BOOK REVIEW: Confidence (Fin & Anna #2) by Denise Mina

 

Publication Date: July 5, 2022 Format: Kindle Genre:  Noir Crime/Conspiracy

Publisher: Mulholland Books Length: 296 pages Buy:  Kindle | Paperback

Synopsis

Deception. Theft. Murder. All you need is confidence.

Anna McDonald has made a terrible mistake. She has forced her blended family to vacation together. The weather is bad, her daughters are bored, and her ex-husband still insufferable. Oh, and Fin Cohen brought his latest girlfriend, too. So when news of a shocking kidnapping breaks, Anna and Fin do the responsible thing. They take off to solve the case. 

Lisa Lee, a young YouTube star, has vanished after answering the door to what she thought was a pizza delivery. Police suspect her dad or the delivery guy, but in Lisa’s last known video she ventured into an abandoned chateau in France, where she uncovered a priceless artifact. Anna knows they must find this young woman before it’s too late. To do so, they need to track down that treasure, a casket that could hold answers to the greatest questions ever asked.

But Anna and Fin might have misunderstood the stakes of the game. Soon, they find themselves mixed up with some very dark characters, on another thrilling chase across Europe—and another race to save their own lives. 

Review: 

I'm not sure I realized this was a sequel to Conviction when I started reading it but I loved every minute of it. If you thought you had a crazy blended family you have nothing on Anna and Fin.  Anna's ex husband Hammish is now married to Fin's ex girlfriend and they now have a son.  Anna's past has come back to haunt her and now her kids are asking questions she doesn't really want to answer so to escape she and Fin take off to find a missing urban explorer.  

Of course nothing is simple and the two soon find themselves in the company of a retired antiques smuggler, and his young son that he barely knows.  Oh and did he forget to mention that his son's mother is a very connected scary woman? 

Now Fin and Anna are being dragged all over Europe to find a lost girl, the whereabouts of a stolen painting and to follow the route a religious artifact worth millions took from an abandoned chateau in France to the auction house. We also meet some very scary millionaires who buy their way to anything they desire and a priest who is no longer a priest who was once in possession of the coffin up for auction. 

I love the way this all came together, and the surprise ending that leaves you scratching your head in wait a minute way. Marcus the foul mouth child of the antiques smuggler gives several scenes the levity they needed and really break the tension. I do appreciate the way parenting and is showcased in different ways throughout the book and the commentary on antiques.  Should they be "owned" by people or should they be in museums for all to enjoy? And if they are religious artifacts should the church immediately assume ownership? What if they disprove the very religion who has control over it, will they share it or hide it away to control the narrative.  

I don't believe you need to read the first book to enjoy this one so what are you waiting for? Go buy it! 

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