She’s a murderer.
Everyone knows she killed Stuart Rees – why else would his dead body be found in her shed?
So now Tabitha is in prison, awaiting trial.
Coming back to the remote coastal village where she grew up was a mistake. She didn’t fit in then, and she doesn’t fit in now.
That day is such a blur, she can’t remember clearly what happened. There is something she is missing, something important… She only knows one thing. She is not capable of murder.
And the only one she can trust to help her out of this situation is herself.
So she must fight. Against the odds.
For her life.
Beautifully written about prejudice, loneliness and fighting spirit, this new book by Nicci French is shocking, twisty and utterly compelling.
Nicci French is the pseudonym for the writing partnership of journalists Nicci Gerrard and Sean French. The couple are married and live in Suffolk. There are eleven other bestselling novels by Nicci French: The Memory Game, The Safe House, Killing Me Softly, Beneath the Skin, The Red Room, Land of the Living, Secret Smile, Catch Me When I Fall, Losing You, Until It’s Over and What To Do When Someone Dies, all published by Penguin.
My Review:
House of Correction is a standalone psychological thriller by the writing team Nicci French and I listened to this on Audible, narrated by Gemma Whelan.
Tabitha is a vulnerable, socially awkward young women who has returned to her childhood home after a long absence and is now facing life in prison for the murder of her neighbour and childhood abuser, Stuart Rees.
She’s a fascinating character, naive and not really likeable and it’s difficult for the listener/reader to warm to her at all. However, the situation she finds herself in is intriguing and the court scenes were gripping.
With no-one to look out for her, she relies on her soon-to-be released cell mate to help her find out what really happened to Stuart and to prove her innocence and gain her freedom. Having decided to defend herself in Court, her awkward personality and humour shines through, but with a history of mental illness, anxiety and depression, Tabitha struggles to recall fact from fiction, but she does know she didn’t kill anyone even if all the evidence points direct to her.
A thoroughly enjoyable audio book that I would recommend to fans of legal drama and dark thrillers.
