara to death, as JP Carney has confessed to the crime, but this is very much the psychology behind the incident and a look into the lives of the people involved.

The book is well written and compelling with realistic characters and a chilling plot. The narrative switches between Harry's wife Julie, Alice (the detective investigating the crime) and JP. The description of the attack is vivid and violent, setting the scene for a gritty psychological thriller with plenty of depth. I was intrigued from the start and wasn't sure which way the book was going.

Secrets were clearly bubbling underneath the surface. So I wondered if there were links between the main characters, though I had no idea how, what or why - or whether maybe I was just reading into everything too much. Then gradually the layers were unpicked one by one, like a game of Jenga, and the blocks came tumbling down around the characters, revealing the truth.

The Confession is a book of revenge and betrayal, family secrets and tragedy. It's filled with twists and turns. My feelings for the characters changed throughout the book, as I delved into their lives. Highly recommended!

I read the opening scene on the bus on the way to work and it is to the author's credit that the scene was so vivid and horrifying. However, that was sadly its undoing for me. The opening scene is so sickeningly brutal and disturbing that I wanted to get away from any book that had the possibility of making me revisit that distressing scene. It's very good writing- I felt like I was there, but it was too violent and bloody for me and I couldn't read anymore.

I like suspense, but my stomach is not strong enough for scenes like this.

Well this was a little different. We start with a heinous and brutal attack on disgraced financier Harry. We know from the start whodunnit as the perpetrator, Carney, hands himself in and confesses. We know he is telling the truth about that as the crime was performed with the wife, Julie, as witness. What isn't clear though is the motive although, if you can believe Carney, it was just a random attack whilst he was mentally unwell and there simply isn't one.
And so our story really begins. Through the narration of three of the characters; Julie, Carney and investigating office DS Alice Moody, we get to learn what actually happened both on that fateful night and the time leading up to it. We unearth secrets, lies and connections and expose all kinds of duplicitous behaviour as we peel back the layers to get to the core truth. We see how Harry met Julie and how their relationship bloomed and changed. We delve into Carney's sad childhood that left him looking after his younger sister. All the while Alice is herself digging as she is not sold on the coincidence/mental lapse defence.
This book is very tightly and expertly plotted and, for the majority, I couldn't really say for certain where it was going and, as things started to clear for me, I was completely gobsmacked as to what I was reading. It was also quite thought provoking and indeed a bit poignant at times too. Definitely gave me quite a bit of food for thought.
The characters were what really made the book. They were very well described and came across as very realistic making this definitely a character driven book. I think the fact that it is a whydunnit rather than a whodunnit means that the characters HAVE to be good as it is the psychology and motive that are in play more than following the evidence to find out who.
All in all, an neat concept with an impressive plot, played out by great characters, leaving me completely satisfied at the end. Shocked but satisfied. This is a stand alone book (I believe) but I see from her back catalogue that the author has a series of books too. Another one to add to my TBR methinks!
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Excerpt:

'It's the first spray of my husband's blood hitting the television screen that will haunt me in the weeks to come - a perfect diagonal splash, each droplet descending like a vivid red tear. That, and the sound of his skill cracking as the blows from the hold club rain down. '

That's the first paragraph that had my attention in that instant.

[IMG=ABT]

"The Confession" by Jo Spain

is a psychological thriller that has it all. Good story line. Mysterious murder. Well developed characters both - main and side ones. The authors skilfully intertwines the nature of human feelings with the the complexity of the relationships.

I loves how the author doesn't overload the reader with the backside stories and information but gradually page by page reveals the real story. Few small plot twists I haven't seen coming.

It's not just thriller with a murder, victim and investigation going on. We have all the grey areas of the crime when not everything is so white and black.

My rating:
🌟🌟🌟🌟
(4,5 stars out of 5) but considering to changing it to 5 stars)

I will gladly check other books by Jo Spain. "The Confession" definetely worth giving a try.

Book sent to me by Netgalley for an honest review. I'm so glad I requested it.

#jospain #theconfession #arc #arcreview #bookreview #netgalley #review #NewRelease

This is a superb read. It is full of surprises but is brought together very cleverly towards the end. It is well written and the characters are believable. At times emotionally demanding, it is a very sophisticated piece of work.. Don't plan to do anything else until you have read it all as you won't want to be interrupted! I particularly liked the detective's ploy of waiting and watching.

Jo Spain has changed direction and written her first psychological thriller. I have to admit, it’s good. 'The Confession' - a ‘whydunit’ focuses on the themes of revenge, addiction and the Irish class divide. You’ll find out who did it on the first page and why on the last! The writing is frank and the three separate narratives believable. As far as a page turning, commercial thriller, which would appeal to my book club and most of my friends sunning themselves on a beach, Jo, has nailed it.

So, to the synopsis . . .

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 intriguing 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?

I have read so much in this genre last year – over 50 books — so I am getting used to the format and the twists and turns. I am also getting a little blasé and yawn noisily when I read headers on covers such as ‘ the must-read psychological thriller,’ the best twist ever, and I hate to admit, (or maybe I don’t) that I am usually disappointed at the ‘obvious’ twists and a plot line that my friend’s five year old could guess. However, the unique format of this book and the questions asked throughout, keep you reading and interested and this is what sets it apart from your average read.
As I mentioned earlier, this is a triple-stranded story taking in three separate narratives – Julie, the wife who witnesses her Husband brutally beaten and murdered, JP, the attacker and Alice, the detective determined to solve the case. The Confession slowly and intelligently reveals the plot line leading inevitably to the brutal murder. Spain dissects her character’s secrets with perfect timing, meaning you are constantly saying that fatal sentence as your eyes close in bed, “just one more chapter.” I was fascinated by the structure of the book and the pace and flew through it in two sittings.
I can’t give too much away; this book has twists of character so beautifully done that I would not want to risk revealing anything before you read it yourself – but you’ll delve deeper into Julie and Harry’s lives through the lenses of others. This is done very well.
This book is viewed through a dark veil, it's not a fluffy read! However, the true nature of the themes in this cleverly executed drama slowly emerges, revealing characters lives and the consequences of decisions made. Jo weaves her magic of beautifully constructed sentences and descriptions and takes you right into the action.
I would highly recommend this as an engrossing read. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my advanced copy.