The Murder of Graham Catton by Katie Lowe

Everyone says Graham Catton was the perfect husband, professor and father.

Why would someone murder him?

His wife, Hannah Catton, tells the police she remembers nothing from the night of the murder.

Why would she lie to them?

Evidence against the accused, Mike Philips, is minimal and he protests his innocence throughout the trial.

Why would they convict him?

Journalist Anna Byers has overturned numerous prison sentences with her popular podcast CONVICTION and she believes the wrong man is behind bars.

What will she do to help him?

Someone knows more about the murder than they’re telling. It may have been Hannah’s husband who was killed, but listeners are about to become judge, jury and executioner on this season of CONVICTION.

About the author

Katie is a graduate of the University of Birmingham with a BA(Hons) in English and an MPhil in Literature and Modernity, and in 2012 started her blog, Fat Girl PhD - writing about body image, feminism and health. Her writing has appeared in the Guardian, the Independent, and the BBC, as well as a number of media outlets in the US, Canada and Australia. Katie is currently working on a PhD in Female Rage in Literary Modernism and the #MeToo Era. THE FURIES is her first novel.

Review.

This book was riveting, mind boggling, extremely well plotted, well paced and at times spine-tingling with its various physiological twists and turns. I loved it. You could say there is a sub-genre in crime fiction that now involves podcasts etc, but this turned it on its head by analysing how a person reacts to having their lives raked over by a podcast. It was a highly entertaining read which I read in a oner as it sunk it's hooks in me and didn't let go!

Conviction is a podcast that looks into real crimes and whether justice was achieved or not. It's listened to by millions, so how would you react what you heard the news that it was looking into the murder of your husband. That's the situation Hannah finds herself in. Eleven years ago she awoke to find that her husband had been murdered and that she couldn't remember anything from that night. A man has been convicted of the crime so why are they looking into it? Has Hannah been lying about what happened that night and is her world about to be destroyed?

As a fan of podcasts like this, firstly Serial and then moving on to others I am also fascinated by books which now involve them. Obviously, there are the fantastic Matt Wesolowski books and this is right up there with them. But it looks at the other side - how a person who is being looked into feels as it progresses and the effects it has on your life. You don't think about the trolls and attention it would bring. How things are manipulated to the host’s bias and their interpretation of the facts and feelings.

I loved Hannah’s character and how there were many misdirections and psychological tricks played on the reader. Did she do it? Does this event run in her family? Do her daughter and new partner believe her? But despite all this, I felt there was a core of inner steel in her character as well as goodness.

I also loved how feminist this book came across as - I feel it's a reflection of the author's stance in life when you look at her education and experience. She brings up topic which need highlighted - gaslighting, domestic abuse, #metoo etc. Please please remember that if you are in this situation that there is help there for be had. Also it's not your fault. Katie does such a good job about tackling these issues.

Let me know if you read it!