Title: Clear My Name
Author: Paula Daly
Publisher: Bantam Press
[Synopsis]
Innocent?
When Carrie was accused of brutally murdering her husband’s lover, she denied it. She denied it when they arrested her, when they put her in front of a jury, and when they sent her to prison.
Now she’s three years into a fifteen-year sentence, away from the daughter she loves and the life she had built. And she is still denying that she is to blame.
Guilty?
Tess Gilroy has devoted her life to righting wrongs. Through her job for Innocence UK, a charity which takes on alleged miscarriages of justice, she works tirelessly to uncover the truth.
But when she is asked to take Carrie’s case, Tess realises that if she is to help this woman, she must risk uncovering the secrets she has struggled a lifetime to hide…
We’ve all done things we’re not proud of.
[My Review]
Clear My Name is a fantastic read, mixing excellent writing with an intriguing premise. I absolutely loved the plot – a woman called Carrie is in prison for murdering her ex-husband’s lover, and the charity Innocence UK begin to investigate to see whether Carrie is actuall innocent, having served four years of her prison sentence already. I love books that look at older cases, or investigate potential miscarriages of justice, and this ticked all the boxes.
This isn’t what you’d describe as an action-packed novel; rather it is full of intrigue and mystery, and the things that take place do so within a pretty believable timeframe, something that is often lacking in books from this genre. Nothing feels hurried (apart from my reading of the book, as I absolutely raced through it!) but instead we, along with Tess and Avril, start to learn more and more about the original case as they investigate further.
This book completely sucked me in, with Paula Daly’s writing keeping the level of suspense up without creating a story that is unbelievable. This is right through to the excellent characterisation, from Tess (with her own secrets and less-than-perfect decision-making, at times, in her private life) and her sparky intern Avril through to Carrie, who also seems to be hiding something… they all feel to me like realistic, interesting characters, and I would have happily read far more about all of them.
I also really enjoyed The Mistake I Made by Paula Daly [my review here], which I read a while ago, and I intend to read her other novels now too. I’m now really hoping that this will become a series featuring Tess (and Avril) as I enjoyed this one so much!
[Rating: 5/5]
Many thanks to Bantam Press and Damppebbles blog tours for providing a copy of this book on which I chose to write an honest and unbiased review, and for inviting me onto the blog tour!
Clear My Name will be published in hardcover and ebook by Bantam Press/Transworld Digital on 8th August 2019. Buy a copy on Amazon, Waterstones, or Book Depository.
[About the author]
Paula Daly is the critically acclaimed author of six novels. She has been shortlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger for Crime Novel of the Year award, and her books have been developed for the new ITV television series, Deep Water, starring Anna Friel. She was born in Lancashire and lives in the Lake District with her husband, three children, and whippet Skippy.
Follow Paula on Twitter and Facebook.
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Thanks so much x