Title: Possession by Katie Lowe
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery, Suspense
Length: 352 pages
Book Rating: B+
Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley
Summary:
The past haunts her. The present hunts her.
Conviction @ConvictionPod · 1m
The investigating officer: “I’ve seen a lot of homicides in the years since, but…that’s the one that keeps me up at night.”
The husband’s best man: “They had everybody fooled. Or at least, she did. But I always knew something was off.”
Hannah, the wife: “I told you. I don’t remember anything. I don’t know.”
That’s all to come, this season, on Conviction. Get ready for our most twisted season yet.
~~~
Ten years ago, Hannah’s husband was brutally murdered in their home, and she (conveniently) doesn’t remember a thing about that night. But the police charged someone else—a stranger—and put him away for life. And Hannah packed up her six-year-old daughter and left London behind.
But now her hard-won countryside peace is threatened. Conviction, a viral true crime podcast known for getting cases reopened and old verdicts overturned, has turned its attention to Hannah’s husband’s murder for its new season. They say police framed the man who was found guilty, and that Hannah has more suspicious secrets than just her memory loss: a history of volatility; citations at the clinic where she worked as a psychiatrist; dependencies on alcohol and pills; and a familicidal grandmother, locked away in a Gothic insane asylum until her death. As Hannah loses the trust of everyone she loves, the only person she feels she can confide in is a former colleague, Darcy, who’s come back into her life—but who may have motives of her own. But Hannah can’t tell even Darcy her deepest secret: that she’s still tormented by the memory of her husband and the crater he carved through her life.
Review:
Possession by Katie Lowe is a gripping mystery that is full of suspense.
Ten years after the murder of her husband, Graham, Hannah McLellan lives with her daughter Evie and partner Dan Bryant. Thanks to her best friend Sarah, Hannah has a fulfilling career as a psychiatric hospital. She has also changed more than just her location, Hannah as also left behind her destructive habits. Running into long forgotten former co-worker Darcy Burke turns out to be fortuitous as Hannah begins a downward spiral. Because, much to her dismay, a local podcast has decided to look into Graham’s murder.
Hannah is content with living with Dan and raising Evie. She feels lucky that her daughter and partner share a close relationship. Hannah has managed to avoid discussing much about her past so she is terrified about what will be revealed during the podcast. But with her thoughts returning to Graham and their marriage, Hannah begins to revert to old habits.
Hannah is fascinated with the former psychiatric hospital in town. Hawkwood House has a long history of caring for women with a variety of problems but the house is now quite dilapidated. When she learns Darcy is planning to renovate the mansion, Hannah is delighted by the invitation to help out. And as the podcast turns her into a pariah, she is grateful for Darcy’s support.
Possession is a twisty-turny mystery with an increasingly unreliable narrator. The various characters are three-dimensional but some are definitely more likable than others. The setting is atmospheric and Hawkwood House is quite spooky. The podcast is a rather sensationalistic and its listeners’ reactions are true to life. With the tension at a fever pitch, Katie Lowe brings this riveting mystery to a shock-filled conclusion. I absolutely loved and highly recommend this unpredictable mystery to readers of the genre.
