Name: Madilyn Taylor's review of The Inmate by Freida McFadden
Item: The Inmate
Rating: 4
Author: Madilyn Taylor

Freida McFadden

"There are three rules Brooke Sullivan must follow as a new nurse practitioner at a men's maximum-security prison: 1) Treat all prisoners with respect. 2) Never reveal any personal information. 3) Never EVER become too friendly with the inmates. But none of the staff at the prison knows Brooke has already broken the rules. Nobody knows about her intimate connection to Shane Nelson, one of the penitentiary's most notorious and dangerous inmates. And they certainly don't know that Shane was Brooke's high school sweetheart--the star quarterback who is now spending the rest of his life in prison for a series of grisly murders. Or that Brooke's testimony was what put him there. But Shane knows. And he will never forget"--Page 4 of cover.

A Novel

The Inmate

taci

A smile creeps back across his face. "I am? About what?" "Not being together would completely suck." I grab him by his shirt and pull his lips onto mine. He kisses me back just as eagerly. And all the while, I ignore the tiniest hint of sandalwood clinging to the collar of his shirt.

It does smell good in the entire house though. I could smellit down the hallway. And it's only when I'm in Tim's arms that I notice another smell. Something extremely familiar, but not nearly as pleasant as garlic and butter. It's sandalwood. I jerk away from Tim, my nose crinkled in disgust. "Oh my God, what are you wearing?" 

close to him. "But there wasn't a knife next to him. I couldn't find one, anyway." "Oh.. Tim jerks his head at the kitchen counter. “I got woried that whoever it was would come back, so I went to get a knife from the kitchen. And guess what? All the knives are gone." I stare at him. What?" "Right? Pretty weird. There's a knife block on the counter and it's empty." I shiver and hug myself. "So what does that mean?" "Id say it means that whoever did this planned it in advance and got 39 rid of all the other weapons in the house." "Tim." I feel like I'm choking. “What are you saying?" "I think you know exactly what I'm saying, Brooke."

"I don't care if you think I'm a... a killer," he chokes out. “Just... you've got to stay away from Tim Reese. He's dangerous. Please, Brooke." I look into his eyes, and there's real fear there. A chill goes down my spine. I don't know how he could think Tim is dangerous. Tim is so obviously not dangerous. I could never believe that about him. Shane has to be faking it. He has to be. "Fine," I say. "Really?" "Yes." He leans back against the bed, his facial features relaxing. "Thank you, Brooke.» It won't be the first time I've lied to him.

But just before we can pile into Chelsea's Beetle and get back home, she stops short. I hear the sharp inhale of her breath a second before I realize what she's looking at. All four of her tires have been slashed. What the hell?" she gasps. We go around the side of her car to Shane's Chevy, and the situation is the same. Tires slashed to smithereens. “What the hell?" Shane is furious now as he examines the damage to

Chelsea is on her knees next to Brandon, who is lying on the damp porch on his back, his chest a mess of dark red blood. The same dark red material is dripping out of his mouth, and his eyes are cracked open, staring at nothing. Chelsea is holding his hand, sobbing uncontrollably as the rain pours down on them.

What is he saying? That Shane tricked Elise, and that's the reason she got in trouble? I find that hard to believe, especially after what she wrote in his chart. And Shane hasn't manipulated me. I even offered him pain medication last week, and he refused. "Don't worry about it." "I am worried." He glances over my shoulder at my Toyota. "Look,I don't want to talk about this in the parking lot. Why don't we go get a drink together and we can, you know, talk about this more?"

1, uh..." I clear my throat. "I'm sorry, Shane. I'm just super nervous because... well, you know, I've never..." Yeah," he says. "Me either." I look at him in absolute astonishment. Is he really telling me that he...? "You've never had sex before?" I blurt out. No..." He frowns. "I haven't."

He rubs his head. "I think so. I'm just dizzy." Hunt helps me walk Shane down the hallway to the infirmary, and we get him settled in a bed. The bump on his head is swelling up, and he has to stop twice on the way to the infimary because he's too dizzy to go on. It makes me think about the night someone tried to kill me. That night, Shane got a knock on the head the same as he did today-the EMTS on the scene found the lump on his skull to prove it. He claims he was knocked unconscious before anything even happened to me.

Hunt nods briskly. "Great, let's go." I see what's going to happen a mile away. Hunt grabs Shane by the arm to get him off the exam table, but because there is a step to get down and his legs are shackled, he can't keep his balance. He goes toppling off the table and clocks his head on the side of my desk with a sickening thump. I leap into action, bending down next to Shane, who is now on the floor. He groans, his eyes cracked open, but he's woozy and there's an egg rising just below his hairline.

I put my hands on my hips. "So you admit what you did." "No, I didn't kill anyone. ButI understand you don't want to hear that you got it wrong." He is so full of it. He's not apologizing for the sake of apologizing. He's apologizing because he wants to talk about it more. I remember the word Elise underlined in his chart: Manipulative.

"You want to know why I've always got shackles on? It's because he hates me." Who?" "Hunt. He hates mny guts." "But why?" He lifts a shoulde. "Who the hell knows? Maybe I remind him of somebody. Sometimes people just don't like each other. 

1° ambiente estranho entre o Tim e o Shane

"All right." Shane clears his throat loudly. “It's my turn again." We all turn to look at him, our drinks ready. "Never have I ever," he says, "been on a date with Tracy Gifford." Shane is staring at Tim as a bolt of thunder shakes the room. Tim raises his eyes, and a look passes between them that I can't quite identify. We all sit there, our hands frozen on our paper cups. Tracy Gifford is the girl who was found dead over the summer. Obviously, none of us have been on a date with her. But then Tim raises his cup. And he takes a drink.

could smell Shane's sandalwood aftershave tickling my nose, and I could feel his hot breath on my neck. But there's one thing I can't do. I can't see his face. I never saw the face of the man who tried to kill me. The power was out that night and everything was pitch black. But I knew Shane very well. I knew the feel of his body. The smell of him. I knew it was him. It had to be. Because if it wasn't him, I have made a terrible mistake.

"No. No. Please just listen to me, okay?" I shake my head. "I can't. This isn't a good idea." "I just need you to know..."-his voice suddenly sounds hoarseI wasn't the one who tried to kill you, Brooke. I swear to you. I swear on my life." 

aposto que foi o Tim a fazer merda e culpou o Shane

Shane kisses me again, but when I pull away, I get an uneasy feeling. A prickly sensation on the back of my neck. Like somebody's watching me. I jerk my head around. Tim is standing across the room, staring at us, unreadable expression on his face. But when our eyes meet, he quickly

I press my lips together. "I need to stitch up a forehead laceration. I need some lidocaine." We're all out." I blink at her. "Excuse me?" She shrugs. "We carry a small amount of anesthetic, but at the moment, we're out of stock." "So what am I supposed to do?" "Stitch him up without it." My jaw tightens. What is wrong with this woman? These men are human beings. 

At my question, he whips his head up and stares at me. "Well, Brooke, I'm spending my life in prison for something I didn't do, so how the hell do you think I am?”

before, but he does nothing to help Shane. It takes him a few tries, but Shane manages to get up on the table. Once Shane is situated, Hunt leaves the exam room. I start to close the door behind him, but he puts up a hand to keep the door from closing. You should keep the door open with this one," Hunt says.

 The inmate is wearing the standard prison khaki jumpsuit, and unlike most of the prisoners, both his wrists and his ankles are shackled, so he's shuffling along slowly next to Hunt. As he gets closer, I can see the bandage taped to his forehead, which is saturated with bright red blood. Whatever is under there, it's almost certainly going to need stitches. Then my eyes drop to the prisoner's face. Oh. Oh no. No no. It’s Shane

"Oh!" He smiles again, but it looks slightly more forced this time. Well, the first day of kindergarten is always scary for kids. I'm sure he'll do great." When I told him it was Josh's first day of school, he assumed I meant he was starting kindergarten. He doesn't realize my son is ten years old. He's going to find out eventually, and I'm dreading it. I don't want him to do the math. After all, he was there that night too. He has the scars to prove it.

"Brooke!" His face lights up. "It's really you!" As Tim sprints across the grass surrounding the school, I get a better look at him. And... well, wow. When we were little, Tim was a cute kid. Lots of freckles and a smile that made all the adults love him. And then near the end of high school, he shot up six inches practically overnight, and he became a little less cute and a little more handsome, but still too skinny and gangly. But now he's filled in completely, gained the weight he needed and some muscle on top of that. The freckles are long gone, Tim Reese is hot.

"Are you meeting Shane at seven-thirty?" Tim presses me. I avert my eyes. Chelsea might be my best friend, but Tim knows me better than anybody in the world. “Maybe... Tim's blue eyes darken. "I can't believe you're still dating that jerk." My parents hate Shane, but Tim hates him even more. He hates him with a strange passion that I don't entirely understand. Tim isn't the kind of guy who would judge somebody because they drive a third-hand car and being live in an old farmhouse that's one loose shingle away from being condemned. There are other reasons he hates Shane.

"Brooke, I lope you." I can't help but grin at him. That's a private joke between the two of us. I was texting him once that I love ice cream, but I mistyped it and I Wrote "I lope ice cream." You would think my phone would auto correct that, but it didn't. And then it became a joke. I lope french fries. I lope foot rubs. And then a couple of weeks ago, he blurted out: I lope you

Gina Crane 

I can never guess her endings! Very good 

Madilyn Taylor

Slightly predictable but so fun. Love the end 😭

Nicole Mills

Lots of plot twists, great read, couldn't put it down 

Alexis Donnelly

This book kept me wanting to read more! I found myself wanting to read at work. Every time I thought I had the book figured out, I was wrong and super surprised! 

Iyanla Tucker

Freida does it again 😭 This book really keeps you guessing up until the very end so many twists and turns 

Kiana Johnson

Authors writing is super easy and addicting to read but the main character was just making the dumbest decisions.

Sasha

shiya

It wasn’t as good as her other books but it was an easy read.

Why didn’t they think of the possibility of there bring anither person in the house?

It obviously wasn’t going to be Tim because Shane was pointing his finger to him the whole book.

Then I thought it was Marcus because he was acting kinda weird 

But then Shane was trying too hard to get her to the farmhouse again. Shane is such a psychopath.

AND THEN MARGIE IS HIS MOTHER??? COMPLETELY SHOCKED 

It wasn’t as good as her other books but it was an easy read.

Why didn’t they think of the possibility of there bring anither person in the house?

It obviously wasn’t going to be Tim because Shane was pointing his finger to him the whole book.

Then I thought it was Marcus because he was acting kinda weird 

But then Shane was trying too hard to get her to the farmhouse again. Shane is such a psychopath.

AND THEN MARGIE IS HIS MOTHER??? COMPLETELY SHOCKED 

Jillian Roberts

I think freida McFadden is my favourite author, so captivating and the end never fails to shock me! The epilogue really had my mind blown 🤯 

Robyn Harley

I enjoyed reading this book! It was fast-paced and kept me on my toes. I genuinely thought that Tim wasn't innocent and that he had done it, but in the end, it was Shane and his mother!! What?? Then, the very end, Josh ends up killing Shane in order to protect his mother??? Holy fuck. 

Angel 🖤

This book had so many unexpected twists at the end. I thought I had played out all the different scenarios in my head but I truly did not see that coming. The epilogue had me 😳🫢🫨

Baylea Fancher

Would have been 4 stars if the entire book was like the last few chapters. FMC was insufferable for most of the book. Maybe it’s bc I’ve never tried to be murdered but she seems so naive and weak minded? Epilogue was CRAZY tho

Allysen

the main character was insufferable for most of the book BUT i seriously thought that i had thought of all of the plot twists!! the main plot twist was so unexpected that i started laughing 😭 and the book was enjoyable but i feel like it started moving really fast toward the end

maddie

muy buen desarrollo pero no me gustó el final, todo nqv. el epílogo fue wow tho 

Ximena Calvo

Ella es increíblemente chuza, no me esperaba para nada eso 

Valeria 

kels

Lots of twists and turns! It got to be a bit much at the end though, with too much going on. Overall, I read the book in one day so definitely a page turner!

Alicia Evans

I was going back and forth from a 4.25 and a 4.5 for a while now. But the ending I think pushes it up for me. Every time I think I had it figured out Freida went, “oh, not so much.” It was fast paced, had me hooked from the beginning. I had some drawback by some of the FMC’s actions but overall it was so good. I’m so excited to read more of her backlist soon and see what else she can put me through😂

Priscilla Stanfield

Plenty of mystery and a few twists. I couldn’t figure out the whodunnit until the very end even though I had felt certain I was on to something. So, on that end it’s a thrilling page turner.

I didn’t like how some things panned out though. Shane getting released from prison so quickly is extremely unlikely and Freida usually does fantastic research before adding something so significant to her books. 

I cannot stand reading about a mother who has such poor judgement, says one thing and does another. Hearing tons of warnings from her coworkers about not mentioning personal information only to turn around and do exactly that. Several times Brooke would tell herself not to get close to someone for the sake of her son, Josh, but in no time at all she allowed two men into her home and left them alone with her son. That part seriously bothered me. I get that she hasn’t had any intimacy for years because she was away hiding her secret but why not get intimate elsewhere? Why does it have to be in her home with her son in the next room? Then driving to the farmhouse after being so adamant about not wanting to go back to the place that still causes her so much ptsd is absolutely insane!

That ending though, with Margie… blew my mind! I knew instantly the sound that saved Brooke’s life in that moment had something to do with a part that Josh played. Still an excellent added tidbit in the epilogue. 

Christa Bell

Plenty of mystery and a few twists. I couldn’t figure out the whodunnit until the very end even though I had felt certain I was on to something. So, on that end it’s a thrilling page turner.

I didn’t like how some things panned out though. Shane getting released from prison so quickly is extremely unlikely and Freida usually does fantastic research before adding something so significant to her books. 

I cannot stand reading about a mother who has such poor judgement, says one thing and does another. Hearing tons of warnings from her coworkers about not mentioning personal information only to turn around and do exactly that. Several times Brooke would tell herself not to get close to someone for the sake of her son, Josh, but in no time at all she allowed two men into her home and left them alone with her son. That part seriously bothered me. I get that she hasn’t had any intimacy for years because she was away hiding her secret but why not get intimate elsewhere? Why does it have to be in her home with her son in the next room? Then driving to the farmhouse after being so adamant about not wanting to go back to the place that still causes her so much ptsd is absolutely insane!

That ending though, with Margie… blew my mind! I knew instantly the sound that saved Brooke’s life in that moment had something to do with a part that Josh played. Still an excellent added tidbit in the epilogue. 

i think i had such big expectations from this book and that ruined it all for me (also the fact that i procrastinated on it and took me so long to finish...) 

i like how it really makes you think about which one is the actual perpetrator cus tbh i wasn't sure until the end. i would go back and forth between the two and trying to reason with them. i wouldn't say the ending was Shocking but it's good enough! i wasn't as shocked but i enjoy reading it! josh's pov at the end did made me gasp though ngl... 

i think i had such big expectations from this book and that ruined it all for me (also the fact that i procrastinated on it and took me so long to finish...) 

i like how it really makes you think about which one is the actual perpetrator cus tbh i wasn't sure until the end. i would go back and forth between the two and trying to reason with them. i wouldn't say the ending was Shocking but it's good enough! i wasn't as shocked but i enjoy reading it! josh's pov at the end did made me gasp though ngl... 

It was an entertaining book but oh boy was the main character annoying. Her actions seem very naive and her internal monologue through out the book was cringy and far fetched at times. Some of the twist were very predictable but the ones I didn’t expect seem very improbable. 

Zaira A 

The levels to this. I was stunned. STUNNED! I enjoyed every minute of this. I didn't know who to believe, who was bad, who was good, i was lost! This gripped me and never let me go until it was over. Just when i thought I had it figured out, they hit me with another twist. 

Josh'a epilogue at the end😮😮😮😮 so like is he a psychopath? Because the way that I connected him to his dad in my brain is the love and devotion he felt for his mom was the same as what shane felt. So much so that he took Tims warning very very seriously. To the point that he protected his mom at all costs, means shane's death. I feel like the author wanted to drop that bomb on us simply to connect those pieces. Brooke had subtly discussed a few times how she wondered if Josh would turn out like shane. The epilogue connected those thoughts and left me gasping 

Tatum cain 

The levels to this. I was stunned. STUNNED! I enjoyed every minute of this. I didn't know who to believe, who was bad, who was good, i was lost! This gripped me and never let me go until it was over. Just when i thought I had it figured out, they hit me with another twist. 

Spoiler!!

Josh'a epilogue at the end😮😮😮😮 so like is he a psychopath? Because the way that I connected him to his dad in my brain is the love and devotion he felt for his mom was the same as what shane felt. So much so that he took Tims warning very very seriously. To the point that he protected his mom at all costs, means shane's death. I feel like the author wanted to drop that bomb on us simply to connect those pieces. Brooke had subtly discussed a few times how she wondered if Josh would turn out like shane. The epilogue connected those thoughts and left me gasping 

Sehr spannendes und teilweise gruseliges Buch mit einem befriedigendem Ende. Wirklich gut in einem Rutsch zu lesen 🫡

Gina Crane &
The Inmate by Freida McFadden

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Gina Crane &The Inmate by Freida McFadden

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Gina Crane &
The Inmate by Freida McFadden