*The Trial* by Jo Spain is a tense and gripping psychological thriller that explores the complexities of justice, guilt, and morality. Set in a courtroom during a high-profile trial, the novel revolves around the characters involved, with a focus on the accused and the deeply personal stakes at play. As the trial unfolds, secrets and hidden motivations emerge, keeping the reader on edge until the final pages.

Spain’s writing is sharp and evocative, and she does an excellent job of creating suspense through her well-drawn characters. The novel’s structure, with multiple perspectives and shifting timelines, adds layers of intrigue, making it hard to put down.

While the pacing occasionally slows in the middle, the overall suspense and emotional depth make *The Trial* a compelling read. It’s an excellent choice for fans of legal thrillers and character-driven mysteries.

A brilliant twisty dual-timeline crime thriller from a fabulous storyteller and one of my favourite authors.

A large pharmaceutical company seeks to add credibility to its clinical trials by partnering with a prestigious Dublin college to analyse the results and monitor side effects for regulatory approval. However, a whistleblower raises concerns and Dani goes into the college undercover as a professor in the same History department where she was a student 10 years ago.

Dani had a difficult time at university as her boyfriend of 18 months, French medical research student Theo, went missing and has still not been found. She is wary of taking the assignment, but she is in a unique position to be able to undertake the role. Her proximity to the department a decade ago is risky, she hasn't revealed the full extent of this to her team, but she hopes she might finally get some answers as well as uncovering what the pharmaceutical company and college are trying to hide.

Wow, well that got under my skin and totally hooked me in.

I'm not necessarily a fan of books with detailed medical research as frankly it goes over my head, but the story around the clinical trial at the centre of this book was utterly compelling reasoning.

Dani has always been haunted by what happened ten years ago with Theo, even more so when she is back at the same college, in her new job and reminders are absolutely everywhere.

There are so many layers to this fascinating story, which is told in dual timeline, both featuring Dani's time at this college - both as a student and now as a professor. And I felt for her a lot during the book, she's really not had an easy time of it since the events in 2014 that kicked everything off.

There are secrets galore, and I was totally hooked, to the extent I ignored real life for a couple of hours in order to finish the second half of the book in one sitting. I had to know how things were going to turn out and I was definitely in for some surprises.

Another brilliant book from the always talented Jo Spain.

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

Not the kind of trial I was expecting but a brilliant read nonetheless. The descriptions meant that I could see the action in my mind's eye perfectly and I was able to empathise with the main character.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

Dani has a boyfriend, Theo, who disappears, while they’re both at College. Dani is desperate to find him, but none of the lecturers are helpful. Ten years later, and Dani returns as a professor, still looking for answers, but there’s more questions now than ten years ago.

This author never fails to write an excellent story, with twists and turns. We read the story from two different timelines, 2014 and 2024, so we get to see how Theo’s story impacts the current timeline. The characters were well written, and I really liked Dani, who was strong, yet also showed her vulnerable side. The story also talks about Alzheimer’s Disease and the impact it has on a whole family. This was a really great story, that really did keep me guessing until the end.

A little gem of a book. Well written and worth the read. Interesting story. I think it suits people who read many genres. Very good indeed.

Really enjoyed this! Loved the elite Irish college setting and the dual timeline narrative.

The aspect of a big pharma clinical trial was very cool and interesting, something that I haven’t seen in thriller/mysteries before that made this novel stand out from the crowd.

I've been meaning to read Jo Spain's books for a while now and I'm glad that I picked this one up first.
Not only has it piqued my interest but I will definitely be going back and reading her back catalogue.
This kept me hooked and on the edge of my seat the whole way through and there were lots of great twists and turns, many of which I wasn't expecting.
I also really enjoyed the fact that this was set in academia, without it being a dark academia, if that makes sense.
The different timelines flow really well as the mystery begins to unravel and it was certainly one of those books whereby I kept saying to myself, okay, just one more chapter and then I was still reading chapters later.
The pacing was good too and as I say, I will certainly be keeping an eye out for what Jo Spain does next.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, wow, wow! This book was fantastic! Jo Spain did not disappoint once again. The storyline was full of twists and turns that kept me hooked and wanting to read 'just one more chapter' at bedtime. Definitely grab this book and get lost in its twists and turns. Thank you to NetGalley and Jo Spain for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Chilling full of suspense, well executed and well developed characters. I enjoy books when they have to confront their past and this was no exception. Highly recommend especially if you enjoy books set in academia.

The Trial - Jo Spain

I love a book set within academia - even better when it’s unputdownable like The Trial.

Told in duel duel time lines - 2014 and 2024.

In 2014 Dani was a student and dating Theo, the were both madly in love with each other … until he just simply disappeared never to been seen again.

Fast forward to 2024 and Dani returns to St Edmunds college as a lecturer, but also to try and uncover what happened around the disappearance of Theo. While Dani is searching for answers from ten years ago, she is also dealing with the heartbreak of watching her mum suffer through Alzheimers.

Jo Spain is one of my favourite authors and The Trial did not disappoint. The timelines seamlessly blended together and the clever plot and narrative were simply brilliant. Highly recommend.

Many thanks to Quercus Books and NetGalley for an e-arc.

The works of Irish author Jo Spain were complete unknowns to me, but I am very glad that I discovered them – thanks to publishers NetGalley and publishers Quercus who gifted me a free ARC of ‘The Trial’ in exchange for the following unbiased review.
At the heart of this thriller is the unresolved mystery of the disappearance of medical student Theo in 2014 from a renowned institution. Ten years later, his former girlfriend, Dani accepts the post of history lecturer at the same institution. Through cleverly intertwined alternate timelines, we slowly learn what happened to Theo and Dani in the intervening decade. Sensitively and skilfully, the author also introduces the poignant topic of Alzheimer’s disease, as suffered by Dani’s mother, as well as a medical study that is carried out at Dani’s institution. The altered perceptions experienced by someone afflicted by dementia and the ethical questions surrounding medical research add two additional nuanced layers to the novel. And what if Theo’s disappearance, the medical trial, and Dani’s growing sense of unease were all linked? Highly recommended, this is a thriller for readers who enjoy reading thrillers as a springboard for debating wider societal dilemmas.

Jo Spain’s “The Trial” is a skilfully plotted novel that weaves together past and present and in my opinion is her best one yet . Set in St Edmunds, an elite college on the outskirts of Dublin, the story begins with the mystery of twenty-year-old Theo, a medical student whose sudden disappearance in 2014 leaves a trail of unanswered questions.

Theo’s former girlfriend Dani is determined to uncover the truth about his disappearance despite the lack of concern of others, including Theo’s own father. Ten years on Dani returns to St Edmunds as a history professor, seeking a fresh start while trying to deal with her mother’s severe dementia and the unresolved mysteries of her past.

The college makes an atmospheric setting as Dani starts her new role at the college and finds herself caught up in deception and intrigue. She finds out quickly that all is not as it appears.

Told over two timelines as the story moves between 2014 and the present day as the mystery unravels surrounding Theo’s disappearance. This is skilfully done and I found it easy to follow as we gradually learn the truth.

Dani is a very strong and interesting character, she has a determination to uncover the truth as well as dealing with difficult struggles. Other characters are also well written, many with secrets and motivations which all add to the intrigue and suspense. I thought the story was well paced and the secrets and motives are released to the reader perfectly to a satisfying conclusion.

A well crafted mystery, full of atmosphere and interesting characters building up to a satisfying conclusion.

I would like to thank both Netgalley and Quercus for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

A chilling thriller. History professor Dani returns to her dark past at a Dublin college . Ten years ago, she was distraught when her student boyfriend Theo vanished. But what is Dani really doing there? Gripping.

I’ve read all of this authors books and this one didn’t disappoint. Storyline and characters very well developed

First up, this novel isn’t a courtroom drama. Literally, it is about a big pharma multinational testing out what could be a game-changing drug to combat the effects of dementia. Metaphorically, though, Jo Spain’s latest thriller sees the lives of several individuals put under intense scrutiny, as if being questioned by a hard-nosed barrister in a court of law. Serious questions are asked, and some people fall after being challenged.

I am not normally a fan of split-time narratives, as they are all too often distracting short cuts, but Jo Spain is too good a writer to be accused of that, and in her hands it works well. There are three time zones. In 2014 we are in a prestigious Irish university college, St Edmunds, and we meet Dani. She is asleep, but her lover - Theo Laurent, French, and a fellow student - is about to make a very serious decision. He carefully climbs down from their shared bed and leaves. Not ‘leaves’ as in just going back to his own room, but ‘leaves’ as in disappears. Totally. Completely. From the face of the earth. Anxious and baffled hours for Dani turn into days and weeks. The police are not interested. Theo’s estranged and autocratic father reluctantly tells Dani over the ‘phone that he has received an email from his son stating that he has left the academic world to go travelling.

The two other time frames are 2023 and the present day. More so than in her excellent Tom Reynolds police procedural series, Jo Spain, in her standalone novels, likes to sucker punch her readers with astonishing plot twists, none more breathtaking than in The Perfect Lie ( click the link to read my review) These literary magic tricks are usually saved until the final pages of the novel, but here she does her stuff about half way through, when she lets us know that Dani is not who or what we think she is. To say more would be to spoil the fun. Suffice it to say that Jo Spain simply encourages us to make assumptions, which she then delights in shattering.

We learn that Dani, as far as the new ‘wonder drug’ is concerned, certainly has a dog in this particular fight. Her widowed mother is slowly succumbing to the inexorable death sentence known as Alzheimer’s. What if the new wonder drug could arrest her mother’s decline, and restore her memory, and make her sit up in bed with delight when her daughter comes to visit?

Academic impartiality seems to be a things of the past, certainly in the United Kingdom, and in Ireland, where this novel is set. In England, many universities - and even some independent school - have been bought and sold with Chinese money, but in the case of St Edmunds, it is not Xi’s millions that is paying the salaries of lecturers and professors, but the big dollars of the pharmaceutical industry. A convincing report from the medical researchers at St Edmunds, stating that the new drug poses no side-effect risks means that Turner Pharma can go ahead and mass produce the tablets, and ensuring massive world-wide profits. In trying to solve the mystery of Theo’s disappearance, Dani learns that pharmaceutical companies, just like their illegal counterparts in Mexico and Columbia, employ clever but crooked lawyers, use physical enforcers, and have limitless budgets to buy off politicians and law enforcement

The Trial works brilliantly on many different levels. There is the human anguish as Dani attempts to come to terms with Theo’s inexplicable departure. Jo Spain then invites us to be disgusted at the many ways in which academic institutions can become a simple market place commodity, and sold to the highest bidder. Above all, though, is the satisfaction derived from reading something written by a natural born story teller. There is not a word out of place, not a scene that wouldn’t work as a TV screenplay and - best of all - human characters of whom we might say, “Yes - I know someone like that.” The Trial is published by Quercus and is available now.

So turns out the 'trial' is an Alzheimers drugs trial! This gripping thriller is set in an Irish university, Dani is an undercover detective posing as a lecturer in an attempt to flush out corruption surrounding the drug trial. Throw into the mix the fact that Dani's boyfriend disappeared, presumed to have taken his own life, at the university 10 years previously, and the scene is set for an epic novel that is 100% delivered!

This novel has it all, plot twists, flirtations, cracking storyline and all written with the expertise we would expect from this esteemed author! A novel I would 100% recommend.

My thanks to NetGalley, author and publisher for the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an advance copy.

It’s the start of another ordinary day at the prestigious college where Theo Laurent and his girlfriend Dani MacLochlainn are students. Leaving Dani sleeping Theo quietly gathers together his things and disappears from her life forever. Fast forward ten years and Dani has returned to St Edmunds as a history professor, and just as determined to discover what happened to Theo all those years ago. Dani soon discovers that there is more going on at St Edmunds than she could ever have imagined. Uncovering the mystery which surrounds the college and doing her investigation means that Dani interacts with those professors who were there in her student days and finds that not all of them are as they seem.

The Trial is a compelling thriller which had me turning the pages faster to see exactly what happened to Theo in 2014. The involvement of the college in some shady dealings of its own means that there is never a dull moment in the narrative. There are twists and turns aplenty and more than enough red herrings and nefarious characters to keep you guessing.

Taut, tight and brilliantly imagined this is Jo Spain writing at her absolute best.

You can always guarantee a good time with a Jo Spain novel. This felt very chilling and disturbing as it's about a school,a college where a student goes missing.

Would love to see this on the big screen!

I loved almost all Jo Spain's novels I read and this one was WOW, an intriguing and gripping novel. A page turner full of surprising twists, characters on the grey moral spectrum, and a sort of dark academia environment.
Ms Spain is a master storyteller and this story doesn't disappoint.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine