RECENT READS: The Inmate
Rating: 3/5 ⭐️
This is the second Frieda McFadden novel I have read, and I am very quickly becoming accustomed to her writing style: to the point, easy read, simple. Similar to my comments about Do Not Disturb, the writing isn’t complex and neither is the storyline however overall the plot was good.
McFadden does a good job in this novel of convincgly shifting the suspicion between characters. The twist in this novel is also much better developed and genuinely shocking, especially the final chapter.
If you’re searching for a “palette cleanser”, interesting crime, and easy read novel, then I would be suggesting this to you in a heartbeat!
*Spoiler Warning Below*
The story of a single mother moving back to her hometown to work as a nurse in a prison. The story centres around her navigating new and old relationships, one in particular being that with the father of her child, an inmate who is imprisoned for the murder of her friends and attempted murder of her.
Interestingly, the twist including Shane’s mum, I genuinely did not see coming. Whilst I held reservations around “Margie”, the reveal of her identity, her and Shane’s murder plots, along with the affair, did blindside me.
Josh’s ending however evoked sympathy for both him and Brooke. As a character, we know that Brooke tries to shield Josh from any harm, both self-inflicted and external, monitoring for signs he may be like his father. Yet, the reveal of his hand in the death of Shane and his reasons for doing so induce pity for both him and Brooke. Both mother and son are trying to protect the other from the same harm, and yet Josh has potentially damned himself in doing so.
