Scotland Book Club Reviews

Review: Conviction by Denise Mina

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5

Everybody loves a murder mystery until they have a starring role…

Anna’s life hasn’t exactly been normal up until this point, but it rapidly takes a turn for the abnormal when her husband announces he’s leaving her for her best friend one morning.

Instead of facing reality, Anna distracts herself with one of her beloved true crime podcasts, only to realise she knows one of the victims. Intent on finding out the truth, she throws herself into investigating the case, at the risk of bringing her past into direct collision with her present.

There are so many things I liked about this! It highlights our obsession with true crime and the effect of social media while incorporating some serious issues like the #metoo movement. But, unfortunately, while some of these issues are treated well, others were glossed over or even used as a plot device in a way that I didn’t quite feel comfortable with.

I was grabbed from the beginning of the novel and didn’t want to stop reading, but I did get a little lost about halfway through and then just wanted to push through to the conclusion, although I wasn’t hugely invested.

It is a fast-paced novel, but I just felt the story got more convoluted, and the characters and plot were largely unbelievable as it went along. The double mystery of Anna and the Dana means there’s a lot to get your head around!

However, I loved the overall incorporation of humour in the novel and found it a fun read that brings the different story strands together well at the end.

This was my first Denise Mina read, and I’m definitely intrigued to read more!