House of Correction
Fiction
William Morrow
October 27, 2020
Advanced reader copy
528
Free from publisher
Tabitha is not a murderer.
When a body is discovered in Okeham, England, Tabitha is shocked to find herself being placed in handcuffs. It must be a mistake. She’d only recently moved back to her childhood hometown, not even getting a chance to reacquaint herself with the neighbors. How could she possibly be a murder suspect?
She knows she’s not.
As Tabitha is shepherded through the system, her entire life is picked apart and scrutinized —her history of depression and medications, her decision to move back to a town she supposedly hated . . . and of course, her past relationship with the victim, her former teacher. But most unsettling, Tabitha’s own memories of that day are a complete blur.
She thinks she’s not.
From the isolation of the correctional facility, Tabitha dissects every piece of evidence, every testimony she can get her hands on, matching them against her own recollections. But as dark, long-buried memories from her childhood come to light, Tabatha begins to question if she knows what kind of person she is after all. The world is convinced she’s a killer. Tabatha needs to prove them all wrong.
But what if she’s only lying to herself?
My review:
This husband/wife writing duo has a slew of books in their resumé, but this is the first I've read. I don't think it will be the last, because I really enjoyed not only the plot, but the writing style. The words just flow together to propel the story along. I would find myself sitting down to read a few pages, and a hundred pages would fly by! This was basically two simultaneous stories, on the one hand we have incarcerated Tabitha heading up her own defense of a murder charge (from prison no less), while also trying to figure out who the real murderer is (thus providing the easiest route to her innocence). Tabitha was a great character. At times I found myself thinking 'no no, don't do that', while in the next moment I would be cheering her on 'you go girl'! As is my usual custom when a mystery is a good one, I didn't figure this one out until the very end, but that didn't keep me from trying through all 500 pages! Never has there been a better case for CCTV cameras to be installed everywhere 🙂
Another story about people being judged without concrete proof, and fabulous readability make this a court case whodunnit well worth the read. I think I've found a new author duo!
