Fantastic story, wonderful narration

I listened to Rizzio, and completely loved it, so thought I’d give this a try. What an absolute belter :) Clever idea, brilliantly written and fantastic narration. I’m off to listen to the next one now!

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devoured in one sitting

I listened to this book all through the night and just could not stop. I love Kathleen's narration and it just worked so well with this story which was brilliantly written. The story was fast paced and full of twists and turns - but not contrived like some authors who try too hard. Any book after this is going to be a let down.

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One star down....

Only one downside - too many characters for an Audible book. The main characters were well written, but I found it difficult to retain the drip fed bits on secondary characters, especially when they turned out to be crucial for the book, and then their names and accents were changed deliberately! Very confusing! I had to go back on numerous occasions to re-listen to bits and unlike the pages of a book, or the ease of search on Kindle, it is a slog to go back on Audible. The background of Skibo, Inverness Airport etc well researched, and I have to assume ditto for Paris, Saint-Martin-de-Re and places throughout Europe. If Denise Mina did personal experience research on these then it must have been great fun and mostly very luxurious! Narration by Cathleen McCarron was excellent. Very interesting and enjoyable and would likely make a good action packed movie.

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A deadly romp with all the ingredients of a classic thriller

The protagonist of Conviction is a middle-class mother with a hidden identity and a secret past. It was long buried until her marriage broke up and she sought solace in a true-crime podcast about the murder of an entire family aboard a yacht called the Dana. This sets in a train a classic thriller ranging across Europe, even taking in a visit to celebrity getaway Skibo Castle. There are echoes of classic pulp fiction, and perhaps even of the Hannay novels - stories of pursuit and improbable derring-do. The opening sections, where the present-day action alternates with excerpts from the podcast, work well, and the narration is excellent. As the cast list became a little more crowded, I struggled a bit to keep faith with the increasingly bonkers plot. The climax seemed a little rushed and unsatisfying. But the urgency, trademark wit and characterisation are enough to keep you listening, particularly in the first half of the novel. Mina has written stronger thrillers, but this is worth your time.

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2 people found this helpful

Dry wit with a stampede across Europe

Loved the mix of characters and the description of them, engaging plot and plenty of dry wit. Narrator did an awesome job.

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Nothing like Codename Villanelle

Bought this on the strength of the comparison to Codename Villanelle.
Where Codename Villanelle is smart, sexy, exotic, fast paced and tinged with luxury, Conviction is pedestrian and mumsie. A traditional first person gradual unravel of the whodunnit with the usual background family/relationship issues thrown in.
Codename Villanelle is a sophisticated, modern female Bond Conviction this is more Bridget Jones without the humour.
If you like The Hunting Party or Val McDermid (I don't) this could be for you. If you are looking for the latest Villanelle prepare to be dissatisfied.

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4 people found this helpful

Started off well...

Loved this to start with, but the second half became quite ridiculous. The twist at the end was random and not at all believable. Liked the main character, and the reading performance was excellent. I enjoyed it mostly, but felt a bit short changed. I have read The Long Drop by Denise Mina which was brilliant, but this, unfortunately, was not.

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Absolutely superb!

This has to be one of my favourite Denise Mina books - it was authentic & entertaining.
Really surprised to read less positive reviews of “Conviction” as it didn’t disappoint in any way. I’d highly recommend this to anyone who is a fan of Denise Mina and / or everyday protagonists.

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Okay

For the first few hours I felt as though I wanted to give up. Very unlikable characters, very odd story structure.

The characters later developed well although so much so that it felt like a completely different book. I don’t know that the second part was worth plodding through those first hours for.

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1 person found this helpful

Fun, Fun, Fun

This book deals with quite heavy subject matter in an interesting and light way. Great performance by Cathleen as I enjoyed the characterisation throughout the story. there is a story inside of the story that I was as equally interested in as the original. This was a sad story told in such a fantastical but matter-of-fact way.

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1 person found this helpful