I enjoyed The Confession. It's a quirky satisfying mystery with good characters and a satisfying conclusion.

A complete stranger walks into the home of Harry and Julie McNamara and bludgeons him to death. JP Carney turns himself into the police immediately, claiming to have acted impulsively with no motivation for the attack. The police are certain there must be a reason. After all, a lot of people hated McNamara--a corrupt banker who maintained his wealthy lifestyle after the collapse of his company. Many investors lost everything, so a lot of people wanted revenge--but not Carney, who claims that Harry was a random victim. After an investigation, Carney is confined to a mental institution where he is expected to be released quickly--much faster than if he'd been convicted of murder and sentenced to prison.

Was it really a random crime or was there a reason Harry McNamara was killed?

This was my first Jo Spain book and I enjoyed it enough to read some of her other books. It would appeal to the readers of other psychological police procedural novels. Fans of J.D. Barker's The Fourth Monkey might like it, although the tone is quite different.

I really enjoyed this book. It begins with a husband and wife watching television together when a stranger walks in and attacks the husband. We then find out if there is a motive or not...

I found this book to be quite a slow starter, and it took me quite a while to invest into the story line. However, I am so glad I persisted - I absolutely loved this book! Fantastic twists and turns, and became really emotionally invested in both JP & Julie’s stories. I personally found it harder to be interested in Alice’s chapters and found myself quickly scanning through so as to not miss anything to rush back to Julie/ JPs development. I don’t particularly feel the story gains anything from Alice and the cops view.

Definitely will recommend!

Very interesting how this story was told. We find out the details of the murder in chapter one and from there we go back in time to see the events leading up to it. This was a refreshing format for me to experience and I look forward to reading more from Jo Spain.

It isn't unusual for a murder to be disclosed in a book's first chapter. Often, the author even lets us know who will die and how, but the identity of the killer is rarely exposed. However, in The Confession, we discover right away( and it is in the book description, so no spoilers here) not only who the victim is ( Harry McNamara) and who kills him(JP Carney), what we don't know is why.
JP Carney walks into Harry and Julie McNamara's house and proceeds to brutally beat Harry with a golf club. Julie sits stunned, frozen in her chair as JP delivers blow after blow. He whispers something in Michael's ear then leaves the house without touching Julie even though she has clearly seen his face. By the time Julie has dialed 999, JP has already confessed that he just killed a man. Michael has many enemies, but JP swears he has no idea who his victim is, so what could have motivated him to act in this manner?
That question and years of backstory unfold from Julie and JP's perspectives. DS Alice Moody is the third person we hear from as she is convinced something is not right about JP's story and she is determined to uncover the truth. I have to say I really didn't 'like' any of the characters. Every time I felt some sympathy for one, that person would do something that made me dislike them more than I did before. But, these were characters that I loved to hate and I read almost nonstop until the end.
The best part(for me)is that I actually figured out what was going on before the reveal(or so I so smugly told myself). Many times my super sleuth reader radar fails me and when I do guess correctly, well to say I get rather excited might be an understatement. Actually, though, I only figured out one aspect of the why, so another author surprised me(yet again). I spent a fair amount of time shaking my head at the sheer volume of bad decisions that were made again and again, but I would still say it was a 3.5-star read.
I read The Confession on July 4th during our first summer heat wave this year. As unpleasant as it is outside, I plan to 'survive', one book at a time.
Thank you Jo Spain, Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for the complimentary digital copy. This is the first book I have read by this author, but it won't be my last.

Unfortunately I could not get into this story line enough for my liking. I think it confused me too much and did not draw me in like I wanted it to. Maybe someone else will be able to like it but for me I just could not finish it.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

I am sorry but i dont think this book could have gone any slower. The author went into a lot of detail about the characters (except about the police officer, those chapters were also very bland). You knew from the beginning who the killer was. The rest of the book was about why. There was no suspense, it was just blah... I was hoping that it would pick up but it never did and i just thought that it was very predictable.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced readers copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I thought this book was a well written psychological thriller.
It started out with a bang and I couldn’t stop reading it to find out why it happened.
I loved the writing style where the author had a different chapter with the point of view for each the 3 main characters in the book-the murderer, the victim’s wife and the detective and how eventually the stories ended up connecting together.

Page. Turner.

I had never read any of Jo Spain's prior works but I will definitely be doing so now.

Backdrop: A not-so-classic "Why-dunnit," since the "Who-dunnit" is made very clear in the opening scene when JP Carney walks into the living room of two strangers and proceeds to bash the husband's brains in with a golf club before the wife's very eyes. The Irish police assigned to the case are just as baffled as the reader.

Throw in some great police banter, high stakes financial corruption, an unhappy wife, and a philandering husband and you have the makings of a multi-leveled and quick paced plot. Every time I thought I had figured this one figured out, a new twist was thrown in to the mix. Enjoyed it all the way to the last page.

#NetGalley #TheConfession

This book opens up on the murder of Harry McNamara and the arrest of JP Carney. <u>The Confession</u> was a mystery where you already know WHO did it, but you’re about to know WHY. I love a tragic back-story!

This book pulled me in and I did not come up for air until I was finished. I literally read this almost completely in one sitting. The characters and their intensely human traits for better or for worse really made me love this book. You may not love the characters, but you understood them by the end.

I loved this book and plan to read all of Jo Spain’s books because I <i>loved</i> her writing style!

<i>You</i> need this book if you like mysteries that really explore the “why” behind a mystery. Recommend for fans of Jo Nesbo – I don’t exactly know why but the writing style and characterization reminded me of him.

Entertainment Value: 5
Characters: 5
Voice: 5
Plot: 5
Overall: 5 stars

<i>Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!</i>
See my reviews @ mamaneedsabook.blogspot.com

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Really enjoyed this book. It was a fast read and well plotted. The characters were well drawn and like able. There was little blood and gore—it was much more psychological. I’m interested in reading the author’s other works and i would definitely recommend this book. Thanks to netgalley and Crooked Lane Books.

I was hooked on the book from the first page and devoured the full thing in almost one go.
I normally find this genre of book slow and a tad predictable, however I loved it and found it intriguing and engaging throughout.
I’ve not read any of Jo Spain’s other books, however will definitely read more after enjoying “The Confession” so much.
I would definitely recommend.

This was a quick and easy read. It seemed more a Novella than Novel. It progressed at a good rather fast pace.over all a good book with unexpected twist(s).

"The Confession" had one of the most shocking starts to a book I've ever read and with the twists along the way, I couldn't have guessed how it was going to end. I found the chapters for the wife and JP much more compelling than the chapters from the detectives point of view.

The Confession
by Jo Spain
4 stars for this thriller! many thanks to the author and publisher who provided a copy of this e-book in exchange for my honest review.

It's an engaging story. At least engaging enough. I just wasn't crazy about the writing. Felt dry and comment-y. Not very emotional or personal. I think there wasn't a page when I actually believed any of the characters really "felt" anything. It was just event after event, thought after thought, like a train that passes by - you're never really on it.

But maybe that was just me.

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

Jo Spains irish lilt and touch of humour adds flavour to this thriller.
Super rich Harry McNamara and his wife Julie live an elite lifestyle in Dublin.Harry made his fortune in banking whilst Julie enjoys teaching.
One night when they sit at home watching television an intruder enters their home and attacked Harry with a golf club.
JP Carney almost immediately hands himself in to the Guarda and confessed to the crime.
But why did he do it - no spoilers you will have to read it to find out.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book - new author for me.

Small town girl marries into the good life.... or does she? Julie is a beautiful and intelligent, yet naive young girl when she meets and is dazzled by dashing Harry McNamara. What follows is the story of a marriage shrouded in secrets, the life of a troubled young man and the shocking consequences of the intersection between them. I enjoyed the suspense and especially the reveal of the answer to the question that began on the first page.

I had this book sitting on my kindle for sometime before I got round to reading it but was well worth waiting for.
JP Carney walks into the home of disgraced banker Harry McNamara and his wife Julie and unleashes a brutal attack on Harry leaving his wife to witness the horror. Carney then proceeds to hand himself in to the police and 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. The police are left wondering whether this can be true that a man as notorious as Harry McNamara can really be a victim of a random act of violence or does the truth lie in Harry's dark side, a life full of corruption, greed and betrayal.
This is a book full of twists and well crafted characters and makes excellent reading.
I would like to thank Net Galley and Crooked Lane Books for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review "The Confession" by Jo Spain.
I have read and enjoyed the first two Inspector Tom Reynolds mysteries by Jo Spain, so I jumped at the chance to read this stand-alone novel which will have it's official release in September of this year.
One night., a man enters a house where he proceeds to beat a man senseless with a golf club, in front of the man's wife, whispers something in the man's ear as he lays dying, and walks out - leaving the man's wife in a state of disbelief; later, that man turns himself in to the police, admitting what he did, without a motive or reason.
In the following chapters we are introduced to the players in this drama: Julie McNamara, whose husband is the victim (who is still holding on in hospital); JP Carney, the man who - supposedly for no reason - beat Harry McNamara to within an inch of his life; and Detective Alice Moody - the cop who doesn't believe all that she hears and sees, and is determined to get to the bottom of the story.
Each chapter of this book unwinds the story of either Julie & Harry McNamara or JP Carney, while interspersing the police perspective through the narrative of Detective Alice Moody. The chapter names are Julie, JP and Alice.
We learn that Harry McNamara was a rich investment banker recently cleared of any wrongdoing in the Celtic Tiger banking crash; we learn that his wife is madly in love with Harry, but is in the grip of various demons - least of which are her upbringing and thrust into a life of riches.
We learn that JP Carney was born to an alcoholic father and a mother who has some serious mental issues - all of which shape JP's life.
I'd really like to say more about this story, but that's impossible without giving away the entire plot. Suffice to say, as you learn what really happened, it will change how you see the story.
Highly recommended for fans of well-written mysteries.