Another excellent addition to a great series. I am sorry to see that this was the last book, and it was written in 2017. I hope for more from Julia Dahl in this series.

DNF. I just could not engage with this story or the characters so I had to stop reading. Not my cup of tea.

Loved this book
Didn't want it to end
Highly recommended

This is the third book in the series by Julia Dahl and I had now read all three. Dahl has yet to disappoint me. Although much about the Hasidic Jews and their traditions are missing in this book, there is still so much more to the book than just a mystery. I am still truly a fan of Julia"s and highly recommend this book as a must read.

Minotaur Books and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of Conviction. I was under no obligation to review this book and my opinion is freely given.

Journalist Rebekah Roberts has been trying to secure a more serious position at the Trib- a newspaper known more for its tabloid tidbits than top notch reporting. When a letter from a prison inmate, proclaiming his innocence, gets into her hands, Rebekah soon discovers that there may be something to the story. As she digs, will Rebekah put her life and that of others in danger? Was the arrest and the conviction tainted?

I am not really a fan of authors who employ the flashback method to heighten suspense, but it does help tell the story in Conviction. This crime novel/ legal thriller features well developed characters and a fast paced plot. Rebekah's determination to find the truth, no matter the cost, helped to keep the book flowing at a steady pace. I hope that the author intends to write more featuring Rebekah Roberts as a main character and I recommend this book to readers who like crime fiction.

Conviction wasn’t as immediately gripping to me as the previous books by Dahl, so it took me a bit of time to work my way through what turned out to be an okay read.

Rebekah is looking for a story to sink her journalistic teeth into, something beyond the simple pieces assigned by her tabloid paper. A new acquaintance invites her to investigate a possible case of wrongful conviction to determine whether or not a black teenager had been railroaded into confessing to the murder of his foster parents and foster sister back in the summer of 1992, a time of great tension between Hasidic Jews and the black residents of the Crown Heights neighborhood. As Rebekah investigates, evidence comes to light that suggests that the convicted man is in fact innocent, and she becomes determined to uncover the truth to right a wrong.

One of the main things that I liked in the earlier books about Rebekah was the way her investigative reporting gave the reader a window into the life of the Hasidim. In this book, though, the focus shifts away from the Hasidic community somewhat, even though it is still related to her investigation. I think that was one of the reasons I didn’t find this novel as compelling as the first two books. It actually might have worked better for me if there wasn’t a connection to the Hasidim at all this time, if that world wasn’t going to be the main focus.

The other thing that lessened my enjoyment of the story was that much of it is told from the perspective of someone other than Rebekah. A fairly large part of the book consists of flashbacks to Saul’s experiences investigating the murder in 1992, and part of the story follows the killer and his experiences. I didn’t care about those sections of the book nearly as much as I did Rebekah’s attempts to investigate what happened.

Dahl did manage to surprise me in a few places, though, enough to keep me reading through the end of the novel to find out what happened next. The final chapters of the book set up a new path for Rebekah, as she is hired to write stories about other possible cases of wrongful conviction. I’m curious where the author is going to be taking Rebekah from this point, so I’ll definitely be checking out the next book in the series.

In my opinion, this isn’t Dahl’s best book, but if readers who liked the first two should give it a try, especially since it does set up Rebekah’s future adventures.

An ARC of this novel was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This latest Rebekah Roberts thriller has the main character embroiled in an investigation of a crime that took place twenty-two years earlier. As Rebekah tries to figure out who committed the brutal murders, her life is suddenly in peril.

I love this series, and this was a great addition!

I listened to the first two books in this series on audio. The first book was OK, but I had some trouble relating to Rebekah's immaturity. I liked the second book,quite a bit, so I was happy to be approved to read an advance copy of this book.

I liked this book. It was very readable, and the story was interesting. The focus of this boo was not so much on Rebekah as on the story of a potentially wrongfully convicted man. I plan to read the next book in the series because I think giving Rebekah a "real" job is a good direction to take this series.

I think this would have been a great book for me to take in as an audiobook, as it moved along quickly and there weren't a huge abundance of characters to try to keep straight. I like my audiobooks to entertain and this would have fit the bill wonderfully - overall it reminded me of a good Law & Order episode. I like L & O., so that's not a bad thing.

Review is linked below.

I received an advanced copy of this novel from the publisher via Netgalley for an honest review.

Honestly, another amazing book for Julia Dahl. The first novel was mind blowing, the second was interesting and most certainly a required story but not as thrilling as the first, but this novel lived back up to the first novels mind-blowing capabilities!

Rebekah Roberts is back on the hunt for another story, after making a rather impressive name for herself (or at least FINALLY getting it out there) she feels like she has a chance to move up in the world....but then doesn't. In addition to that she is attempting/beginning to finally have a relationship with her long lost mother of many years, albeit strained and stressed as they attempt to figure out each other's place in the others life. Then Rebekah is given an opportunity, why not look into some of these potential wrongful conviction cases? Mineaswell and it could be a good story...and then she got into something she never expected with her friend/mentor/contact who she has great affection for. As the story goes back and forth from the original crime in the early 90s to modern day we see how the investigation and story unfolds with each new discovery.

Seriously, tears at the end of this novel, not crying my eyes out, but rather those sweet tears of affection with a big smile on my face and warmth in my heart. Keep it up Julia Dahl, you have a reader for life right here.

Thank you NetGallery for the opportunity to read Conviction. I didn't realize this was a series, and that did put me at a disadvantage, but the book does good to stand alone. The lead female protaganist is interesting and relatable. Not sure if I will continue with the series, but this one was ok with me. If you like the procedureal type novels, this is one most will enjoy.

Published by Minotaur Books on March 28, 2017

Given how often the justice system produces unjust results, I’m always intrigued by stories that shine a spotlight on wrongful convictions. Conviction uses the conviction of an innocent man to spotlight injustice in other ways, and it accomplishes that task by telling an entertaining story.

Rebekah Roberts is a freelance reporter. She works as a stringer for a tabloid while aspiring to be a meaningful journalist. Some years earlier, the police discovered the dead bodies of the Davis family (husband, wife, foster daughter) in Brooklyn. One son found the bodies; a foster son, DeShawn, was convicted of murdering the victims. Roberts decides to investigate a claim that DeShawn was wrongfully convicted. Along the way, she learns that the ex-cop to whom her mother is currently attached helped investigate the killing.

The story follows Roberts as she tracks down witnesses in the closed case. Alternating chapters follow the police in 1992 as they investigate the murders. Conviction makes the point that it is ridiculously easy to frame someone for a crime, and just as easy for the police to bully an innocent person into giving a confession.

The reader knows early on that DeShawn is innocent. As Rebekah investigates, she suspects he’s telling the truth, but that leads to the mystery at the heart of the story: who killed DeShawn’s foster parents, and why would anyone murder such nice people?

The story shifts gears at the midway point as it begins to follow a boy who rejects his family’s religious views and adopts a less relaxed form of Judaism. He also becomes disproportionately violent when he’s being picked on. The young man is clearly headed for a life of violence.

Julia Dahl deserves credit for understanding how wrongful convictions happen with depressing regularity — in this case (like many real-world examples) because the police fail to play by the rules that are meant to protect the innocent. At the same time, she doesn’t paint all police officers with the same brush. As in the real world, some are sympathetic, some are lazy, some are corrupt, some are good, and many are a combination of all those things. The novel reflects the sad reality that many police officers and prosecutors care more about getting a conviction than convicting the right person, however well-intentioned they might be.

Conviction is notable for its descriptions of poverty and urban decay in Brooklyn and for its depiction of vigilantes that purport to protect their insular communities by attacking outsiders. The book is also notable for its descriptions of racial tension between the black and Jewish communities in 1990s Brooklyn, including mutual resentment between slumlords and tenants. I appreciated the fearless and balanced way in which that conflict is portrayed. Dahl looks for truth beyond stereotypes and finds it in a nuanced drama about crime and injustice.

The end of the story stretches the plausibility limit a bit, but far less than most modern thrillers. There’s a little too much melodrama in the last chapters, but the melodrama is far from overwhelming. On the whole, Conviction is a strong tale of social and individual injustice.

RECOMMENDED

4-4.5*
I have to read the first two books from this series now, because I really enjoyed this one. The writing was fantastic and the characters were all very interesting. This one more than kept my attention, I especially loved that it took place in New York.

Highly reccomend and can't wait to read more from this author!

Thank you NetGalley:)

Julia Dahl has written two other books in the Rebekah Roberts series. Rebekah is a journalist (alright, she works for a tabloid!) who seems to find cases to investigate that involve the Orthodox Jewish community as well as the wider community in New York. There is good character development, the story moves along quickly, and held my interest throughout as the plot moved back and forth between the time right after the Crown Heights riots in the early 1990s and present (2014) time. I enjoyed this book and when I find the time, will go back and read the prior in the series. I don't think that not having read the previous two books negatively affected my reading of this one.

Thanks you to NetGalley and Minotaur books for this book.

An excellent police/legal mystery that grabs your interest and holds it throughout. I had not read any of Dahl's other books, but now plan to.

The characters are believable, the storyline interesting, feeling like it could have been snatched from the headlines. An overall a 4.5* read.

Amazon says this is the final book in Dahl's Rebekah Roberts series, but I really hope that's not the case. Ostensibly a mystery series, these books are really much more about the Jewish community in Brooklyn--and here, how things were with the black community after the Crown Heights riots in the early 90s--and about reporter Rebekah herself, along with her family and professional troubles. I mean, the mystery here barely exists, but I still want to know what issues Rebekah will sleuth out next! If you are into more literary mysteries, this is definitely a series you should be checking out. A-.