Full review to come.
I deeply apologize, but life is a handful lately and I'm using all my free time to read, not review. I hope everybody understands.

This was a good read, with all the tension of a Hitchcock thriller, but the characters aren’t particularly likeable, except for Alice Moody, who is not a cliché in her field. The layers of information that come to light provide a great exposé on the lives those around us lead, and the repercussions it can have on those around us.

The ending provided a thought-evoking twist with a lot of grey areas to consider well after the final page.

This was ok, the fact that I had a hard time understanding the dialect made me not want to read it. It was interesting but I wouldn’t write home about it.

Be prepared! The prologue is going to leave you speechless and horrified!
OK...You’ve been warned!

This book takes an unusual approach, in that the end result is exposed in the first chapter. You just have no idea how you got there.
Harry is a financial tycoon. Bank owner. And for a man like Harry, money and power are as vital to him as the air he breathes.
After he’s tried and acquitted of financial fraud, Harry and his wife firmly believe their problems are now conveniently behind them. Uh-uh! The worst is yet to come.

Into their home walks J.P. Carney with a singular goal.
Julie is immediately paralyzed with fear, as she watches helplessly while her husband Harry is brutally beaten.
When he’s satisfied with his handy work, J.P. leans in and whispers something into Harrys’ ear.

Told from three POV's
Julie: When she first met Harry and fell in love. Followed by a fairy-tale romance and wedding. Can this fantasy and marital bliss actually last? Or is there a hefty price to pay when you live with a tycoon?

JP Carney: Grew up in broken, dysfunctional family. Left home with his little sister in tow, with no intention of ever looking back. And as a dutiful big brother, he’s promised to give his sister a better life than what their parents provided.

Detective Sergeant Alice Moody: Officer in charge of the investigation to determine the motive behind the attack. She instinctively knows there are more than a few pieces missing.

I was so pleasantly surprised by this book. I was immediately intrigued with the backstories of both Julie and JP. I was so caught up in both stories I was completely spun around as the plot unfolded.
My first by this author, and will most definitely be looking for her next release!

Thank you to Sarah Poppe at Crooked Lane Books for proving me with an ARC via NetGalley to read and review

I was hooked from page one and couldn't get to to the end fast enough to find out "why". Loved it and highly recommend. Thank you netgalley and publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

It took me a little bit to get into this one, but once I did I couldn't put it down. I enjoyed the approach the author took of giving us the perpetrator right away, of showing us three different perspectives (perpetrator, victim's wife, and detective), and the twists and turns of the story. I will definitely look for more to read from Jo Spain.

Thank you to Crooked Lane books for a free digital galley of this book via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review. You are quickly becoming one of my favorite publishers!

He walks in from the street, through the back door, picks up a golf club, and sees two people sitting on the sofa watching television. He proceeds to viciously beat the man into a pulp while his wife sits there frozen in fear.

Shortly after, J P Carney, covered in blood, walks into the police station and confesses to killing Harry McNamara, a very wealthy banker. This man says he doesn't know who the man was, it wasn't premeditated.

But is any of this actually true? What did Carney whisper in McNamara's ear before he left? What is it that his wife, Julie, is hiding?

This thriller is told in part by different people. Julie talks of her marriage to the love of her life .. the things she overlooks in order to stay married. Carney tells of his childhood and of things not many people know about him. And Alice, investigating for her department, who doesn't know what happened .... she doesn't believe Carney, she doesn't believe Julie.

We know the who ... we know the how ... now we need to know the WHY!

This is a real nail biter. Totally engrossing, I didn't put this one down until the early morning hours. I can't say I loved the characters ... but they weren't supposed to be lovable creatures... but they were credible. This was my first book by this author .. but it won't be the last.

Many thanks to the author / Crooked Lane Books / Netgalley for the digital copy of this psychological thriller. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

I'm quite enjoying the whydunnit psychological thrillers that seem to be a thing lately, and this was no exception. Very dark, full of secrets and a sense of dread. I like this book a lot!

I was granted access by netgalley.com to an ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book was hooked my in the first few pages, and I had a tough time putting it down! Intriguing and suspenseful, I'll recommend to all lovers of psychological thrillers!

What a clever plot! The story begins with the attack on Harry McNamara. Harry and his wife were at home enjoying a quiet evening, watching TV. Suddenly, a man walked in and attacked Harry with golf clubs. Julie watches in stunned silence as the man beats her husband before disappearing back into the night. The attacker turned himself in but tells the police that he didn’t know Harry and can’t even explain why he attacked him.

Right from the start, I had so many questions about JP. Why did he attack Harry? Was he under some kind of influence? Was someone else pulling the strings behind the scenes? Through the chapter, we follow narratives by Julie, JP and the detective, Alice. Of the three narratives, I really liked the past narrations by Julie and JP. For once, I wasn’t really keen on the investigator’s story-line. The real answers lay with the other two characters and I completely devoured the book, chapter after chapter, in search of answers.

This story ended up being better than I expected. What surprised me most is how emotional it got. A major, unexpected twist took place surrounding one of my favorite characters and I was devastated.

I like how Jo Spain maintained the pace in the story with a number of chapters ending with cliffhangers and the suspense going on until the last page.

I couldn’t have predicted the final twist. However, it is not a twist that I liked. I wanted a certain character to have a different ending so I am still not sure how I feel about how things ended. That doesn’t mean that the ending wasn’t good though. It was the perfect way to end the thrilling ride that this book is. I just wish it was different but we don’t always get what we want in life or books, right?

The Confession by Jo Spain is a brilliant, well-paced thriller with twists and suspense up to the last page.

Whoa, whoa, whoa! “ The Confession” was my first read by Author Jo Spain and I am still reeling from it! The book starts off with a murder. Julie’s husband is dead after an attack. We know who did it right away. There is no question about who did it… but why?
I can’t give anything away because doing so may spoil the book. What I will say is that this book is twisted, intense, and will leave you guessing up until the last few pages. The characters in this book were well developed but unlikeable. This is my first read by this author, but it most certainly will not be my last.

** I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and the publishers in exchange of an honest review.**

Thank you Crooked Lane Books for this free finished copy of The Confession by Jo Spain to read and review. That book cover is simply gorgeous 😍🤗 This book had be hooked from the very beginning. With such a strong and powerful first paragraph in the book that left me speechless! Wow!!

Synopsis: Late one evening banker Harry McNamara and his wife Julie are sitting in their mansion - like home watching TV. All of a sudden Harry is brutally attacked by a man who just let himself into their family home, while Julie just idly sits by doing nothing and watches the whole thing.

Who was the man who attacked Harry and why did he do it? We find this out and much more as we continue reading the book.

This was a fantastic read from beginning to end. This book is full of lies, betrayal and deception, that will have you sitting on the edge of your seat as you read chapter after shocking chapter.

I thought I knew who was responsible for killing Harry but I was proven wrong, again and again. Just when you think you have it all figured out, you are proven wrong. With many likeable characters in this book, there are many characters that you will despise as well.

So many shocking twists, turns and revelations, this is a fabulous psychological thriller. Add this book to your to be read list now, this book will not disappoint

Recently published!

Hmm what to say about this book? Honestly, I had kind of a hard time with it. The book started with a BANG, the brutal murder of a man right in front of his wife. And to everybody's surprise, the perpetrator walks into the police station and confesses. But why? Why did he do it? Why did he confess? So many questions needing an answer.

Unfortunately, I felt like despite the great start, as the book progressed it was a little lackluster and forgettable. Many of the decisions made by the main characters weren't entirely believable and I had a really hard time believing that the police couldn't make some of the connections that eventually were revealed at the end. Seems like it would be basic police work.

Let me also say, I'm frankly sick of thrillers about women who lack a backbone and allow their husbands/boyfriends/fiances to walk all over them. It's infuriating that this is the norm in thrillers now. Can we get a strong female presence for the love of all that is holy? It's so annoying to read about a woman who is treated like complete and utter garbage, but continues to stay with her piece of garbage significant other and justify his horrific behavior. It seems like more and more thrillers exploit this dynamic and it's been beaten to death.

Overall, I thought the book was okay. There wasn't a point where I said, "Ok, I can't read this anymore. I need to stop." It was enjoyable in the moment but ultimately it won't stand out for me when I reflect back on some of the other amazing books I've read this year. That being said, please don't take my word for it. There are plenty of other very positive reviews for this book so perhaps I'm an outlier. Check it out for yourself!

-This book was gifted to me in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Jo Spain, and Crooked Lane Books for the opportunity to review.-

This is a well written psychological thriller, by an author I had not previously heard of, set in modern day Dublin, about a brutal unexplained attack that leaves a wealthy banker in a coma. Unusually, we know from the beginning who committed the crime, as the young man hands himself in to the police soon afterwards. The mystery lies in the motive for the crime. The victim, Harry, has recently been acquitted of serious fraud, thanks to some clever legal wrangling, having been heavily involved in the banking sector and largely responsible, alongside his cronies, for the 2007 crash that preceded the GFC. His wife, Julie, has stood by him despite everything and watches in horror as the attacker, JP, bludgeons him with a golf club.

The story is told from three points of view - Julie, a raging alcoholic because of her insecurities about her marriage, JP, whose terrible childhood is blamed for his sudden inexplicably violent breakdown, leading to his detention in a psychiatric unit, and Alice Moody, the detective leading the investigation, who is convinced that the attack was premeditated. Alice is a great character - big, fat, bolshy and unattractive, she is very good at the job due to her dogged determination to get the truth, when all her colleagues have given up. I would like to see her feature in more books.

The plot is like a game of pass the parcel, with the truth at the Centre gradually becoming clear as each layer is stripped away, through the characters reminiscing about their past. The unravelling was a lot more plausible than many other novels in this genre, and our sympathies shift with each new revelation, which was clever as none of the characters were at all likeable.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for a voluntary honest review.
The Confession was published on 11.09.18

I really like how this author wrote this book. Trying to figure it out was very enjoyable. The twists and turns nearly did me in. I will definitely recommend this book to others! I recieved a copy from NetGalley and the publisher and this is my honest opinion.

Thank you net galley for my arc.

This book started off really interesting to me and then slowed in the middle. I definitely was not expecting the ending though.

Julie and Harry McNamara are watching TV at home when an intruder walks into the room and severely beats Harry with a golf club. The man then whispers something in Harry’s ear, stares at Julie, and leaves. When the ambulance arrives, they say that Harry is still barely alive.

After Harry’s beating, a man shows up at the police station saying he just beaten someone to death. His name is John Paul Carney. He had a tough childhood quitting school early to car for his father and sister, Charlie, whom he loved dearly. His mother had disappeared years earlier.

Julie and Harry met at university in Dublin. There, she was studying to be a teacher. Harry was a former student who owns a bank and is considered to be quite wealthy. A charming man, Julie falls in love with Harry and they get married in an elaborate wedding. Even with Harry’s wealth, Julie wants to teach after they get married. Many of her friends are jealous of her wealth even though she does not flaunt it.

Recently, Harry has just been cleared of fraud while many of his colleges had been convicted. Julie and Harry continue to attend get-togethers with people in his financial realm. But soon, alcohol and jealousy begin to take over their lives leading them to a huge crescendo.

I have to dance around what I say on this review to keep from giving out spoilers. This book is mesmerizing and shows the epitome of love, hate, and evil. It has left me feeling a little shaky having read it, but I know fans of real thrillers will love it.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I walked away with mixed feelings on this one. The bare bones of the story is absolutely brilliant. In the very beginning, Harry McNamara is attacked in his home. It's brutal, grisly, and chilling. His wife witnesses the whole thing, and her reactions during and after are suspect at best. We also know from the beginning that JP Carney committed the crime. The question is why. At this point, the story had me in its clutches. Unfortunately, it started to lose me rather soon after that. The story starts to move back and forth between the days following the attack and the backstories of the characters. Some of that back info is important to the plot and reasons for everything happening, and some is not. A lot is not. We do finally get to the why of it all, but the book takes the scenic route to get there. Granted, there were things in the past that the reader needs to know for it to all make sense, but I really did not need every detail of every time Julie doubted Harry or every time she looked the other way, nor did I need to know every job that JP had during the years leading up to the crime. Fair warning, be prepared not to like anyone in this one. By the time I trudged through the considerable history of Julie and Harry's marriage and JP's troubled life, I couldn't drum up much empathy for any of them, except for the real victim in this deadly game. In the end, I would give a solid five stars for the beginning and conclusion, but the middle was way too drawn out and had too much downtime for me. So, I ended up somewhere in the middle on The Confession.

4.5 ⭐️’s! A suspenseful thriller that grabs you from the start and doesn’t let go! WOW...Jo Spain is fantastic at keeping the twists and turns coming.

We find out who the attacker is at the start of the book, but it isn’t until the end that we find out the reason behind it.

Late one night, a stranger walks into the home of banker—Harry McNamara—and his wife—Julie. He brutally attacks Harry with a golf club, while his wife watches...frozen by fear.

JP Carney walks into a police station and confesses to beating a man to death, but claims he doesn’t know the victim and has no reason for his behavior.

JP and Harry couldn’t be more different. JP grew up poor, with a mentally-ill mother and an alcoholic father. The family lived in shoddy housing on public assistance and JP took over the care of his little sister at a young age. Meanwhile, Harry was a filthy-rich banker with a lavish lifestyle. He lived in a million-dollar home with his wife and he was used to getting everything he wanted.

Harry was just found innocent in a highly-sensationalized fraud trial, so the detective doesn’t believe this is a random act of violence. And she’s suspicious that Julie knows things she’s not sharing.

This gripping psychological thriller will have you wondering who is really the guilty one—Harry, Julie or JP? And what is the reason behind Carney's confession—a guilty conscience or a calculated move?

Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this ARC, in exchange for my honest review!
#TheConfession #NetGalley

Harry and Julie McNamara’s lives are put into peril one night when a stranger enters their home and beats Harry to into a coma with a golf club. When the stranger, J. P. Carney, turns himself into the police with a full confession to the beating, the police are left with more questions than answers in trying to ascertain a motive. With lots of twists and turns along the way, we learn about the very trying and sordid circumstances that have led the characters to be in the positions they are today.

This was an enjoyable psychological thriller with a excellent character development. The author successfully integrated the past stories of several different characters with present day circumstances to cause a constant tension and desire to find out more. I look forward to reading more in this series.

Many thanks to Netgalley, Crooked Lane Books and Jo Spain for my complimentary e-copy ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.