The Inmate

It’s been a very long time since I have picked up a book and finished it in a 3-hour sitting, but that is exactly what I did with The Inmate.

Readers follow the first-person, present tense view of Brooke Sullivan as she adapts to her new life in upstate New York, including taking on a new job as a nurse practitioner at the local men’s penitentiary – the same penitentiary where her ex-boyfriend is incarcerated thanks to her testimony regarding the night he tried to kill her. Or did he?

McFadden presents Brooke’s storyline across two timelines – present day and 11 years ago. “Present Day” timeline: Brooke struggles with adapting to life in her hometown after being forced to move as a teenager due to circumstances surrounding her attempted murder. “11 Years Ago” timeline: The night of Brooke’s attempted murder plays out.

This is one of those novels that is a twisty, wild ride and very difficult to put down, but not one I’d ever read again.

Let me explain.

The characters are very two-dimensional. There’s nothing I love about any of the characters but also nothing I hate about any of the characters. They exist simply to play out the twists and turns of the plot.

However, the plot is a very different story.

I’ll admit, I’m someone who tries very hard to solve a mystery or predict the way a book will go, all the way up until the author shows me one way or the other how the predicament in the story is resolved. On Chapter 9, I thought I had it all figured out.

BOY, WAS I WRONG.

The plot has a bit of a slow start, but when the ball gets rolling, wow, does it get rolling! The twists (at first) felt predictable, but something still wasn’t sitting right with me about how seemingly predictable everything was…it was almost too straightforward and obvious.

The first ending was wild on it’s own (if you read this book, you’ll know what I mean by this), but the second ending just left the reader with a sense of something dark brewing for the future of the characters. The finale of the book was still satisfactory, don’t get me wrong, but it left me thinking “oh sh*t” when I closed the book.

Wild.

I give this 3.5 stars because, while I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of my 3-hour read, I will not be reading this again. It was the PERFECT type of book for what I needed – something quick yet entertaining, twisty, and with a surprise ending.

Highly recommend for anyone needing a quick escape into something that will keep you on the edge of your seat without requiring a deep dive into character-building.

If this book were a movie, I’d rate it PG-13 due to the discussion of violence, death, and sexual allusions. The sex scenes are fade-to-black and there is minimal spice with the romances presented throughout the story.