Con

Doug Carmichael has spent 15 years behind bars in a Scottish jail for the murder of his partner Linda. He is now eligible for parole and must undergo a series of interviews with a forensic psychologist, Fiona MacDonald, who is acting on behalf of the Parole Board.

 

The interactions between Doug and Fiona draw us into Doug’s prison life with the grim, funny, sad, infuriating, smart, stupid and scary men with whom he shares his days. Aware that he’s being psychologically dissected, Doug starts to engage in verbal duels with Fiona. These duels are weighted in Fiona’s favour, but he succeeds in hiding some of himself from her analytical scrutiny and occasionally disconcerts her.

 

This is no stereotypical relationship between criminal and forensic psychologist. Far from seeking to minimise his guilt, Doug never wavers from his original confession; he killed Linda. This leaves Fiona’s conventional role redundant; Doug doesn’t need to be pushed to confront his guilt. Oddly, it is Fiona who starts to explore the evidential anomalies of the case.

 

Con – the gripping sequel to Perilaus II.