‘He vanished ten years ago.
Only they know the truth.’
– The Trial
[ About The Trial ]
2014, Dublin: at St Edmunds, 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.
[ My Review ]
The Trial by Jo Spain published with Quercus April 25th and is described as an ‘unmissable thriller’. Set on an Irish college campus, on the outskirts of Dublin, The Trial is a fascinating take on drug trials and pharmaceutical companies. Jo Spain does include a note at the beginning highlighting that what follows is pure fiction, including any references to a potential cure for Alzheimer’s, which is important for all readers to take heed of before launching into this tale.
In 2014, Dani MacLochlainn and Theo Laurent were a loved up college couple. Theo was French and from a wealthy family. He was following his dreams studying medical research, much to the annoyance of his father, but Theo was determined. Dani was studying history and was enjoying her college life. Dani had a great relationship with her mother Cora, always there to support each other when needed. When Dani wakes up early one morning, she sees that Theo has already left, but initially she is not concerned. With the pressure on all the students of St Edmonds to perform to high standards, she assumes that Theo is off studying. But as the days pass, Dani is increasingly distressed. She checks out Theo’s student accommodation and nothing looks or feels right, but when Dani reports him missing, no one takes her too seriously.
Now it’s 2024 and Dani is back on campus, but in a different capacity. As a professor of history she will be lecturing right back in the halls where her own world fell into disarray. Dani’s mum, Cora, is in a care home and Dani is struggling to accept her mother’s decline in health. Dani has never really gotten over Theo’s sudden disappearance so being back on campus resurrects many memories, both good and bad. Dani is strong and capable but she is unprepared for the level of secrecy that she starts to suspect is part of St. Edmunds culture. Dani is hiding her own truth and is challenged from the beginning to remain present and to give her students the education they so rightfully deserve. Who is telling the truth? What is really going on behind the closed doors of this exclusive institution?
Jumping between the past and the present, the reader is taken on a twisty adventure where nothing is quite as it seems. Dani is a feisty protagonist, with a very relevant personal story that will resonate with many. As she navigates a dangerous path between Big Pharma and Academia, Dani must face painful truths about her past, and her life today. Packed with intrigue and deception, The Trial is a snappy tale, with short chapters providing a real sense of urgency. It’s a very interesting plot with the academic setting providing a terrific backdrop to the whole package. Clever deflections and lots of drama combine to make The Trial a highly enjoyable thriller, another chart-topper for this Irish crime writer who just keeps on giving!
[ Bio ]
Jo Spain is a full-time writer and screenwriter. Her first novel, With Our Blessing, was a finalist in the Richard and Judy Search for a Bestseller competition and she’s become a regular Top Ten Irish bestseller with her subsequent twelve novels. J
o co-writes and produces the internationally acclaimed Harry Wild TV series and is currently working on several TV productions, including the adaptation of her own Detective Tom Reynolds series.
Jo and her family live in Dublin.
**Thank you to Hachette Ireland for my copy of The Trial in exchange for an honest review
