ShortBookandScribes #BookReview – Conviction by Jack Jordan
Conviction by Jack Jordan will be published by Simon & Schuster in hardcover, ebook and audiobook on 22nd June. My thanks to the publishers/The Likely Suspects for the proof copy (with spredges!).
TO STEAL A MAN’S FREEDOM ALL IT TAKES IS . . . CONVICTION
Wade Darling stands accused of killing his wife and teenage children as they slept before burning the family home to the ground.
When the case lands on barrister Neve Harper’s desk, she knows it could be the career making case she’s been waiting for. But only if she can prove Wade’s innocence.
A matter of days before the case, as Neve is travelling home for the night, she is approached by a man. He tells her she must lose this case or the secret about her own husband’s disappearance will be revealed.
Failing that, he will kill everyone she cares about until she follows orders.
Neve must make a choice – betray every principle she has ever had by putting a potentially innocent man in prison, or risk putting those she loves in mortal danger.
For fans of Steve Cavanagh, Linwood Barclay and Gillian McAllister, introducing the latest novel from the master of the moral dilemma, Jack Jordan.
Conviction is narrated by Neve Harper, a defence barrister who is acting on behalf of Wade Darling, a man accused of killing his family and then burning their house down. Neve is an excellent barrister, with what I’d describe as the killer instinct to win. However, this is not a straightforward case for Neve as she has something to hide and somebody knows about it and blackmails her. They tell her she must ensure Wade is found guilty and to do so she must sabotage her own case.
Neve is a complex character and although we know what she has to hide it’s quite a while until we find out why and so it’s difficult to sympathise with her at times. She’s an excellent creation though, one whose instincts to win and moral code are pitted against her need to survive and this is a story that took me down many paths that I didn’t expect to go down, with some shocking deeds taking place.
The first half or so of the book is a slower burn as Neve navigates the threats against her and takes instructions from Wade. Then the second half picks up the pace with the court case and things eventually coming to a head. I found myself thoroughly gripped by this point.
I love a courtroom drama and this one has some really exciting aspects to it. I also love reading about a moral dilemma (this book has this in spades) and contemplating the possible outcomes. Conviction is tense and tightly plotted with the unexpected hitting me at every twist and turn in the action and I was impressed with how the dilemmas were dealt with when I just couldn’t see how a conclusion could be reached. This is a very readable and intelligent legal thriller.
Jack Jordan is the global bestselling author of Anything for Her, My Girl, A Woman Scorned, Before Her Eyes, and Night by Night and an Amazon No.1 bestseller in the UK, Canada, and Australia. After selling at auction in the UK and numerous foreign territories, Do No Harm is set to be the thriller of the summer in 2022. The idea for Do No Harm came to Jack after undergoing a minor medical procedure where he had to be sedated and trust strangers with his welfare. After the anaesthesia wore off, Jack began scribbling his notes, wondering to himself just how iron-clad a surgeon’s oath is, and what it would take to break it… To find out more, follow Jack on Twitter and Instagram T:@JackJordanBooks I: @jackjordan_author
