Daringly provocative and searingly entertaining, Conviction is a brilliant political thriller, and a witty literary confrontation with Israel's most sacred myths.

Both investigations began on the same day. One seemed domestic, almost banal: a newborn is found in a bag outside a hospital and the woman who left it there is captured after a few hours. The second investigation appeared stranger and more intriguing: a Swiss tourist disappeared from a beach-hotel near Tel-Aviv, and a quick inquiry showed he had been using a fake passport and at least two names. Can he be a Mossad agent like his daughter claims? And is he in danger?

Inspector Avraham Avraham, wishing to outgrow his usual cases of domestic violence, is indifferent to the one, and seduced by the other. Soon he understands he made a wrong choice, as both investigations spiral into a maze of violence and deception, leading to Israel's darkest secrets - and threatening to put Avraham in conflict with the most powerful men in the country, who technically don't even exist.

Conviction is a successful synthesis of the emotionality of the previous Avraham cases and the fast-paced, highly suspenseful standalone novel, Three. Once again, Mishani delivers an almost unbearably tense story, both thrilling and emotionally involving. It is yet another triumph.