The Inmate (by Freida McFadden)
I can confidently say that I’m a “McFan.” Currently, the Goodreads Community Challenges for this summer include several of her books as qualifying titles. This perfectly aligns with my goal of reading her backlist. The Inmate by Freida McFadden has been on my radar for a while, so I decided to take advantage of this opportunity to read it.
Brooke Sullivan, a newly hired nurse practitioner, is taking a risk by working at the same men’s maximum-security prison where her high school boyfriend is incarcerated for murder. Desperate for this job, she is determined to keep their relationship a secret. However, her former boyfriend has not forgotten that Brooke’s testimony helped convict him and send him to prison for the rest of his life.
I was particularly drawn to The Inmate because I’m a retired therapist who worked in a prison. I was immediately impressed by how accurately Freida described the prison environment. While each facility operates slightly differently in terms of policy and practice, the setting she created is realistic. I enjoyed Freida’s style of manipulating my brain and making me repeatedly question the killer’s identity. I think I was as confused and uncertain as Brooke. Freida also included a couple of nice twists that I didn’t predict, especially the ending!
While I thoroughly enjoyed this book, I found myself growing somewhat bored with Brooke’s character. She seemed naïve and gullible to me. I understand that a book wouldn’t exist if she had trusted her instincts and simply avoided returning to her hometown as an adult. However, it was challenging for me to observe a female protagonist with strong and valid concerns yet easily dismiss her own instincts. Despite this, Brooke did prove to be a capable mother and a qualified nurse.
I borrowed the audiobook of The Inmate from my local library using Hoopla. Leslie Howard, as always, delivers an excellent narration of Freida’s books.
I’m still working my way through all of Freida McFadden’s books. My previous reviews are linked below.
As a participant in the Amazon Associates Program, I earn from qualifying purchases linked back to Amazon. Every penny earned allows me to blog about books and keeps this site running.
