I went on a thriller reading binge last week and finished two books in two days. And both of them were by Freida McFadden. The Inmate is a fast paced psychological thriller that can easily be finished in a few sittings. The Locked Door worked well for me but her other book, The Housemaid was a miss and so I wasn’t sure how well I’d enjoy The Inmate. Now, The Inmate isn’t a flawless psychological thriller because I guessed the killer before the protagonist could do it but it has all the makings for a gripping mystery.

Brooke Sullivan returns to her childhood town with her son after her parent’s death and finds a job in a prison as their new nurse practitioner. Coming back to her hometown stirs up mixed emotions within her because of an unfortunate incident that happened back in high school. But bumping into her ex boyfriend, Shane and present inmate in the prison throws her off. The fact that she was the one who put him in prison all those years ago, is a dangerous truth that lurks between them.

The timeline keeps jumping between the past and present where we see all the things that eventually led up to Brooke’s ex being sent to prison. While she deals with this adjustment, she also finds a romantic interest in her long best friend. But there’s something off about her past, a missing link that she just can’t make sense of. Does Brooke really has the facts about her past life correctly or was Shane actually innocent all these years? While we watch her struggle to put things together, we see pieces things starting to make sense.

The story is breezy and is almost unputdownable. It certainly has a dramatic end, which at times felt over the top. But it did keep me engaged throughout the day. If you’re looking for something to get you out of a slump or to keep you cosy on a rainy day, this one’s for you.

Thank you for the copy @penguinindia ✨