Denise Mina’s latest novel, Conviction, is about podcasts — in part.

It’s also about family. And murder. And #MeToo. And mystery. And true crime. And power and wealth. And betrayal. And trauma. And Ukrainian gangsters. (How up-to-date!) And storytelling. Not to mention Tartan Noir, the style that suffuses all of Mina’s work, though it has a very different ambiance in this work compared to her previous ones.

With all that, you won’t be surprised to hear that it’s rather dark and intense. It is, but actually it’s also undeniably funny in spots, and is lighter than Mina’s previous novels, though it’s not what you might call light reading. You’ll travel from Glasgow to a Scottish resort to France to Italy… all at a quiet but determined pace.

Be prepared for a story that will keep you from thinking about anything else while you read it — or while you listen to it, which would be appropriate for a story that’s often about podcasts. I listened to the excellent audiobook rendition read by Cathleen McCarran. It totally drew me into the narrative.

Categories: Books