Another excellent novel from Jack Jordan. Well written and carefully thought out. I enjoyed so no harm and would be interested in any further titles by the author.

I have a confession, despite buying Jack’s previous books, this is the first I have actually read – and what a fantastic one to start with. I’ve spent most of my working life in a legal environment and I love legal thrillers, I was thrilled when a review copy arrived from the publisher’s The Likely Suspects

Neve Harper is an ambitious 38 year old barrister. She has been been handed a controversial murder case which has made the headlines. Wade Darling has been accused of familicide – killing his wife and children and then burning the family home, injuring himself in the process. This is a last minute case for her and she has very little time to prepare for the forthcoming court appearance, however this is not a straightforward defence by any means and a moral dilemma is in store for Neve.

Neve has a backstory of her own and it is this history which makes her vulnerable to the ultimatum she has received. Those behind the threats are deadly serious, in fact Neve is shown at first hand just how far they will go to get the result they wish.

I was glued to this book and to see which way Neve would go. It seemed as though she didn’t have any choice and although at times her decisions seemed rather unwise and irrational, she was definitely caught between that rock and a hard place.

As for Wade Darling, at times he cut rather a pathetic figure. He wasn’t always minded to cooperate which made me suspicious and I was for the most part, undecided as to his guilt or innocence, veering constantly between the two.

Split into three parts, focusing on different aspects including the Defence and the Prosecution, Conviction is a thrilling and dramatic read with some deceitful characters and a sinister violent edge which ticked all the boxes for me. I was kept guessing as to whether Neve would throw the trial to save herself and her loved ones and fearful for the consequences if she did not. She was definitely a character that I could get behind, her conflicting emotions were made clear and even Wade Darling, as awful as his alleged crimes were, garnered some sympathy from me with certain disclosures that came to light.

I thoroughly enjoyed the moral dilemma and the emotional consequences which the author skilfully creates in Conviction and the twists and surprises kept me intrigued to the last page. I had already bought Do No Harm, his previous book and am now particularly keen to bump this up the list.

Since the disappearance of her husband three years earlier, there are only two things that Neve Harper holds dear to her - her stepdaughter Hannah, and her work as a criminal barrister. Neve soon finds herself in the enviable position of defending in a dream trial, the landmark case having been handed to her after the sudden death of a colleague. She knows that a win in this case would see her career skyrocket and she is determined to make an impression with both the media and her peers, but at the same time, give her client the fair trial he is owed.

However, Neve's elation quickly turns when she is approached by a man on her way home. He tells Neve that he knows details about her husband's disappearance that she would not want anyone to find out. If she loses the case, her secrets will be safe. If she refuses, her career will be over and her family will be put in serious danger.

I was a big fan of Do No Harm when I read it last year but I have to say that Conviction takes the author's trademark 'will they, won't they?' tension and ramps it up to a completely different level. My opinion on whether Wade was innocent or guilty honestly switched every other chapter. As if that wasn't enough, Neve's indecision about whether she should throw the trial, how she would go about it without making it obvious and whether there was any way she could play the men who were blackmailing her, all built up to create an incredibly stressful and compelling psychological thriller.

The 'ethical dilemma' theme runs throughout the story but what makes this so interesting in this book is the main character. Neve obviously has secrets, she has a story to tell but we don't know exactly what that involves. Is she no stranger to murder herself? Would she really have issues throwing her client under the bus based on the things she has done in the past? In some ways she seems so cold and detached, but she is obviously dealing with some trauma and is considering risking everything to keep Hannah safe. Neve is exactly the strong and unique character needed to carry through this breakneck thriller.

The perfect choice for fans of Jeffrey Deaver, John Grisham's The Whistler series and the Eddie Flynn series by Steve Cavanagh.

I read Do No Harm and really enjoyed it and I was looking forward to this one. It did not disappoint. A similar theme to Do Not Harm in that the main character is faced with a moral dilemma.

Neve Harper is a barrister and Wade Darlings case lands on her desk. Darling is accused of murdering his wife and two children. Neve knows this is the case that could elevate her career if she can prove the mans innocence.
Days before the trial begins Neve is approached late at night on the train on her way home by a man who tells her she must throw the case and Darling must be found guilty. Neve has her own dark secrets and this man knows them and Neve will lose everything if anyone else finds out. And so she is faced with making a decision to go against her principles or risk everything she has and everyone she loves.

This was dark, tense and unputdownable. Set over a short amount of time, the tension leaps from the pages. Well paced, twists galore, clever, sharply written and impossible to predict where it would go.

Recommend.

I was a huge fan of do not harm and had the pleasure of meeting Jack at the book party last year, so when I saw he had a new book out this summer it was an auto preorder for me.

I wasn’t disappointed. Conviction is another fast paced and gripping read. Neve’s story is so compelling - such depth to her character is revealed as each page is turned. Questions of morality and loyalty are raised time and time again in this thriller and every page turned reveals a gasp. Another brilliant and clever read.

Neve has a moral dilemma, following her natural beliefs that everyone deserves a fair trial or keep her family safe? Neve is portrayed as a complicated character in an unenviable, challenging situation. As a reader I found myself willing her on, although not always liking her. Revealing her past through short reflections throughout the book, cleverly leads to an understanding of some of her strange behaviours.

Wade Darling, the accused, doesn’t ever really develop into a character you know or understand, which works well in this tense courtroom drama.

This is a fast-paced, tense book, that takes the reader on a roller-coaster ride, especially seeing the court-case unfold, watching Neve decide how to move forward, defending her client whilst protecting her family. It is a well-plotted, multi-layered story,
similar in style to his first book, with the setting changed to a courtroom. It will certainly compel readers to want to read more.

Jack Jordan does it again with this gripping courtroom drama and another brilliantly written female protagonist. His writing is detailed and well thought through and that shows in a storyline that never gets lost in the process of showing and not telling. I thoroughly enjoyed the discomfort of the characters as they played cat and mouse with each other, leading to a shocking denouement. Recommend!

Well this is a cracker of a legal thriller. I haven’t read the previous standalone book, Do No Harm, so I had no preconceptions about the author’s style or storytelling ability. I needn’t have worried.

Barrister Neve Harper has been handed a career defining case, days before it comes to trial, due to the death of the previous incumbent. Wade Darling is accused of killing his wife & two teenage children before burning their country house to the ground with all four of them inside. Neve is defending him & will do everything in her power to get him off. Or so she thought. One evening, she is approached by an armed, unknown male who threatens her & her step daughter if she does not throw the case. He knows her darkest secret. What happened to her missing husband three years ago…

Sometimes courtroom scenes can be very dry & make you go glassy-eyed, not in this case. The tension ramps up as Neve is backed into the proverbial corner & is facing a huge moral dilemma. Well paced & an easy writing style meant I flew through this & as for the reveal. Made me drop my kindle. Thwack!!!

I'm a massive fan of police and courtroom procedural books and so when I saw Conviction was mainly set throughout a trial, I knew it was a must read for me.

I really enjoyed the writing in the book, more than in Do No Harm, the only other book I have read by Jack Jordan. Will be looking out for more from this author, that's for sure. Especially if they are as good as this!

I enjoy Jack Jordan’s books and I love a courtroom thriller so this was an easy choice for me. Jordan’s books are always a fast and very bumpy ride and this one was no exception. With breakneck speed he takes us through the kind of moral dilemma that would unequivocally keep you up at nights were it to happen to you.

Neve is an ambitious barrister. Wanting no more than to be granted Q.C. status, she’s been waiting for that big case to make her name.

When a respected barrister falls under a train, Neve is handed the case of a lifetime. The problem is that there’s only 5 days until the trial. Wade Darling stands accused of killing his wife and two children before burning their house down.

Neve is thrilled, although looking at the previous barrister’s case notes she can’t determine what his strategy is and is confounded to see vital evidence missing from the productions list. She powers on through though and takes control, ensuring she brings confidence to her sessions with Wade Darling and ensures he has faith in her.

But Neve has a secret and she’s utterly floored when just days before the trial it is made clear to her that someone is prepared to make that ugly secret very public. If she wants to keep it under wraps, then her only choice is to lose the trial and ensure that Wade is found guilty.

It’s the same kind of moral dilemma that Jordan used to such great effect in Do No Harm and this book is just as gripping, propulsive and thrilling as that.

Neve has to choose between losing everything and everyone she loves or ensuring the conviction of a man who claims his innocence with every fibre of his body, all the while making it look as if she’s battling for his freedom.

Jordan carefully builds up his picture of Neve. She’s made some pretty terrible, highly questionable decisions in her past, but there’s something about her that you can’t help but like. When she is faced with her terrible dilemma you really want her to find a way through and Jordan writes her intense emotions in a way that really cuts through and makes you care about what she chooses.

At the same time, Wade Darling seems a pitiful creature and it is hard to imagine him committing such a heinous crime. Neve’s career is based on a belief in the inviolability of the justice system, so how can she take a course that is so alien to her values? The title of this book is so well chosen.

Jordan ensures that there are multiple surprises, lots of tension and some pretty violent and hateful bad guys in this narrative.

The courtroom scenes are full of tension and completely riveting as Neve and the prosecution battle it out, each gaining maximum impact from their critical evidence. Even as you form your own opinions about Wade’s guilt or innocence and despair as Neve wriggles on her tormentor’s hook like a worm with no possible means of escape, you are still hoping she finds a way.

Beautifully layered and with complex characterisation, this is a powerful story. Jack Jordan is never short of surprises though and as we think we know what’s happening he manages to turn everything on its head and surprise once more. The

Conviction is a fast, thrilling ride and just what you need for a summer read.

Barrister Neve Harper lands the defence case that could make or break her career. Three members of the Darling family (wife Yolanda & teenage children Phoebe & Danny) were killed in a fatal shooting at home & then the house was set on fire. Husband & father Wade, although injured, was the only survivor & he has been charged with three counts of murder. It seems it may be a 'family annihilator' case but is there more to this than meets the eye? Neve ponders this when she learns that the original defence barrister for Wade jumped in front of a highspeed train. On the way home she is approached by a menacing stranger who tells her that she has to throw the case or the truth about her husband's disappearance will be revealed to the police & that her step-daughter Hannah will be killed. Neve now has to weigh up the cost of putting a possibly innocent man behind bars for life or ending up in prison herself.

I really enjoyed reading this, it was one of those books that you just cannot put down. Neve is an intriguing character, she's very clinical in her manner & comes across as emotionally cold or stoic, although she obviously cares about Hannah. She's definitely a morally grey character as she will do whatever it takes to save herself & the few people she does care about even if that means breaking the law she is supposed to uphold. There are also a few moments of dark humour which, juxtaposed against the subject matter, made me laugh out loud in surprise. Most of the plot is not really a surprise if you read a lot of these genre of books, but that didn't spoil anything & the courtroom scenes were great. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who likes an edge-of-your-seat thriller. Verdict: Fast-paced legal thriller that doesn't take itself too seriously. 4.5 stars (rounded up)

TWs: gun violence, violence, death, animal death.

My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Simon and Schuster UK, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

5⭐️

An unputdownable and flawless legal thriller that Steve Cavanagh and John Grisham fans will love! 🔥

Jordan is an incredible author and his writing is enrapturing and flows beautifully through every page. I loved the anticipation this read built and how everything wrapped up both unexpectedly and wonderfully.

This is a book about secrets, blackmail and breaking moral boundaries. The plot was very clever, and although some parts are classic aspects in legal thrillers, Jordan puts a twist on them to make them his own and this definitely pays off.

I loved Never Harper, the defence lawyer of Wade Darling who is on trial for a heinous crime of Familicide, as she was the perfect narrator. I didn’t know whether to fully trust her, but at the same time I was rooting for her. I really enjoyed watching her squirm, battling with her own thoughts and morals and the risk of losing her job and ultimately her life. Toying with the idea of right and wrong was a clever device utilised by Jordan to really engage the reader.

I loved how this book transfixes you as you read, echoing the opening speeches from Neve and Niall. Jordan then empanels the reader alongside the jury to watch the tension increase and the case unravel. When the end was in sight, I still had no idea what would happen and which way the dury would sway, let alone what the future held for Neve and Wade. The plot twists were fantastic, as was the ending. I need a sequel! 😍

I recommend not reading the blurb and going in to this read blind as it makes it even more thrilling. Therefore, I have not attached the blurb to my review, like I normally do. ☺️

A huge thank you to @simonschusteruk, @netgalley and @jackjordan_author for this wonderful ARC of Conviction which is published on 22nd June 23! I will be eagerly checking out Jordan’s backlist. 🔥

💬 (quoted from ARC):
‘I don't want to think of him as human; he would have been a baby, a child, an uncorrupted soul until something happened along the way to turn him into the monster he is now.’

⚠️ Please check out the trigger warnings! ⚠️

This is my first read by Jordan, but it won’t be my last. The premise really intrigued, but I will say that I thought it was more of a “you’re on the jury - will you convict?” - so this went in a different direction than I originally anticipated. But this was a fresh take on the courtroom thriller.

I will say that I didn’t really connect with the main character in this one (who is the barrister for the defence), particularly with some of the choices she made in the past, which has huge consequences in the present, and during the course of this case. She’s definitely one of those morally grey characters - and you don’t get inside her head to discover the reasoning behind the actions she took in the past. Is also felt like there weren’t much repercussions for her past actions and I would have liked more examination of how this affected her.

As I said, this had a unique plot, and there were two twists at the end that I didn’t see coming at all! And I will say that the last last one felt kind of fitting for what she went through.

Thanks to NetGalley, the team at Simon and Schuster, and the author for the opportunity to read this review copy.

Talk about devouring a book!

My second read from this author and I am so impressed. The ability of the author to make you physically not put this book down, is, quite honestly, astounding. The pacing was brilliant, the way the plot kept surprising you, again and again and again, and you will not see that ending coming.

Jack Jordan is making me love trial procedurals and it gives a unique insight to the reader of the entire process that goes on behind the scenes in a court of law. Truly compelling narrative and love the fact that you cannot help but actually root for his morally grey characters.

Highly recommend this book for lovers of the crime genre. You won't want to not read this.

I have a bit of a hit and miss relationship with this author but I am pleased to say that this one was a hit for me...
We start with Wade Darling, a man accused of killing his family in a house fire. The defence barrister is Neve Harper and she really wants to win this case, prove Wade's innocence as it will really further her career. And she thinks she has a good chance. Until, that is, she is threatened. Either she loses the case or shady things from her past will come out and everyone she loves will die... Bit extreme. I guess someone really either doesn't like Wade or really likes the person actually responsible if it isn't Wade.
And there it is in a nutshell... All a bit over the top and deliciously so...
It's a cracker of a psychological thrill with a courtroom bent. As well as wondering Wade's innocence and guilt, there are a whole bunch of secrets lies and dysfunctional behaviour to be found within its pages. Mostly with decent conclusions but I do admit to doing more than a share of eye-rolls along the way and a few laugh out loud - did he really go there - moments!
As well as Wade's questionable likeability, we also have Neve who, in herself, is also a little shady and hard to really get behind. But whether she is worth the moral dilemma she is thrusted into, I will leave for you to decide. I know where I went!
And then there is this one pivotal moment... boom... but... my lips are sealed..
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

4.25-4.5⭐️

Must say I’m not keen on the cover, it lacks impact for me. I can see the relevance of the scales of justice with blood on the sword, but it just fades into the background.

Having read and loved the previous book (Do No Harm) I was really keen to read this one.

Wade Datling is accused of killing his wife and their teenage children, at the 11th hour Neve Harper takes over the defence. She thinks it’s the case to take her career to the next level. Only she is approached by a man making threats that she must lose the case or else he will firstly reveal what happened to her husband, then kill everyone who she cares about until she follows orders.
The premise is intriguing a moral / professional/legal dilemma for Neve. It sounds very similar to the premise of the previous book, so I wonder if there’s going to be a trilogy of professional and moral dilemmas for different professionals. Although the same theme, this is a very different offering. It’s quite dark.

It’s well written, and the prose is emotive when Wade describes the night in question.
Neve is emotionally as hard as rock, although she has a soft spot for her step daughter.

I thought it was highly unprofessional for lawyers having meetings and displaying evidence in public locations.

The writing style makes for easy engaging reading. The screw keeps being turned piling on the pressure on Neve. It had me chuckling in several places, although that’s probably just my sick sense of humour.

There was some repetition during the court section. It’s hard for authors to avoid between discovery and court, but it doesn’t make for the most entertaining reading.
Overall it’s got a good pace with plenty of twists and turns and a bit of action thrown in.

I really enjoyed it. It doesn’t quite match Do No Harm for me, but it’s still a very engaging read. It’s one I’d recommend.

Wade Darling has survived the most horrific house fire, his house has been burnt down and his wife, their two teenage children and all of his horses are dead but he is being accused of it all. Neve Harper is an up and coming barrister and, when she is handed the case, she knows it could be the making of her, until she is approached by a man days before the trial and is told to lose the case or her big secret will be revealed and she will lose everyone she hold dear. Will she stick to her principles and see justice done for Wade or will she save her own neck and keep her secret buried?

This latest courtroom thriller by Jack Jordan follows the trial of Wade Darling, but at the same time tells us Neve's story about the disappearance of her husband three years ago. The story is told in three parts, it starts off quite slow and then most of the action kicks in through the second part of the story, it's a tense well written tale that will test your judgement of the main characters throughout and leave you questioning just what you would do if you were in that situation. Another intriguing read from Jordan which has some great twists along the way, one in particular that I didn't see coming and has an unexpected ending.

I'd like to thank Simon and Schuster UK and Netgalley for the approval, I will post my review on Goodreads now and Amazon on publication day.

This is a really good legal thriller that had me flicking my Kindle screen at break-neck speed to find out what further twists were to be revealed.

Neve is a top lawyer so when she is handed the case of defending Wade Darling after his original barrister jumped in front of a train, she sees the opportunities open before her to make her name as a top barrister. Unfortunately, she has a secret that she is desperate to keep hidden but someone knows and threatens to reveal it if she doesn't lose the trial. What should she do? Throw the trial and destroy herself or defend her client to the best of her ability and threaten not only herself but those she loves?

Conviction is a rollercoaster of a ride that builds and builds with tension, full of twists and turns that had me hanging on every page not knowing what was going to happen next. Full of great characters and written at a fast pace, I would recommend to lovers of great thrillers and courtroom dramas.

Definitely one of my reads of 2023 and thanks must go to Simon & Schuster UK and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of Conviction.

This is a cracking legal thriller which is gripping from start to finish. Defending a man who is accused of murdering his family could be the case which establishes Neve as a top lawyer but she is threatened that if she gets him off her own nearest and dearest will be under threat and her secrets will be revealed. Well written with a great plot and interesting characters, this is a real page turner.

What an absolute thrill of a read! Grabbed me from the first page, tension being gradually built and kept me racing through to the end. There were some twists and turns along the way, plus some interesting moral dilemmas to consider in between reading sessions.

I’d previously read Do No Harm by this author, which I enjoyed. However, for me this one edges in front.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and Netgalley for my advanced copy. This review is my own honest opinion