I thought I had this mystery figured out fairly early, but there's a hard flip towards the end that changes everything. Great story!

Downloaded this arc thanks to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley. This book was pretty much everything you would expect from a suspense/thriller. Eleven years earlier, a teenage Brooke witnesses multiple murders and is almost strangled to death herself, while spending the night with friends at her boyfriend Shane's house. The only survivors are Brooke, Shane, and Brooke's long-time neighborhood friend, Tim. After the car accident that kills both her parents, Brooke returns to her hometown with her 10 year old son, conceived the night of the murders. Brooke takes the only job available to her at the time as a nurse practitioner in the prison where Shane is serving time for the murders thanks to Brooke's testimony 11 years earlier. And so you have the two separate timelines between what happened that fateful night and present day. When neighbor Tim gets involved with Brooke after she moves back home, her memory of the night of the murders starts to blur and she doesn't know quite what to believe. Could she have made a mistake and sent the wrong man to prison? With a few interesting twists at the end, this was a fun and quick read with a dumbass narrator and a couple of seedy side characters.

I was given this book by NetGalley for an honest review-
Wow! Wow! I was shocked!
Shane has a party at his house and Brooke is almost killed. She never saw her attacker but could smell his cologne. She testified and her boyfriend was put in jail- but was he guilty? Ten years later she moves home and takes a job at the prison and runs into Shane. Her neighbor Tim who she grew up with hated Shane. When Tim visited smelling the cologne she smelled when she was almost killed she is left wondering if she made a mistake. Shane has been in jail 10 years never knowing he had a son and he won’t forget being locked up! Who really tried to kill Brooke and why?

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic copy of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Eleven years ago, Brooke Sullivan testified against her boyfriend, Shane Nelson, sending him to jail for life for almost killing her. Now, after the death of her parents, Brooke has returned to her hometown with her son and has taken the only job she could get- a nurse practitioner at the local jail, the jail, of course, where Shane Nelson is being housed for his crimes. Brooke hopes that after so much time, Shane will have forgiven Brooke for testifying against him and sending him to jail even though, eleven years later, Shane still claims to be innocent of the crime. But Shane does remember and Brooke starts to reconsider her testimony from years ago- did she put an innocent man behind bars?
Freida McFadden has delivered another gripping, suspenseful thriller with her new novel, “The Inmate”. Told in two timelines, both eleven years ago and today, from Brooke’s perspective, McFadden unveils the truth about what happened the night in a slow and tantalizing way, scattering twists and turns throughout.
Brooke is a single mother who had a falling out with her parents after deciding to give birth to her beloved son, Josh, and, now that her parents are dead, Josh is the only thing Brooke has. Half of her hometown hates her for sending Shane away, and the other half just want to forget that part of the past. Brooke herself is smart and resilient as the result of so much personal trauma, and she is an easy character to root for.
There are many possible outcomes for this novel and McFadden teases a few alternatives, but she definitely chose the right one. Shane? Brooke’s long-time neighbour and best friend Tim? Someone else entirely? McFadden doesn’t give it away that easily, and it was thrilling ride to uncover the truth.
I have read a few of McFadden’s novels (although not nearly as many as I want to), and “The Inmate” was definitely one of my favourites. It has everything fans of this genre could want, and I can’t wait to see what McFadden has for us next!

The Inmate by Freida McFadden had so many twists and turns and had me on the edge of my seat the whole time reading this psychological thriller. Brooke Sullivan works at a prison and she is told to stay away from a certain person in the prison. Brooke has a son named Josh who plays a major part in the story as well as it is just the two of them. Throughout the story you learn about Brooke's life and why she moved back to her hometown. All of the characters in the story play an important part in Brooke's life and the storyline as to why Shane is in prison. I finished the book in 3 days because I could not put it down as I wanted to learn what happened throughout the story and to see who the killer actually was. I enjoyed this book as all of the details even the minor ones lead to clues about who the killer was and the meaning behind why everything happened in the story. The ending of the book had me shocked but it was a great twist to the ending of the story! Definitely recommend this book if you love psychological thrillers and you love Freida McFadden's other reads!

This book is really amazing!!
I loved the characters and the plot twist the book had. I love this author!

I unfortunately don’t have much to say about this book ! On the one hand, the story is addictive and I could not put the book down. On the other hand, the writing was a bit shallow and the main character was really irritating too me.

I liked the fact that the book was written well and was fast paced. I did not really enjoy the story thought. This was my first book written by this author since I’ve heard many great things and will definitely try others, but this one was just not it for me. For me, part of the plot was really obvious from the beginning and the storyline itself just lacked some common sence for me personally. Since I still devoured the book in 2 days, I feel obligated to rate the book 2 stars.

This book grabbed my attention immediately, the premise is a late 20's nurse practitioner who takes a job in the infirmary of a prison that houses a man that she testified against, which ultimately put him there. The story begins to unfold alternating between the present and the past where the events took place that put her ex-boyfriend in prison.

Overall, the book was great, I was just a bit disappointed in the end. I have been spoiled recently with books that have a great and unpredictable twist at the end. For this one I saw the twist coming about 80% in and was disappointed that I was actually right. I still wanted to get to the end to prove if I was right or wrong. I would recommend anyone new to this genre or author.

I LOVE Freida McFadden books. Her pacing is always spot on, and there are always a few red herrings thrown in to keep everything interesting. Just when it seems like the story is wrapped up with a nice, neat bow, another twist is thrown in for good measure!

Brooke sent her HS boyfriend to jail for killing her best friend and two others, but 20 years later, she's back in town and working at his prison. Through twisty-turny events, Brooke has to figure out if her initial thoughts were right and Shane tried to kill her.... or if she made a grave mistake and has allowed a killer to roam free all these years.

Characters are well-developed, and it's easy to find every single one of them suspicious, so it's hard to try to narrow down just who did what and when. The secrets that adults keep only add to the mystery, and the thoughts of an under-developed teenage brain have to be questioned in adulthood.

As with all of Freida's books, this was a one-sitting page turner that had me racing to the end to see if I figured it out.

Overall: 4.5 stars (I really liked it)

I'll tell my students about: language, alcohol, violence/gore/murder

**Thank you to NetGalley & Poisoned Pen Press for the free ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.**

This book had so much potential…up until the last 20%. UGH! For me, the whole book fell apart after this. When you hit 80% read…its just way too much of a stretch. The twists keep coming and they’re cringy and far fetched. Brooke (main character) is kind of a dumb character who takes crazy risks at the risk of her kid. It becomes too unbelievable and I couldn't enjoy the resolution to the story. I give this 3 stars because I really enjoyed the majority of the book.

Thank you so much to Freida McFadden, Poisoned Pen Press, and NetGalley for the ARC of The Prisoner. This is only my second book of McFadden’s and WOW - she’s blown my mind again. I thought I had the entire story line planned out but I was so wrong. This book had so many different twists and turns, I was so incredibly surprised. I also love McFadden’s writing style, I fly through her books. I’m not sure if it’s because of the short chapter styles or if I just can’t wait to actually figure out what happened. I cannot wait to read McFadden’s next book!

Brooke is trying to figure out the mystery of what really happened to her in that farm house 11 years ago. Who is responsible for almost killing her and killing 3 other students? The twists in this book will leave your jaw on the floor and your mind racing! 5/5 stars!

WOW! I read this book in a matter of 9 hours, which is relatively unheard of for me. This was perfectly bingeable and easy to get through - just what I've come to expect from Freida McFadden. As far as the plot itself goes, I enjoyed it very much (up until the ending). I'm still digesting a bit but I'm not sure I loved Shane's mom being involved. I feel like there wasn't really enough motive to warrant multiple murders. And you'd think if there was, she'd want to kill her parents, not her... ALSO I feel like Tracy Gifford's murder wasn't covered enough. Why did Shane kill her? I certainly have some lingering questions, but overall, this was a solid thriller, and I enjoyed it.

Inmate" by Freida McFadden takes readers on a gripping journey into the heart of a maximum-security prison where nurse practitioner Brooke Sullivan navigates the dangerous waters of her past entanglements. With a tense atmosphere and a web of secrets, McFadden expertly crafts a thrilling narrative filled with unexpected twists and turns. Despite some familiar thriller tropes, the story remains engaging and entertaining, keeping readers on the edge of their seats until the very end. McFadden's skillful storytelling and captivating characters make "Inmate" a compelling read that will leave readers eager for more of her gripping tales.

What I love about Freida McFadden is that I always know what I'm going to get. Her books are consistently fast-paced, engaging, and filled with twists. Are they often unrealistic and over-the-top? Yes, but I'm here for the fun, and I love how she keeps me guessing.

This book was no different. Was the main character a bit dim, making foolish choices? Yes, and typically I can't stand insufferable main characters, but it would have been a short and boring book without it.

I had a great time and will definitely continue to read her books.

Freida McFadden is one of my favorite thriller writers. Her books are fun, fast paced, twisty, and always a good read.

Unfortunately, “The Inmate” disappointed. The main character "Brooke" a complete idiot. Every thought she had was second guessed. Honestly, I thought, why would the police take her word for anything. The ending was good. I predicted a lot but was surprised by one thing...her son.

Despite this book not being great, I will still continue to read more by McFadden. I would still recommend this book for an easy read. Just know how dumb Brooke is before getting into it.

Thank you Netgalley, Poisoned Pen Press and Frieda McFadden for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC of "The Inmate." The opinions shared in this review are entirely my own.

Wow!! This book was absolutely awesome! I love Freida's writing so much. I'm totally obsessed! . The twists and turns in this book were great. I recommend Freida's books to everything that likes mysteries and thrillers. I love how fast the pace they are and the twists and turns. I was thinking out loud at so many parts in this book and I actually annotated a couple parts which I never do lol. LOVE IT!! If you haven't checked out Freida Mcfadden yet, I highly recommend it.

The Inmate by Freida McFadden follows the main character Brooke Sullivan as she and her son move back to her hometown to take a job as a nurse at the maximum security prison in her hometown- where Shane Nelson who tried to kill her a decade ago is housed. As with all of Freida McFadden's books, there are a couple twists at the end that I hadn't expected. This was a fast read that fans of other Freida McFadden books will enjoy.

What I love about this author is that she is a quick, pulse pounding, quick read that scratches that itch for something you can't put down. Another fantastic read. If you like Freida McFadden, Kierstin Modglin writes similar excellent reads.

Can you imagine what it would be like to work as a nurse in a prison that incarcerates the man who tried to kill you? I can’t! But that is the situation that Brooke faces. Brooke desperately needs a job to support herself and her son. Sadly, the only place that would hire her is the prison. She decides to face the situation head-on and just deal with it. However, she finds herself breaking some ‘little’ rules along the way… rules that are meant to protect her. It can’t hurt, anyway, or can it?

This, like the other Freida McFadden books I have read, are filled with twists and turns and unexpected surprises. Her characters are usually very realistic and memorable. I did, however, feel that the characters in this book were a bit weaker than others. I found myself becoming frustrated with Brooke. She seems to be a bit too fickle, and her testimonies are weak. The other characters, too, did not feel as real as her characters always do. In spite of this weakness, I would still recommend this excellent book!

I enjoyed the manner in which our author handled the epilogue. It is very impactful and memorable. What a great way to end this tale!