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March 2026
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might prove Shane innocent. The tension throughout the whole story is laced throughout McFadden’s descriptive scenes and thoughtful moments. Brooke begins to remember moments from that night that just don’t add up, and she soon believes that maybe Shane isn’t the one who did it, but someone else
close to her.
And, of course, Frieda Mc-
Fadden is known for her plot twists, and this story is just an- other one of those that fall into the crazy ending category, be- cause I did not see the very last moment coming. If you’re on the hunt for a quick, suspenseful whodunnit story, The Inmate is sure to keep you up at night, theorizing who committed those brutal murders.
By: BRittany amalfi
I really do love a good mys- tery-thriller to get me out of a reading slump. I’ve been reading a copious amount of fantasies lately, and sometimes, when that happens, I need to zip through a good thriller to cleanse my brain of all the magic systems and mi- raculously long names so I can refocus. Luckily, I know a good Frieda McFadden book can do just the trick when it comes to es- caping the mundane day-to-day and the fantasy buildup.
For those who aren’t familiar with Frieda McFadden, she is the author of the vital hit, The Housemaid. The novel that took social media by storm, had ev- eryone talking, and was then made into an epic movie. We can always count on McFadden to deliver an insane plot twist, so when I picked up The Inmate, I knew I would be in for a twisty, turny ride.
The Inmate follows Brooke Sullivan as she enters a new job as a nurse practitioner in a maximum security men’s prison. What no one there knows is that
Brooke’s high school sweetheart, Shane Nelson, is locked up for a string of brutal murders com- mitted when they were in high school. Brooke just wants a fresh start in the town she grew up in with her son, and she’s desperate for a job, so taking care of in- mates is all she can do.
Brooke must follow strict rules while working at the prison. Still, her connection to Shane weighs heavily in the air, and as she faces shocking twists, major rev- elations, and potential manipu- lation to doubt everything she’s ever known about that one fate- ful night when Shane murdered her friends.
The Inmate by Frieda Mc- Fadden offers another descrip- tive yet easy-to-read narrative that keeps you engaged from
start to finish. I have to admit, Brooke is really bad at making decisions, and there were times I wanted to shake her and yell, “What are you thinking?!” But if she weren’t such a terrible de- cision maker, we wouldn’t have gotten this eerie, suspicious story.
As terrible as her through pro- cess was, I did find myself root- ing for Brooke because this girl has just been through so much and just wants to start fresh with her son in a small town away from the atrocities of the city.
Immediately, Brooke has to care for Shane in the first week of her job, and the tension is palpable through the air. She sees the boy she once loved, the father of her child (although he doesn’t know that), and the man who murdered her friends. Once they come face-to-face, however, Shane is quick to defend him- self and claim his innocence to Brooke, who, at first, doesn’t be- lieve him. But as the days go on and people from her high school days resurface, Brooke starts to uncover unsettling moments that
Book of the Month: The Inmate By: Frieda McFadden
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