Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for this ARC.

Simply put: Paula Daly is the Queen. I have inhaled every book of hers and none of them have ever been a disappointment, including this one. She has such a way with descriptions, imagery and well developed characters. Everything is laid out so perfectly, and every book is a tart, crisp apple. I love the upswing in strong, independent female characters. Tess is especially complex and I loved that despite her dark past and her clear disdain for herself, she fought for the justice of others. Women draw strength from other women, and we need to continue to have strong female characters by incredible authors available to us. I definitely recommend this book, pick it up ASAP and devour it - then start on Paula Daly’s others.

This is not my first time reading a book by this author. I really liked the way the story flowed. It moved at a steady pace and kept you wanting to know more. I felt like the characters were very believable and well developed. It was definitely worth the binge reading that I did to finish because I had to know the outcome. Thank you to Netgalley for an Arc of this book for my honest opinion. I would recommend this book . You will definitely be flipping those pages . Good job!

I have read all of Paula Daly’s books, and could not wait to read Clear My Name, it did not disappoint. I couldn’t put it down, so suspenseful, with a huge final twist, definitely worth reading!

Paula Daly has a distinctive style. I’ve read all her books. Each one has held my interest. I’m a huge fan!!!
Once again, Paula demonstrates that she is a storyteller of unique eye-opening gifts.
Fascinating on many levels...there are scenes in this novel that had me reflecting about the choices we make - and how they impact those around us.

Her characters are not extraordinary heroics ...rather they tend to be ordinary & deceptive...trying to conceal their true natures of their solitary minds.

“Clear My Name”....is another page turning compelling - psychological suspenseful read.
Daly is a writer of subtle strength....evoking great imagery of small-town life,
( ‘Morecambe’ is the opposite of a sprawling metropolis), ....with a winning figure of protagonist- *Tess Gilroy*- who seeks out the truth about a murder —
freeing people who have been wrongly convicted of crimes.
Tess’s team looks into alleged miscarriages of justice and works on behalf of those
incarcerated to try to find out what really happened.
“What she, (Tess), didn’t expect was for her past to come hurtling towards her, slamming into her like a high-speed train and railing her thoughts, her life, in the way it has”.

Tess Gilroy - 40ish - has worked with criminals her entire life. She knows what makes them tick from the early days as a probation officer. A pro- experienced - in other words.
She’s the only paid employee at Charity of Innocence UK.

Avril Hughes is new with Innocence UK....and ‘green’. Avril is 25...assigned to follow Tess around everywhere and learn from the best. She’s kinda adorable in her annoying chatterbox way.

Tess and Avril take on the investigation of *Carrie Kamara*.
Carrie has been in Styal Women’s Prison, for three years - of a fifteen year sentence - accused of killing her husband’s lover: Ella Muir.
Carrie’s blood was found inside Ellis house but she swears she never went inside.
It’s possible that the evidence presented by the prosecution in court wasn’t accurate… And that’s what Tess - and her apprentice- Avril need to find out.

The psychiatrist working for the prosecution had claimed Carrie was a high functioning psychopath.
Carrie worried upon entry to Styal Prison how this would affect each prisoners view of her. She worried they would knock her out.
But in actuality, Carrie experienced camaraderie with the other women in prison.

Carrie lived for phone calls and visits from her daughter Mia and her new grandbaby, Phoebe. Carrie was worried and panicked for her daughter, Mia. They were close- entangled together - unbearable for either of them to be separated.
As for Carrie’s husband, Pete.... she didn’t give a rats ass about him. Mia didn’t think much of her father either. Carrie Knew Pete had affairs with women. She accepted it. She simply asked that he didn’t flaunt his affairs around town.
With Morecambe being the small town that it was ....Carrie didn’t like the community and or Mia watching Pete and Ella’s shenanigans in public.
Carrie went to see Ella at her house. She asked if she would cool the public displays. It wasn’t helpful to their daughter, Mia.
Apparently- Ella agreed. All was done and said cordially. In fact ....Ella heard Carrie - so well - that she herself was quoted saying that she was done sneaking off with married men.
So.....the question to ask.... “why would Carrie kill Ella?”.....”wouldn’t she have too much to risk?” ....”like leaving Mia?”

Tess’s investigation wasn’t a piece of cake in any shape or form. One minute she ( and we the readers), think Carrie is Innocent- and the next minute guilty.

Several other people are investigated. Ella’s mother, Sandra.....her brother, Kyle...etc.

We meet DI Gillian Frain....late 30’s. She was a senior investigating officer when Ella Muir was murdered. Tess wants to see the forensic reports from Frain.
Tess wants to know if tapings were done - if fibres were taken from both the victims clothes and the suspects clothes at the time of the investigation to establish whether they were in contact with each other the day of Ella’s murder.
If Carrie was convicted by omission of evidence- she was definitely sent to prison as an innocent person.
And that’s what Tess needs to find out....( and she will - but not without an endless ruthless fight).....
But...something else is going on in this story.....BESIDES painful secrets Tess is dealing with....( which makes Tess a beautifully flawed character).....
Haunting ethical questions are raised by the novels ending.
Personally - I was left feeling goodness prevails. Paula Daly’s effort to do justice - aesthetic and moral - to the victims felt bold and honorable to me.

What more to say? I simply adore Paula Daly’s murder mystery- thrillers ( not graphic-slashers) .... but it’s the emotional scope that is larger and more complex which resonates with me.
Loved it! Loved it! Loved it! I Love Paula Daly....❤️

Thank you Grove Atlantic ....Netgalley....Edelweiss....( always appreciate a wonderful advance copy of a book I really want to read-ASAP).... and congrats to Paula!!

I received an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book was something else. I loved it, and I loved all of the female characters, even though they were often at war with each other and themselves. Daly’s game is just getting stronger and stronger. I can’t wait to read her next one. Kept me guessing the whole way and I didn’t see any of the twists coming. Easy 5

received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.

This was an interesting premise: Tess is the investigator for a charity called Innocence UK, which identifies miscarriages of justice and works towards appeal. Here Tess has to determine whether Carrie killed her husband's girlfriend four years ago. Tess is being shadowed by a new recruit, Avril. The relationships between Tess and Avril and Tess and Clive (her married lover) were well-done, and the investigating scenes were interesting. Sadly Tess had a 'big secret' from her past which (surprise) became entwined in the current case, causing her to behave in a disappointing way.

The very ending was one of a type of which I am not fond (and I didn't really understand why Tess was so sure things would escalate so suddenly - although of course she was right). Still, I read it in more or less one sitting and found it a page-turner: recommended.

Paula Daly has done it again with Clear My Name with her masterful plotting and developed characters!.

Tess works for Innocence UK. The team takes on the case of a woman who claims to be wrongly convicted despite her DNA being found at the scene. The twists and turns of the story kept me guessing until the very end! If I were to see another story featuring the same characters by the same author, I would definitely pick it up.

Innocence UK is dedicated to freeing people who were wrongly convicted of crimes. Tess has been working with them for many years, and points out that so far, all the people they have served have been men. She proposes the case of a woman convicted of the murder of her husband's girlfriend. Tess believes that studying all the facts will lead them to the truth, so she begins her review of the case. She is given the added responsibility of training a new employee while also dealing with her ersatz boyfriend. Can Tess find the truth? And will the truth tell the whole story?

I do love all British mysteries and thrillers! This one was a true page-turner! Carrie is in prison having been found guilty of murdering her husband’s lover. She has always protested her innocence. Her case comes before Innocence UK, a charity that looks at cases where the convicted person may have been unjustly found guilty. They decide to take on Carrie’s case. Tess is a full time employee for the charity and the case takes her back to where she grew up. There she must confront the past, which is only gradually revealed to the reader.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Clear My Name by Paula Daly is a suspense filled mystery with richly developed and dynamic characters. Interesting premise with an unexpected ending. Hard to put down. Here's hoping there be more cases for Innocence UK with Tess leading the team.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

As an employee of a charity that works to overturn convictions of wrongfully incarcerated prisoners, Tess takes on the case of a woman convicted of murdering her husband’s girlfriend. It was interesting to follow a case from this perspective, seeing the differences between the original investigation and the one done to prove a convict innocent. I found Clear My Name a compelling read, well-plotted with interesting characters. There is a separate but intersecting plot line involving Tess’s daughter which adds depth and motivation to the characters and story. Unfortunately, the only really likable, relatable character in the book is the daughter. She added a bright spot to what is otherwise a dark story. This is a compelling page-turner but, in spite of a ray of hopefulness at the end, it didn’t fill my need for a satisfying conclusion.

Clear My Name by Paula Daly
This adult thriller/mystery kept my interest the whole time. Tess works for Innocence UK, a company who works to free inmates falsely convicted of a crime. When they come across a murder victim who claims she is innocent, despite there being DNA evidence at the scene, despite the murder victim being the prisoner’s mistress, despite her vehicle being seen in the area at the time of the murder, Tess feels she may be telling the truth. Either way, it’s up to Tess to take a good hard look at the evidence and see which way the evidence points. The case takes her to her childhood home. The one place she never wanted to return to because of a painful past. Tess must face the life she left while helping a woman who is completely innocent, or is she? Definitely a page-turner. #Clearmyname #PaulaDaly

Great procedural, background and character development. This novel kept me entertained, intrigued, and wondering how Carrie was framed. Was I convinced that she was innocent? Yes. But how did the real killer frame her? Highly recommended.

Perfect for fans of Liane Moriarty and Lisa Jewell, this British import kept me guessing until the end and definitely surprised me.

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

Tess runs Innocence UK, a program that attempts to free people wrongly convicted of crimes from prison. The truth is that Tess believes that most of the people behind bars are exactly where they belong. Now she’s being handed the case of a woman convicted of killing her husband’s lover; Carrie insists she’s innocent despite the evidence stacked against her. Tess and her investigator in training, Avril examine the facts of the case, trying to determine if Carrie is really innocent, or just a really good liar. I like the way Daly plays cynical Tess against the incredibly naive Avril and manages to turn whatever you, as the reader, are thinking, completely upside down