I'm an avid reader of thrillers and sometimes find myself disappointed by the formulaic approach of some writers. However, The Confession is a new slant on this genre as it starts with a murder where the victim and the perpetrator are identified immediately. The story that is left to unfold is why the crime happened and how the characters fit together. It hasn't been designed with a huge plot twist but there are surprises along the way and the story develops with pace and intrigue. The background to the story is the tiger economy in Ireland and the greed and selfishness of the time set against the more traditional Irish society. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a pacey thriller.

From the first page I couldn’t put this book down, and within 24 hours I had finished!!!!! It’s better then the description! The book starts with a murder and then works backwards with twists and turns. I would def recommend !!!

I loved this book and galloped through it, enjoying it all. It was a very unusual story, told from a different aspect and it felt quite convincing. I hope to read more by this author. Thank you NetGalley

A fantastic thriller that keeps the reader hooked. Multiple viewpoints allow an insight into a number of characters and their motives

I enjoyed The Confession and its interesting structure, where we find out who the attacker is at the beginning and in the rest of the novel we learn why. It was satisfying to see how the plot developed. At times I was exasperated by Julie, her drinking and her volatile relationship with Harry but this was central to the story and all the characters have flaws which makes them seem more real. I liked the twists and turns in the plot and, as JP tries to discover the truth about his sister, often thought I knew what was going to happen but was proved wrong, which kept me interested until the end. A good read!

The book started off very well for me, I really wanted to know why this murder occurred. I was intrigued by the approach and totally drawn in. I enjoyed the character, description and unfolding of the tale of the killer. I found the whole thing very credible but surprisingly having finished the book I felt slightly let down. The role of the police was peripheral, we learnt nothing from them and in the end the denouement was provided by one of the main characters. The relationship between police officers contributed little to the main story. I also found the elements of the book to be too stereotypical - potential spoiler alert here - i.e. rich privileged man can get .away with anything, unfulfilled wife takes to drink, overweight dishevelled police officer etc. On balance my view is positive but only just

Sensationalist soap – little more!

The blurb sounded intriguing. Then I read the book and realized, duh (!), of course, how convincing some blurb writers can be. Note to self: don’t believe every blurb you read! It’s the story of a horrific crime in which a man is hideously assaulted with a number one iron while his wife, stupefied by what she is witnessing, sits (also!) petrified, on the sofa.

We know, therefore, who perpetrated the crime: something made perfectly clear by the fact that said perpetrator walks into a police station immediately after committing it and confesses; hence the book’s title. So, since we know, both, ‘who and how-dunnit’, in order to ensure a reliable conviction, we – and the police – need a ‘why-dunnit’!

This need forms the basis of what follows; basically, the novel could have been sub-titled, ‘the narrative of a spoilt house-wife’ who proceeds to whinge, whine and wail her way tiresomely through the remainder of a tedious narrative, during which the other two main characters; the perpetrator and lead investigative officer, also tell their sides of the story. It’s a good idea and could have made for an engrossing read had the author possessed sufficient narrative skills to render it in the least bit engaging.

Why should a man randomly enter a house one evening and batter the husband to death while his wife helplessly looks on and leaves to confess to the deed to the police. A puzzle to the detective involved who cannot accept the story but can find no clue as to why it happened. It seems that the couple involved superficially have an ideal marriage concealing a story of obsession and possessive love that was doomed to spiral into tragedy. The tale is a very sad and sorry of betrayal, death, retribution and murder that end with some hope of redemption. The story shows how people’s lives develop and can become intertwined with disastrous results.

This is an exciting and enjoyable read set mainly in Ireland, and it has one of the best opening pages I've ever read.

The book begins and ends with a confession, and the story is basically a slow and tantalising reveal into why and how our main characters got to where they were, both physically and morally. All the main characters have a dark and dangerous side which is increasingly disclosed as the book rolls on.

The book is very atmospheric and mostly well-written (with one curious exception - the author confuses 'bringing' and 'taking' on several occasions - "bringing him to rugby matches" - grrr, no, it's "taking him to rugby matches"). Despite this minor flaw I'd definitely rate this as 5 stars and will look for other works by Jo Spain.

An unusual start to this psychological thriller where one knows the culprit from the beginning. Jo Spain tells the story by using the 3 main characters – the killer, the victim’s wife and the detective investigating the case.

Unusually, I didn’t guess the ending halfway through the book so I was kept guessing right to the end.

I have no hesitation in recommending this book.

An early confession but then we find out what led to the golf club attack . Gripping reading

Heard a lot of great things about this book and thankfully it was well deserved. Gripped me right from the start and did not let go til the end. Brilliant premise with not one but three intriguing main characters. Lost a point for being a bit predictable but otherwise great read. Will definitely look out for more by this author.

Slow buildup to an explosive finish. Quite a few twists and turns. Read this book over 2 days and thoroughly enjoyed it. Hope to read more from this author.

Julie and her husband are quietly watching TV one night when a young man casually strolls into their lounge and beats her husband into a coma with a golf club....and then hands himself in at the police station. And so begins this entertaining little book.

The story covers the three main characters: Julie, JP Carney (the man with the golf club) and Alice (the investigating police officer). The story flip flops back and forth between these characters as we learn about the events that bought them together. Julie and JP are very realistic characters and elicit varying degrees of sympathy and dismay in equal measure. Alice has her own character chapters but I felt that these didn't really add much to the story except to have a character there saying that they don't particularly believe what they are being told and that there must be more to it than first meets the eye.

The story doesn't exactly set the world on fire but it is interesting and absorbing enough to keep you going all the way to end. You will almost certainly work out what has happened before the end of the book but it doesn't spoil it.

Thanks to netgalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Written from three narrative views, The Confession takes us from the end to the beginning and back. The police seem irrelevant to the plot which parallels the stories of the wife of the victim and the attacker. We know who "did" it. We just do not know why, or even if there is a why.
Although thd focus is largely on the victim, Harry, it is his wife we need to watch as her life unravels and her obsession steps over the moral boundary.
Kept me reading even through the permutations of what "really" happened.

Julie meets Harry, a successful banker while an undergrad at Trinity College Dublin. They fall for each other quickly, and putting aside her relative lack of life experience, she accepts his marriage proposal. As the years go by, she doesn’t ask the questions she knows she should, and their relationship turns gradually into an uneasy alliance.

When Harry is a subject of a random attack, the Garda Siochana knows the culprit, but struggles to establish motive and intent.

The memorable opening scene of Jo Spain’s stand-alone crime novel thrills in its promise of a quality read, and The Confession lives up to its expectations.

DS Alice Moody wrestles to bring the case to the conclusion she suspects is the correct one, as the others on her team start to lose interest, and the story alternates between her progress, Julie’s story and that of the culprit.

While it does have a slight feel of a gangland novel about it when the Julie and Harry background becomes over long and perhaps too because of Harry’s amoral approach to his financial dealings and the culprit’s unhappy childhood, this is, in the main, head and shoulders above the competition.
Used as we have become to MS Spain’s great writing, sense of humour, sense of balance and timing and characterisation, she has created a first class flawed character in Alice, who holds it all together.

Highly recommended, with thanks to Netgalley and Quercus Books

This was the best book I've read in ages. Really good plot with back stories of characters emerging over time. The investigating police officer was entertaining, but a major blooper was made on their part during the investigation which seem a bit unbelievable! Good mystery read nevertheless.

Don’t we all carry an element of guilt around with us, perhaps some more than others. Secrets can erode the foundations of relationships. Guilty secrets can destroy lives. This author takes us on a riveting journey of doubt, blame and meticulous planning in this well thought out crime story.

Spain has woven the criminal activities of the bankers involved in the financial crisis of 2007 into this story of a senseless violent murder without any real rhyme and reason. Risk-taking banks, and greedy bankers caused what many economists consider to be the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression.

Harry is one of those bankers and Julie is his wife. The wife who sat and watched as a stranger bludgeoned her husband to death. Did shock and fear make her freeze or is there another more nefarious reason she didn’t lift a finger to help him?

The reader follows the story of Julie and the killer, as the police try to connect the dots in this supposedly spontaneous crime. Their childhoods, their relationships and their past in general. There must be some reason why JP walked into that particular house and picked that man.

Spain presents the perfect game of strategy between her protagonists with no prior connection to each other. Whilst both are busy evading the truth in an effort to keep the police in the dark, they re-evaluate their choices in life and how they paved the path to murder.

With compelling characters and an engrossing premise, Spain plays the long game with her plot. She keeps her readers hooked until the very last word.

I liked this book and found  it addictive reading. I resented leaving it to live the rest of my life. i just needed to know the why and the real who.

Who needs to confess - and about what?

Slowly, and inexorably we find out the truth and the reasons for the first, really big, confession.

Carefully crafted, this book takes you through the lives of the 2 story-tellers - that explain the final act.

Absolutely adored everything about this book. If you enjoy a good guessing game and love to read you won’t be disappointed