An Inquiry Into Innocence

An (unfortunately) ever timely look at our carceral system and the lives of those within. Cogley does well to bring life to those forgotten inside.

I'm pretty sure that I experienced the 5 stages of grief, while reading this book. Eli Kelly has been in prison for the last 7 years, after he was convicted of murder. The issue with this? He cannot remember what happened the night of the murder. The only thing he can recall is the blood on his hands and holding the murder weapon when the police arrived. Eli is not 100% convinced that he committed the crime he was convicted of, even though the details of that night are foggy. This book explores the brokenness of the justice system and proves that sometimes the wrong person is convicted of a crime.

This was the first book within the LGBT+ genre I have read that was solely set within Ireland. It was a fantastic read and dealt with some difficult topics. These topics were discussed with a sense of compassion and although difficult to read at times you could tell the author did thorough research into things like memory loss and life behind bars in a country who’s progressive nature has yet to penetrate the prisons. The main character Brendan was endearing and you wanted him to succeed from the beginning. The contrast between his two best friends in the prison Brendan and Charlie also added great insight into how Eli acted around others which was always with compassion. The inclusion of the Dána was also necessary to fully integrate the reader into how prison life in Ireland operates. I would highly recommend this story as someone who avidly reads this genre I usually tend to go for romance based literature but found myself captivated from the beginning. It also became apparent that Eli was not yet ready for love even though him and Nick were attracted to one another he needed to come to terms with his past before he could move forward. Some suggestions would be to include a list of Irish terms such as bookie and RTE With translations for non-Irish readers at the end. I also wish there had been a deeper discussion around Eli’s time in psychiatric care which might further explain why he wasn’t psychologically present at trial. It was also hard to discern if he spent time there before or after his arrest. Overall it was a fantastic book and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Wow, I can't describe everything I felt while reading this book. I kept hoping it was NOT a true story, it would have broke my heart even more ! The way the author writes everything Eli went through, it's crazy. I just wanted to cuddle/comfort him and tell him I want to be his friend. I'm happy with the ending even though I think he deserved to get compensated for what he went through. I'll definitely read more of this author.

Thanks to Netgalley and Cranthorpe Millner Publishers for access to this arc in exchange for my honest review.

I would like to thank the author, the publisher and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read an ARC of this book. I really enjoyed this book, so much so I read it in one sitting, the characters were great and the twist was brilliant, I will be recommending this book to everyone I know.

" [...] Ten months of being in here can change someone; whether that be for better or worse, only time can tell. [...]"

Our hero is Eli Kelly, who has been in prison for seven years for killing Matt. He is twenty-eight years old. His current cellmate is Brendan. Brendan struggles to leave the prison walls. Charlie is a close and loyal friend who is hiding something from the other prisoners. For this he is beaten every day. I was very moved by his story. Tears were literally flowing down my face. We should not be allowed to oppress our fellow prisoners just because they are alive.
Anna McGrath is a lawyer. Will she take an interest in the affairs of our heroes? Are their cases worth reconsidering?
Eli Kelly's case won't be easy because he doesn't remember how his boyfriend was murdered. He doesn't remember how or why he murdered Matt. Is he really behind this crime? Will a certain doctor help him remember everything? This case won't be easy. It will be very difficult. Nevertheless, it is worth undertaking.
The book "An inquiry into innocence" by R.N. Cogley's book is not light reading. It's very exciting. You will meet LGBTQ+ people here. This book makes us think. Is everything correct in prisons? Are prisoners always guilty?
This book keeps you in suspense until the last page. There was such a twist at the end that I still can't get my head around it. An interesting read. This book is worth reading. The perfect psychological thriller.

This one is by Irish Author and set in Irish Prison
Interesting story
Can't say really good mystery
But yes it did keep me on my toes
And it was good in other ways.
.
.
The book was good
It brought to light the Domestic Abuse faced by LGBTQ+ people and how little it is represented in the books.
Even the system fails to help them.
Police/Grada didn't help them easily.
.
It's tough life for them
First to be accepted and then to be safe
And it was portrayed well in the book
.
The book also answers the question
why the people who face domestic abuse don't report the crime and also shows what happens when they actually do
And
Especially when the person is gay
.
How one who faced abuse is traumatised and is scared to accept in front of anyone that they are the survivor. They think people will judge them and are scared to accept in public that they have survived Domestic Abuse
.
It is a mystery but yes we guess what would have happened as soon as that character comes in but this book is more about the portrayal of people who have faced abuse and wrongful convicted.
❤️So it's not for someone who is looking for mystery
.
We see life in jail in Irish Prison which is the same as anywhere else
But
We see different kinds of innocent people
Shady people and
Our protagonist who was a mix of many things
.
I was glad I read this one
.
Thank you Netgalley for ARC
.
I give this one 4 stars for the portrayal of the Domestic Abuse faced by Gay community.
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And I learnt some new Irish Terms too🙊
.