Jo Spain

This Week in Books (November 28)

~ noveldeelights ~ 22 Comments

Hosted by Lipsy Lost and Found, my Wednesday post gives you a taste of what I’m reading this week. A similar meme is run by Taking on a World of Words.

Last book I finished reading

People always notice my daughter, Isobel. How could they not? Extraordinarily beautiful… until she speaks. 

An unsettling, little-girl voice, exactly like a child’s, but from the mouth of a full-grown woman. 

Izzie might look grown-up, but inside she’s trapped. Caught in the day it happened… the day that broke her from within. Our family fell apart that day, and we never could pick up the pieces.

The book I’m currently reading

When single mum Joanna hears a rumour at the school gates, she never intends to pass it on. But one casual comment leads to another and now there’s no going back.

Rumour has it that a notorious child killer is living under a new identity, in their sleepy little town of Flinstead-on-Sea.

Sally McGowan was just ten years old when she stabbed little Robbie Harris to death forty-eight years ago – no photos of her exist since her release as a young woman.

So who is the supposedly reformed killer who now lives among them? How dangerous can one rumour become? And how far will Joanna go to protect her loved ones from harm, when she realizes what it is she’s unleashed?

What I’m (possibly) reading next

It’s true what they say . . . revenge is sweet. 

1975 
A baby, minutes old, is forcibly taken from its devastated mother. 

2010 
The body of an elderly woman is found in a Dublin public park in the depths of winter.

Detective Inspector Tom Reynolds is on the case. He’s convinced the murder is linked to historical events that took place in the notorious Magdalene Laundries. Reynolds and his team follow the trail to an isolated convent in the Irish countryside. But once inside, it becomes disturbingly clear that the killer is amongst them . . . and is determined to exact further vengeance for the sins of the past.

The Rumour marks the end of my blog tour commitments for the year. Woohoo! Time to delve into my own TBR and Jo Spain’s Tom Reynolds series is the first one I’ve decided to catch up on. 

What are you reading this week? Let me know! Happy reading! xx

The Confession by Jo Spain @SpainJoanne @QuercusBooks @ellakroftpatel #PaperbackPublicationDay #TheConfession

~ noveldeelights ~ Leave a comment

Happy paperback publication day to Jo Spain for her fab psychological thriller The Confession! To celebrate the launch, I’m reposting my review from January.

confession

Author : Jo Spain
Title : The Confession
Pages : 416
Publisher : Quercus
Publication date : January 25, 2018 (ebook) | August 9, 2018 (paperback)

aboutthebook

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 gripping 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?

mythoughts

Here’s a refreshing way to tackle a psychological thriller! Never mind wracking your brain about the who, as that’s revealed from the start. It’s the why that will keep you utterly enthralled until the last page. And if you think that ruins half the suspense, you’d be awfully wrong.

Late one night, banker Harry McNamara is the victim of an incredibly brutal attack. Oddly enough, hours later, his attacker Joe simply walks into the police station and confesses although he claims not to know his victim and that the assault wasn’t premeditated. But surely there’s more to the story? Well, yes, of course there is or this would be one short book. But I’m not going to tell you anything about it.

Obviously I’m not in favour of violence but I must admit that I would quite happily have clobbered Harry to pulp myself. I found him to be highly unlikeable and I also had a hard time mustering up any kind of sympathy for his wife, Julie. We do get an incredible insight into a remarkably flawed marriage which I found every bit as compelling as the investigation into the actual attack.

The Confession has a brilliantly executed and well-paced plot. Full of intrigue, it had me absolutely gripped until the end, not having an inkling what the likely outcome would be. Numerous times I thought I had it all figured out when Jo Spain whacked me in the face with another curveball that left me spinning. This is a complex and thoroughly entertaining psychological thriller with a truly satisfying conclusion. I understand this is Jo Spain’s first foray into this genre and that sounds most promising for the future. I look forward to more!

The Confession is available for purchase now!

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Bookdepository | Kobo | Wordery | Goodreads

IMG_0358

The Confession by Jo Spain @SpainJoanne @QuercusBooks

~ noveldeelights ~ 9 Comments

** advanced copy received via Netgalley **

35478764

Author : Jo Spain
Title : The Confession
Pages : 416
Publisher : Quercus
Publication date : January 25, 2018

aboutthebook

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 gripping 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?

mythoughts

Here’s a refreshing way to tackle a psychological thriller! Never mind wracking your brain about the who, as that’s revealed from the start. It’s the why that will keep you utterly enthralled until the last page. And if you think that ruins half the suspense, you’d be awfully wrong.

Late one night, banker Harry McNamara is the victim of an incredibly brutal attack. Oddly enough, hours later, his attacker Joe simply walks into the police station and confesses although he claims not to know his victim and that the assault wasn’t premeditated. But surely there’s more to the story? Well, yes, of course there is or this would be one short book. But I’m not going to tell you anything about it.

Obviously I’m not in favour of violence but I must admit that I would quite happily have clobbered Harry to pulp myself. I found him to be highly unlikeable and I also had a hard time mustering up any kind of sympathy for his wife, Julie. We do get an incredible insight into a remarkably flawed marriage which I found every bit as compelling as the investigation into the actual attack.

The Confession has a brilliantly executed and well-paced plot. Full of intrigue, it had me absolutely gripped until the end, not having an inkling what the likely outcome would be. Numerous times I thought I had it all figured out when Jo Spain whacked me in the face with another curveball that left me spinning. This is a complex and thoroughly entertaining psychological thriller with a truly satisfying conclusion. I understand this is Jo Spain’s first foray into this genre and that sounds most promising for the future. I look forward to more!

The Confession is available for purchase now!

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Bookdepository | Kobo | Wordery | Goodreads