Harry McNamara and his wife Julie are watching television, at home, when a man calmly walks into their house and brutally murders Harry, as Julie paralysed with fear, watches in horror. A little later the same man walks into a police station and admits to killing Harry in an unpremeditated attack claiming that he didn't know his victim.

Knowing 'whodunnit' at the very start of the novel is an interesting premise as it allows not just a unique glimpse into the mind of the killer but it also lays bare the imperfections and cracks in the marriage of Harry and Julie. What then follows is a clever and twisted psychological thriller which puts under the microscope, not just the lives of Harry McNamara and his wife, but also the life and background of JP Carney, the man who is responsible for Harry's murder. And as the complex reasons for the killing start to unfold, so a story of lies, deceit and deadly secrets starts to emerge.

Of course, there is more to the story than at first appears and the lead detective on the case, Alice Moody, is determined to pick holes in JP’s story. She will leave no stone unturned and no suspicion unchallenged in her quest to find out just what motivated JP to commit such a seemingly random act of appalling violence.

The story abounds with a real sense of foreboding, and, as it skips around in time, so it exposes the complexities of the central characters and these are highlighted with clever precision, and a real sense of style. No one is beyond reproach, indeed not many of the characters are even remotely likeable, and yet, there is such a clever sophistication to the story that you can't help but find yourself taking sides, first with one character, and then another, until you don’t really know where your loyalties lie or who is telling the truth .

Rather unusually for me, I didn’t see the direction the story was heading and there were many times I thought I had it all sussed out only for the plot to veer off in a completely different direction, so the dénouement when it comes was , for me, a real eye opener.

Without doubt The Confession is a really clever psychological thriller with one of the best opening lines I have read in a long, long time. Shall I tell you what it is ….er no, read it for yourself, you won’t be disappointed.

A man walks into the home of a disgraced banker and his wife, Julie. The man launches an unspeakable attack on Harry as a horror struck Julie watches., frozen with fear. The attacker then hands himself into the police. He claims he did not know the identity of his victim but the Detectives can not help wondering if this really was a random attack of violence.

Jo Spain certainly knows how to pull you in and have you engrossed in the book from the first few pages. The characters in the book are not very likeable but that is how they need to be to make the story work. I did not know where the story was going as there were many twists and surprises. The ending was not what I expected either. This is a dark, gripping and cleverly written book. This is my first Jo Spain book but it won't be my last. I do highly recommend this book.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Quercus Books and the author Jo Spain for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

An unusual tale. We have a seemingly unconnected beating and have to unravel our way forward and back till we eventually get to the truth. Well written,if unsympathetic,characters.

A book that draws you in from the beginning the relationship between Julie and Harry was toxic from the moment they met so intense they couldn't live without each other but they both had so many issues j p's life was so difficult and sad loved the relationship between him and his sister the combination of alcohol, cheating and violence makes for a great read good story from beginning to end

This is my kind of novel. Slick, intelligently written, with a strong plot and interesting characters.
From the first page it hints that there is more going on between the lines than the author is prepared to let on just yet. I found myself twisting and turning the possibilities round in my head, trying to guess which way the story would run.
Some lovely plot twists and those 'Oh!!!!!' moments throughout made this a very enjoyable read that took up most of my weekend then some of my husband's when I raved about it to him.
Many thanks for the opportunity.

CONFESSION (noun) A formal statement admitting that one is guilty of a crime

CONFESSION (mass noun) ‘proof of this crime must be established by confession’

JP Carney is guilty. He walks into the million pound property of wealthy bank owner Harry McNamara and in front of his wife Julie methodically, with a golf club, beats Harry to near death.

Julie can only sit and watch, paralysed, unable to act. When Carney finishes, and walks out, Julie calmly goes upstairs changes her soiled trousers before calling the police.

An hour later Carney walks into a police station and confesses to Harry’s murder, claiming the crime was not premeditated and he did not know the identity of his victim.

Detective Alice Moody believes otherwise, how can anyone not know who Harry McNamara is after his fraud trial and subsequent acquittal. Moody is convinced Carney knew exactly what he was doing and is hellbent on discovering the truth.

And so we embark on a novel with so many twists, turns and revelations that will, by the end, leave you quite exhausted!

On top of all that its a novel that examines the choices the characters make, their upbringing and events that have a last effecting on the course of their lives.

Take our murderer, JP Carney. Raised in London by a mother who suffered severe depression and would finally leave, and a father slowly but surely succumbing to alcoholism unable to cope with JP and his younger sister Charlie. When they return to his father’s Irish homeland it is Carney who goes out to earn money, by illegal and legal means, moving into a flat and ultimately raising his sister. He is a loner, unable to connect or rely on others, and in some ways you do feel sorry for him, a victim of the actions of others.

Julie is the polar opposite. Raised in a large Irish family, the first to attend university she meets and marries Harry McNamara, owner of HM Capital, Ireland’s most prominent bank. Julie experiences wealth beyond her wildest dreams, yet finds it hard to adjust, pursing a career as a teacher trying to lead an ordinary life in a surreal and privileged world. But money can’t buy you happiness and Harry is not quite who he seems as Julie begins to find out. I found Julie hugely annoying, each time she discovered another of Harry’s misdemeanours and decided to leave him there was always something that pulled her back. Their codependency is deep and complex yet all prevailing. I am not sure even with all of Harry’s wealth I would have stayed.

Alice Moody is the tenacious detective, not willing to leave a stone unturned, convinced Carney knew exactly what he was doing. I loved that she wasn’t portrayed as your pretty, slim, attractive to men kind of detective, that so many authors plump for. Moody is overweight, has heaps of attitude, yet is respected by those she works with. She was perfect for this role and it is almost a race between her and Julie to discover the reason for Carney’s actions.

Spain cleverly uses the voices of each of the characters so that we see the story from all perspectives. It allowed the emotional turmoil and sheer desperation felt by Julie and Carney in particular to shine through. I felt Spain handled this superbly in what is a complex novel never confusing the reader but allowing them to form their own opinions and come to their own conclusions.

When all the various strands finally come together and the truth is revealed I was quite breathless.

This is a novel that will send you here, there and everywhere, on a veritable roller coaster that never seems to stop. It is brilliant and will definitely one of the books of 2018!

Thank you to Quercus and Hannah Robinson for the proof copy to read and review and for the ever lovely Anne Cater for organising and allowing me to be part of the blog tour

First it must be said that I received this book via Netgalley in return for an honest review.

Although this book is set in Ireland it strangely has an American feel to it possibly because two of the three main characters Harry and Julie Mcnamara are somewhat larger than life.

All characters are richly embroidered and realistic and come to mean something to the reader. But one's loyalty to each character swiftly changes as the story unfolds. None of them however, are completely likeable, but of course their flaws are quite believable.

This is a sinister tale with twists along the way, just when you think you have it sussed it takes a new and usually ugly turn.

Not quite an unputdownable book, it is eminently readable. If you like lighter thriller that is not too taxing then this for you.

The confession

The book starts at the end of the story. A vision of a happy couple who are attacked in their own home, which is seemingly random. What's more unusual is the assailant hands himself in straight away at the local police station.
We then start to go through the build up to that day. It's a story set in Ireland, linking to the financial boom, inevitable crash, dodgy bankers and teenage lust. It could almost be a version of fifty shades gone horrribly wrong.
A wife who starts out innocent, but turns to drink, the older man; rich and obsessive. (Unfortunately the obsession is his money and other women)
The family who move back to Ireland, also torn apart by alcohol, and then a seemingly unconnected accident.

As we go through the story we are reminded life with money may look easier but it often isn't, it was tough to make it in Ireland back then, and more importantly the truth can save you.
This book covers a variety of topics including rape, adultery, drugs, mental health and depression, alcoholism, and greed (disguised as the banking scandal). For me there's a big helping of self confidence and self worth issues being tackled. The overweight police officer who feels unattractive, the wife who questions her ability to provide, or be enough, the friends whose perceptions are altered by knowledge of money. The brother who will do anything to protect his sister. And the 'Banker' who always needs to do more and prove he can best anyone.

I like that we learn a little about DS Moody's history, as a small but important character it adds value, I wish we had learned more about Harry, the husband - To know if the truths he told his wife, Julie were accurate.

Whatever hype you may have heard about this book, believe it, every last word is true, and probably expressed far better than I can hope to.

It is incredibly addictive I read it in two sittings, and that was only because my eyes were hurting and I was tired so thought I would read all the key second half of the book until I was alert enough to take it all in.

This is a book told in three perspectives, Julie, Harry McNamara's wife, JP Carney the man who an hour after assaulting Harry with Julie witnessing confesses to his crime, and Alice Moody the police detective in charge or trying to work just whether JP was insane or whether the crime was premeditated.

Throughout the book you learn about JP's back story as well as all the ins and outs of Julie's marriage to Harry. And just when you think you have a grip on things, a new piece of information comes to light making you rethink everything.

The Confession is a very clever book, and takes a look at the banking crisis of the last decade in Ireland, as the Celtic Tiger both boomed and busted and gives you a real look at how the other half lived. By the same token we also saw the absolute other end of life in Ireland, and at times I did have some sympathy with the assailant.

This feels like quite a fresh concept and not one I had particularly read before, although others that read more deeply in the genre may disagree. I just couldn't help but continue to turn the pages as we discover just how fantastic Jo Spain is at creating believable characters. I didn't necessarily like Julie and Harry the whole time but there was enough humanity about them that meant I had empathy for them.

I can't do justice to how brilliant this book is, I can barely you give you any hints as to the details as everything is relevant, I will though highly recommend you give it a read for yourself.

Thank you to Netgalley and Quercus for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

Well this is certainly different. It’s full of twists and turns, and you don’t know who is really telling the truth!

Very well written, and it’s surprising how Money corrupts and people think they can get away with anything.

I wasn’t sure if I’d like the switch between characters all the time, but I got used to it. the police didn’t seem to have too much of an active role, it was more Julie, Harry and JP and their lives.

I did think the ending let it down somewhat, I’m not sure what I was expecting but it wasn’t that.

All in all I’d give it 4 stars.

My thanks to netgalley for the advanced copy.

A thoroughly gripping read - I raced through this book. I enjoyed the building of the story from the two different sides and the coming together at the end was fabulously done. Highly recommended.

The Confession is the first book by Jo Spain that I’ve read, so I didn’t know what to expect. But the blurb interested me and I’m delighted to say that I enjoyed this book and as this is Jo Spain’s fifth book I’ll be able to read more of her work. She is the author of the Inspector Tom Reynolds Mystery books, police procedurals based on the investigations of a Dublin-based detective team. The Confession is a standalone book.

Set in Ireland, it begins as Harry McNamara, a banker, recently cleared of multiple accounts of fraud, is brutally attacked in his own home in front of his wife, Julie. The attacker, JP Carney immediately goes to the police and confesses that he had killed Harry. JP insists he doesn’t know the identity of the man he attacked and that he didn’t know what had come over him – it was as though he’d been possessed.

It’s narrated from three different perspectives – that of Julie, JP and DS Alice Moody, leading the investigation. So, was JP telling the truth, did he really know who Harry was and why did he attack him so viciously that he died after being in a coma for several days? What did he whisper in Harry’s ear as he left him at the end of the attack? And why did Julie just sit there watching?

These questions form the focus of the book, as Julie and JP go back over their lives, leading up to that fatal attack. At first it isn’t at all clear what had actually led up to JP’s attack on Harry, but it is clear that he hadn’t had an easy life, growing up with a mother suffering from mental health issues who left him with his shiftless father. Julie and Harry’s marriage was in difficulties, despite his wealth – he was unfaithful and she resorted to alcohol to compensate for his neglect. They’re all flawed characters and not very likeable. Alice Moody is, however, a likeable character, astute and suspicious of JP’s account right from the start.

There are several twists and turns before I began to see the light, after changing my mind the truth of the matter, first leaning one way then another. But I hadn’t foreseen the final twist. The characters are well-drawn and the book is well paced. I didn’t find it thrilling or chilling after the opening chapter, but I was gripped by the story and I had to read it quickly to find out what really happened.

My thanks to the publishers for a review copy via NetGalley.

The Confession is a wonderful psychological thriller .Set in Ireland it is a story of corruption ,secrets lies and murder .It is told through the min characters each revealing a little more until the story hurtles to its conclusion .this is a very gripping book that is very hard to put down and brilliantly written .Loved it !

4.5 star review.
When a stranger walks into a house, beats up the husband as the wife watches frozen, unable to do anything to help or stop the attack, you know there will or should be a pretty good reason for it.

Oh! This is a good read, a well paced psychological thriller.  It is set over several years, filling in the background of the main characters.  The chapters are told by different characters and from their own perspectives.  They flit between times and places with quick succession.  It did take me a few chapters to get to grips with this, occasionally loosing what time I was in, but its one of those books that, as you read you get to learn the style and format. 

The characters themselves, I have mixed opinions on some and changes my opinion on others.  This is a good thing by the way, for me it means the author has manipulated my feelings as I have read and therefore my opinion matches the character as they change, or you learn more about them. Now as for the plot, it is one of those deliciously deep and twisty ones that kept me guessing, even when things were being drawn together for the conclusion a few more sneaky twists were included in this slippery tale.

This is a book that I would definitely recommend to readers who like a good psychological thriller with twists that are revealed at the end with extra twisty bits.  It also has elements that show the contrasts of two different social backgrounds, one poor and one rich, the haves and the have nots.  A well written and executed read that kept me turning the pages avidly.

What a rollercoaster of a read. Julie is married to Harry who has just been cleared after a long trial for fraud (He owns a bank) when he is attacked in their house in front of her by an intruder. He survives the attack and the attacker hands himself in but cannot remember anything about the attack. Harry then dies of his injuries. Is there any connection between them or is it as the attacker says? This is narrated by three people : Julie (the wife), JP (the attacker) and Alice (the policewoman). As the story unravels the connection becomes apparent but there is still a final twist at the end. this is brilliantly written and will keep you guessing right to the very end. Loved it.

I’m beyond excited to be joining the blog tour for The Confession and my thanks to Anne Cater of Random Things Tours for the invitation. This is the first book I’ve actually read by Jo Spain although I have been collecting her DI Tom Reynolds series and I shall be making even more effort to get to those sooner rather than later.

“It’s the first spray of my husband’s blood hitting the television screen that will haunt me in the weeks to come – a perfect diagonal splash, each droplet descending like a vivid red tear.

That, and the sound of his skull cracking as the blows from the golf club rain down”

With an opening first line like this, who could resist being reeled in.

The Confession is not so much a ‘who-dunnit’ as a ‘why-did-it-happen’. We find out in the first few pages who both the victim and the attacker are but the question is why. Why did JP Carney enter into the McNamara house and beat Harry senseless and why did Harry’s wife Julie just sit and watch. And the most perplexing question of all, why did Carney hand himself in to the police and confess a short time after.

Without a doubt, this will be one of my favourite books of 2018. I was reeled in from the very first page and I was just so totally engrossed throughout. With alternating chapters told by JP, Julie (Harry’s wife) and Alice (the detective), a picture builds up of the lives of those involved and the circumstances that led to this carnage.

Harry was not a blameless victim, he was an extremely rich and well connected banker who had been facing a fraud investigation. His dodgy business dealings and loose morals aside, he wasn’t without charm and it was easy to see why people were taken in by him. Through Julie’s eyes, we see their relationship from their first meeting, and then are privy to the tribulations of their marriage – which perhaps could be described as ‘lovingly toxic’. The old cliche of money not always bringing happiness was certainly true here.

JP was the biggest enigma of all. He had had a difficult background but came across as mostly a basically decent man so why…..? It’s quite rare that I actually feel sorry for the perpetrator in crime stories, but here I did have a lot of sympathy for JP.

Alice Moody is one of the police officers investigating and she was a great character. Certain things didn’t add up for her; she was like a terrier and relentless in trying to get to the truth. It felt at times that she was completely on her own as even some of her colleagues thought we have our man, just let it go.

The Confession is a perfectly crafted thriller with such detailed and realistic characterisation. People have their secrets and loyalties are tested to the extreme. Jo Spain’s talent is in making you care about the characters; using their flaws together with clever plotting to achieve this. Just when you think you have it all worked out, along comes another little curve ball which throws doubt into your mind. I loved it and The Confession thoroughly deserves all the success I’m sure is coming its way.

My thanks to the publisher for the ARC to review.

This review is written with thanks to Quercus Books and Netgalley for my copy of The Confession.
Harry McNamara was one of the world's richest bankers. One night, he is attacked in his home, while his wife, Julie, can do nothing but watch. The perpetrator, JP Carney, later presents himself at the local police station claiming he was in a psychotic state and his actions were nothing more than an opportunistic attack. However, the police believe there must be a link between the perpetrator and the victim. What really happened on the night Harry McNamara was attacked?
I felt that the overriding tone of The Confession was one of unease: I had a feeling as a reader, just like the police, that something wasn't quite right and perhaps someone was holding something back. This piqued my interest and drew me in to what is ultimately a dark and disturbing plot.
The timeline of The Confession moves between the past and the present, and this helps Spain to build up a picture of Harry and Julie's relationship and Harry's work as a banker. This did become a little confusing in places, as I'm not a financial expert! However, I found it fascinating, as I began to learn what made Harry and Julie tick and how they worked together as a couple.
The Confession is narrated in alternate chapters by Julie, Detective Sergeant Alice Moody and JP Carney. This gives the reader insight into the thought processes of all the main characters in the investigation, and allows Spain to maintain the sense of intrigue. It was particularly interesting to learn more about JP's background through this technique.
Overall, The Confession is an exciting psychological thriller which kept me intrigued as the plot unravelled.

We’re only just starting 2018 and already I have a book that will definitely be in my top reads this year. Can you believe it? Well The Confession WILL be in there, my head is still spinning after reading this a few days ago, what a cracker it is.
From page one The Confession had me totally hooked, gee whizz what a prologue. Talk about chilling, spine tingling and jaw dropping. Yes that’s what we start with in The Confession and I have to recommend you don’t start this late one evening as you really wont want to put it down.
Just from reading the description we know that JP Carney has attacked Harry McNamara, what we don’t know is why. What could possibly be the reason for such a brutal attack and is all as it seems? Well Jo Spain takes the reader on a roller coaster of a ride with many twists and turns, I hadn’t a clue who to trust or believe.
Very cleverly written it tells the story not only in the present but we get to hear about the past’s of JP and Julie and Harry McNamara. I have to confess that I did actually feel quite sorry for JP, although he has committed a horrendous crime, things haven’t been easy for him. Harry on the other hand is a despicable man, not nice at all. We really get a feel for the characters throughout the book and one particular character I did like was Alice Moody, she’s a detective investigating the crime and a real down to earth character.
This is a really hard book to review as I really want to tell everyone about it but I don’t want to spoil it for anyone. Argh don’t you just hate it when that happens, but oh boy this really is a book you must read. If you’re a fan of psychological thrillers that are filled with suspense, twists, turns and are total page turners then this is definitely a book for you.

The Confession is a book that has been getting lot of hype on social media and, I’m always slightly nervous about starting books like that. There’s always the worry that I won’t enjoy it as much as everyone else and will spend my days explaining why I don’t like it to fellow confused book lovers. With The Confession I needn’t have worried as I am pleased to re port it is a fantastic and addictive read that truly deserves the hype.

The story opens with a gruesome attack on banker Harry McNamara which is a fairly shocking opener and definitely ensured that I was hooked early on. Te reader finds out who was responsible for the attack a few pages in when the suspect turns himself into the police a few hours after the attack. This did leave me wondering where on earth the story was going to go as half the fun in such books is figuring out who has done the murder. However the author had something much more clever and compelling in mind.

The story is told from three separate points of view.; Julie (Harry’s wife), Alice Moody (the investigating police officer) and JP Carney (the attacker). Throughout the book the reader is taken back over the character’s past and discovers what had happened that provoked such a violent attack on Harry. Through this we discover the true state of Harry and Julie’s marriage and unearth some of the dark secrets contained there. We discover exactly what sort of man harry was and why someone would attack him. We are also taken back over JP’s childhood and early life to discover a sad history of neglect and abuse that was very poignant to read about.

The character development in this book is brilliant and I found myself changing my opinion on them as the book progressed. My favourite character was actually JP (yes the attacker!). His story was a very sad one and I found myself feeling a lot sympathy for him and the hard decisions he had to make. He had to take on a lot of responsibility quite young and I found myself admiring him for doing this. His loyalty toward others and how he puts his life eon hold for them was very admirable. Alice was another great character who I enjoyed reading about. She was very clever and thorough, refusing to give us even when everyone else had made up their minds. I like that she wasn’t perfect and had flaws as it made her seem so much more human. Her banter with DS Gallagher was very funny to read about and helped provide a few lighter moments that broke the tension. I really disliked Julie, finding her incredibly silly and naive. I did feel sorry or her and the situation she finds herself in but I was almost screaming at her to wise up at times as she seemed so determined to hide her head in the sand.

The back stories of the characters gradually reveals the secrets they have been hiding, and a few twists revelations definitely kept my interest and made me want to keep reading. The story is very compelling and I found myself looking forward to picking up the book again to find out what was going to happen. For this reason I think it would be a good book club read as I think it would be a book that everyone would enjoy and be able to read fairly quickly as they would find it impossible to put down.

This is Jo Spain’s second book and I will look forward to reading more from her. If you are a fan of clever, compelling and utterly addictive thrillers you will love this!

Thank you to Quercus books and Anne Cater for my copy of this book and for inviting me onto the blog tour.

Ok, confession time...(haha - see what I did there?) Do you have a favourite book?

Don't give me that "How could you?" look. I know you love ALL the books you own. They are ALL deserving of your love and attention. But what about authors? Can you have favourites of those? Yes?Well ok, then.

I have to confess that this one was special. And Jo Spain, dare I say it? Yes I do - you're one of my favourites.

Harry is famous and wealthy and married and charismatic and handsome and - I'm sure you get the picture, he has it all. Until one night he is attacked in his home by an intruder, who promptly admits that he did it, hands himself over and gets arrested. Now Harry's wife Julie can sleep at night, tucked up in their secure and glamorous home on a golf estate. Except you know she can't. Something's wrong. This is too neat and tidy, and JP's confession is too...well, convenient.

Secrets and lies, layers upon layers of them emerge. Secret secrets and lies about lies. Alice Moody is in charge of the police investigation, and she is marvellous (another favourite, I think). As each truth is teased out, every gaping hole exposed and the last defining detail proved beyond doubt, we are left gasping, breathless, yet unable to look away. Or stop reading.

I dare you to put this book down once you've started. Ok, maybe for a cup of tea while you put the pieces of your shattered heart back together. But not for any longer. As one reviewer has already pointed out, we need a new word for gripping, when it comes to describing The Confession.