"I think of the crime shows I watch, in the early hours: the ones he says make me stupid. Cheap thrills for fat housewives, he calls her. But I find them riveting. They seem to make the hours pass more swiftly."

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I read this in one day on and off nursing my baby. Maybe it's because I watch and read a lot of true crime, but the crime podcast part of the story was the most believable and interesting part. Basically, a true crime podcast has decided to do a season on Hannah's husband's murder and the host is convinced Hannah was the murderer. Hannah doesn't actually remember that night...so that's the murder mystery.
There's also a ghost storyline, a catfish storyline and a bunch of mentions of disordered eating because Hannah works a clinic for teenagers with eating disorders.
Oh, and there's a whole domestic abuse plot.


There's a whole lot going on and it doesn't all work together. It feels like the author had a few separate stories and tried to unsuccessfully combine them all. I wanted the true crime podcast to be the main plot and I was let down.

The twists were predictable and I was left annoyed I spent a whole day reading this.

Ok, I'm officially on the Katie Lowe train! I loved The Furies and now this. I am a fan, So, the story itself is engaging and gripping the entire time- which makes a great thriller- BUT can we discuss her writing??? This book is so much more well-crafted and literary than your everyday thriller. It is complex, with beautifully developed characters with an emphasis on the fascinating main character. Very similar to how Ottessa Moshfegh words things, but not exact- just reminiscent, in my opinion. I love Ottessa as well and also think she is a beautiful writer.
The story is ultimately about Hannah, whose husband was murdered a decade before. Hannah was there, knocked unconscious, and can’t remember anything about it. She had always maintained her innocence, and someone else was arrested and convicted for the murder...filed away as a botched burglary. FORWARD TO THE PRESENT: Hannah and her daughter live with her fiancé. When a popular podcast called “Conviction” decides to focus on the decade-old murder of Hannah's husband, we learn that there are quite a few people who think Hannah knows more than she shared. I am going to zip my lips at that because there are some great twisty moments throughout and I hate spoilers. This book was fantastic. Katie Lowe is amazing. Thank you for the opportunity to read this early!

*Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Katie Lowe for an ARC of this book!*

NEXT UP ON Conviction...The brutal murder of Graham in his London home put home invader Michael in jail. But Graham's wife Hannah was at the scene, and claims not to remember a thing. Has the wrong suspect taken the fall for this grisly crime?

This is the dilemma Hannah faces, as Anna Byers' wildly popular crime podcast Conviction has chosen her case to explore and exploit, and the digging begins. Hannah has moved on now, 10 years later, to a quiet home in the countryside with new husband Dan and her daughter Evie. She has left her old profession and the terrible night she can't quite remember far behind, but the past can't stay buried forever. As the threats start coming her way and all eyes are cast in her direction, Hannah reconnects with a former colleague Darcy who has come into ownership of the mysterious Harkwood House, a haunting place that has mysterious ties to Hannah's grandmother and a terrifying incident from the past. Can Hannah muddle through her own memories to discover the truth about the night in question before she ends up behind bars and convicted for good?

I had such sky high expectations coming into this book due to what seemed like a fascinating premise. Possession's eye-catching, terrifying cover really helped to set the tone and I think may have given me some ideas from the beginning as far as what this book might be like. Unfortunately, the longer the story went on, the more convoluted it became, and I often felt like I was losing focus on the 'main' theme of the book. This is a book that tries to be a murder-mystery, a psychological thriller AND a ghost story...and suffers because of it. There were several interesting plot threads brought in throughout, which normally would lead to a big payoff or an "aha" moment at the end of the book...but for me, this one didn't have it. There is a 'fakeout' type twist towards the end, and I actually would have preferred the other ending because I think it fit the characters better and did the story justice. Since the timeline jumps around quite a bit and felt a bit messy, I think that the story would have benefited immensely from either a second narrator or simply first person narration. I never fully felt like I was in Hannah's mind, and I think for this story to work, that is essential.

Possession as a concept fits right in with the hot trend popping up in crime fiction recently: a podcast that blasts open the past and leaves the reader and 'listeners' questioning everything they thought they knew. There were some really interesting ideas here, but I wish Lowe had chosen one underlying theme for Hannah and just run with it. This was a unique read, however, and I am curious to see where Lowe's imagination will take her next!

Good read on an old crime re-opened for the wrong man who went to jail for a crime he did not commit. That’s what this new investigative podcast is telling all their listeners any way.

Psychiatrist mother and wife thinks she’s murdered her first husband. In fact she’s certain. Did she get away with the murder of her abusive husband that may have sent an innocent young man to jail for 10 long years? Or is something else going on? This book has so many twists and turns you’ll be tied up in knots guessing until you reach your a-ha moment. If you do!

A great new talent I am glad to have found. You’ll enjoy it too! Nicely done!

Imagine a true crime podcast digging into your past... Hannah’s life turns upside down when they reinvestigate her husbands murder.

What did I like? I loved the blurb but as I started reading I just think most of this situation could have been avoided if anyone told the truth. Lies, lies, and more lies. For me it’s just daunting to read when you know the characters are creating there own misery.

Would I buy or recommend? To each their own when it comes to reading this one. I had a hard time trying to understand where the author was taking us and that ending was just bleak.

I received a complimentary copy to read and voluntarily left an opinion.

To me, this book was kind of a mess. Many parts were gripping but the book was all over the place. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy in exchange for review.

Wow, what a great read. Pulls you in right from the beginning and gives you a great psychological thriller full of twists and turns. Definitely recommend for all readers of thrillers, suspense and mystery.

She finds her husband murdered in their bed, she can’t remember anything.

Years later Hannah has moved on from the trauma of her husband’s murder and is in a happy relationship with Dan. She's doing well at work, despite harbouring some negative feelings for her oldest friend, who also happens to be her boss.

All is going well (pretty much) until a new season of the podcast "Conviction" is advertised as covering her husbands murder. As the episodes air Hannah's life starts to crumble before her eyes.

A good thriller, the second half of the book better than the first. I didn't particularly like Hannah nor any of the other characters. If I don't feel that connection to the characters I typically don't love the book. It was good, don't get me wrong, just didn't grab me as it did others.

I'd give it 3.5 stars but not 4 so I'm rounding down.

Thank you to #Netgalley and @StMartinsPress for an advanced copy of Possession by Katie Lowe.

Imagine an intruder in your house. He knocks you out, and when you wake up, your husband is dead, the police are rolling their eyes at your story, and you cannot remember a thing. Ten years pass, your daughter is growing up, you have a new job, live in a new town, and are engaged to a wonderful man. Ok, it isn't perfect, the past always haunts you, but the police arrested the killer, and you believe the right man is behind bars.
So what could go wrong? Anna Byers and her true-crime podcast, Conviction, will tear Hannah's world apart. Season Four will feature The Murder of Graham Cattan, Hannah's husband, and let's be honest, there must be a whole closet full of skeletons waiting to fall out or this very popular podcast wouldn't be featuring this tale. Or perhaps, people will just say anything to have their fifteen minutes of fame, and no one really cares about the fallout.
As the story progresses the episodes of Conviction get more and more disturbing. Hannah hasn't let many people into her life since the murder, and not only does she doubt her own version of what happened, so do those closest to her. Except for Darcy Burke, the new owner of Harkwood House, a place that holds a special significance to Hannah. But as Hannah spirals out of control the line between truth and fiction blurs.
Lots of pieces from the past are revealed, and when the puzzle was complete, I was stunned. So many twists and turns, and while I had my suspicions about whodunnit, I was so wrong about the why.4.5 stars.

Ten years ago, Hannah’s husband, Graham, was lying on the floor with a knife in his neck. Did she murder him? She had always maintained her innocence, and someone else was arrested and convicted for the murder...filed away as a botched burglary.

Now, Hannah and her daughter live with her fiancé. When a popular podcast called “CONVICTION” decides to focus on the decade-old murder of Graham, it becomes apparent that the folks behind the podcast think Hannah is guilty, and they will do what they can to prove it...and help free the wrongly convicted man.

This is the type of psychological thriller that will keep you guessing the entire time...looking for clues even where they might not seem apparent. I was intrigued for most of the book, and originally thought this was trending towards a 4-star rating.

However...

There are some plot holes. Some of them are minor, as if the author wasn’t sure which direction the story was going in...and then never went back to clean up her earlier work after choosing her path forward. There is also a major plot hole towards the end that had me shaking my head. There are a few other things I am questioning, but I don’t want to put spoilers in this review.

3.5 stars rounded down.

This was a fun buddy read with Jayme. We definitely had some laughs discussing our various theories (some of mine were definitely ridiculous), and I think we both ended up feeling the exact same way about this one.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, author Katie Lowe, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 rounded down

London, 2008
Tap Tap Tap
The sound of her husband Graham’s blood , dripping on the floor.
But, Hannah cannot remember what happened the night he was killed.
Or, if she was the one wielding the knife.

Derbyshire, 2018

“CONVICTION” a popular podcast has decided to make Graham’s Murder- their next case.
Host Anna Byers, thinks the young man in jail has been wrongly convicted.
She doesn’t believe in Hannah’s dissociative amnesia.
She also doesn’t believe that Hannah is innocent of the crime.

Each section of the book goes back and forth in time, exposing the lies, secrets and omissions that will be revealed in the next episode of the Podcast, though it was a bit tricky figuring the format out.

PAY VERY CLOSE ATTENTION to each conversation because many drop revelations, casually, which have not been previously exposed.

This story will keep you guessing the entire time!
There is plenty of misdirection and several suspects to choose from....that is, if YOU think Hannah is innocent.
Even Hannah isn’t sure if she is.

I was intrigued but when the story wrapped up, there was a HUGE plot hole which I just couldn’t get past.
It made no sense to me.
For that reason, I rounded down.

Available January 26, 2021

Thank You to St. Martin’s Press for my gifted copy. It was my pleasure to provide an honest review!

I thought this was a really great book! It is suspenseful and interesting and just creepy enough. I really love novels coming out about podcasting and more modern things and I found this novel to do that in a really realistic way. I did not see the ending coming, and was satisfied with it- not always an easy thing to do in the mystery/thriller genre!

This book really kept me going.. There were parts that were a little hard to follow and the ending was a little over the top... Did they really have to kill Dan? Overall, it was. a great page turner.

Twists, turns, red herrings and an ending you won’t see coming! Possession, by Katie Lowe is a well honed thriller driven by flawed, believable characters. Moody, dark, with a Hitchcockesque flair. This is my first read by this author, it won’t be my last!

This book was good in premise. I loved the plot but found the book boring and at times confusing. It took me awhile to read it because I just wasn’t that interested and it could not keep my attention. The end was ok and picked up speed, but was a little predictable once the author decided where they were going with the story. Give it a chance, just wasn’t for me.

So, being a BIG FAN of a true crime podcast this book seemed really interesting to me.
This book begins with Hannah, whose husband was murdered. She was questioned but eventually the local authorities found the person who they believed murdered her husband. The police said that it was a burglary gone wrong.
Now, Decades later a podcast is going through the case again. With this podcast the creater is involved with thier own investigation and now they have decided that Hannah is the real killer and she was the one that got away with murder, allowing the boy to be framed for the murder while she went on living her life. While everything is going on Hannah is now working with teenagers with eating disorders and living the dream she was successful, she had a love life and her daughter was doing amazing with everything considered. Now, the past the murder everything is coming back to haunt her and to threaten her new life.
OMG this book is so great! The twist and the turns are absolutely stunning! This book is definitely written well and the plot is just great! I definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves thrillers and every statement will have you questioning every motive behind each character and who would really want Graham dead. The story of abuse, lies and betrayal that will leave you thinking about everything even after you finish the book!

Thank You NetGally, Publisher and Author for this gifted eBook

Summary
story of a woman whose husband was murdered ten years ago, and of the true-crime podcast that digs up all the secrets from her past she'd tried to keep buried...

Review
What did I just read? Can I just say AMAZING!!!!
From start to end.... this book did not disappoint.
One of the best thrillers I've read in a bit.
It will keep you on the edge of your seat the entire time.
It sure did mine.

Rating- 4/5
Overall- Fantastic Book
Originally published: July 22, 2020
Author: Katie Lowe
Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Psychological thriller, Crime Fiction

This was a story about being haunted by the people we disappoint.

I thought this was going to be a paranormal thriller (based on the title only) but it turned out to be real life scary instead. I appreciated the tense atmosphere & uncertainty threaded throughout- up until the very end I wasn’t really sure about any of the characters.. which paired with the narrative, and the protagonist who wasn’t even sure about herself.

Thanks Netgalley & St. Martins Press for this e-ARC.

This picks up around the halfway point, but it's a chore to get through until then. Also, I'm getting tired of these books where people don't say things to each other, instead marinating in their secrets. Or these books where people let their kids talk to them any kinda way. Once again, I am too Southern for that.

Thank you, St. Martin's, for this copy.

10 years after her first husband’s murder a podcast starts bringing suspission back to Hannah. Hannah is a psychiatrist with her life perfectly together with her daughter Evie and live in boyfriend Dan. She has no memory of her husband’s murder but is also unconviced of her own inocence since she knows she did pick up the knife that night since she was done with the abuse. As the story progresses Hannah’s mental health disintegrates. Could Hannah be following in her murderous grandmother’s footsteps and is she being haunted by her husband’s malicious ghost?
Possession is a tale that is non stop from the beginning. It grabbed my attention right away and held it all the way through. I honestly was kept guessing until the end. Though I had a theory of “who done it” I wasn’t sure as it was only one of a few. I really liked this book!