Book Review: The Trial by Jo Spain

Published on 25th April, The Trial by Jo Spain begins in 2014 at St Edmunds, Dublin, an elite college on the outskirts of the city, twenty-year-old medical student Theo gets up one morning, leaving behind his sleeping girlfriend, Dani, and his studies – never to be seen again. With too many unanswered questions, Dani simply can’t accept Theo’s disappearance and reports him missing, even though no one else seems concerned, including Theo’s father.

Ten years later, Dani returns to the college as a history professor. With her mother suffering from severe dementia, and her past at St Edmunds still haunting her, she’s trying for a new start. But not all is as it seems behind the cloistered college walls – meanwhile, Dani is hiding secrets of her own.

Rating:

Thank you to NetGalley for a free advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I always enjoy a Jo Spain thriller. Her plots always lure me in, and this one sounded very different which really piqued my interest.

And what follows is a very original thriller, exactly what I needed at the end of the month, after having a slow reading month due to seeing the same plot being recycled too often.

So this one definitely impressed! With a pharmaceutical angle and university setting, it’s not much of a psychological thriller with its academic tone, but there are some dark twists along the way which came as a nice (for me) surprise!

I really enjoyed both the setting and characters, and constantly looked forward to picking this book back up again. Even after finishing it, I keep hoping I have some more left to read as I’m gutted that it’s over.

It definitely takes you on a bit of a roller coaster and I was not expecting the twists at the end. I’m not sure if Dani could lead another story, but I’d definitely be interested to read more about her!