The Inmate

4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars | 190,440 ratings

Price: 23.88

Last update: 04-18-2025


About this item

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.


Top reviews from the United States

  • Ashlee
    5.0 out of 5 stars Twisty Turny!
    Reviewed in the United States on December 10, 2024
    Freida McFadden’s “The Inmate” is a masterclass in psychological suspense that takes the reader on a relentless, unpredictable ride. As a fan of twisty thrillers, I relish trying to piece together the mystery before the final reveal. But McFadden skillfully plays with that expectation, luring you into believing you’ve cracked the case—only to pull the rug out from under you time and time again.

    In “The Inmate”, she doesn’t just deliver the usual twists; she keeps you second-guessing at every turn. Just when you think you’re a step ahead, she throws in a curveball that leaves you reeling. The suspense builds with every chapter, making you question everyone’s motives and wondering if anyone is truly innocent. It’s the kind of thriller where you suspect everyone, trust no one, and race to uncover the truth.

    Fast-paced and packed with jaw-dropping surprises, The Inmate will keep you hooked until the final page. McFadden has outdone herself with a story that demands your full attention and refuses to let go. If you think you can see the ending coming, think again.
  • Alsun825
    4.0 out of 5 stars Twist and Turns
    Reviewed in the United States on January 2, 2025
    This book was good. It has a lot of twist and turns that make it difficult to figure out who did what but the ending wasn’t a shocker. Not a throw the book, one mouth, I can’t believe that shocker like I hoped for.
  • Jessica L.
    5.0 out of 5 stars wow, what a rollercoaster ride
    Reviewed in the United States on January 7, 2025
    That was a very intense, suspenseful experience. I really enjoyed this book! From beginning to end I was hooked! I thought I had a part figured out but nope. I was wrong and then there were more twists!!!! Even the ending was shock, in a good way. This was a great read!!
  • GGmom
    3.0 out of 5 stars A little too far fetched
    Reviewed in the United States on July 31, 2024
    I wavered between a 3-3.5 ⭐️ for this book and I’ll explain why.
    Was this a good story that had twists and turns? Yes. Was the story somewhat predictable yet the twist & turns make you scratch your head that maybe you have it all wrong who you think committed the heinous crimes?Yes. Was the story fast paced and interesting? Also Yes. Here is the plot and issue that I personally had with the book: it begins with the FMC Brooke who is a young single mother to a 10 year old boy. She is a nurse practitioner who moves back to her hometown in her childhood home after her parents pass away due for a fresh start, mainly for her son as he’s being bullied at his school bc he doesn’t have a father (*this was the first strike for me bc this day and age it’s extremely common for single parents raising their kids in this day age. Didn’t make sense). She can’t find a job anywhere she applied save for the prison that happens to hold her ex boyfriend from high school - Shane- who tried to murder her when they were dating in HS and she was the one to put him there. Extremely Sus. Next we have Tim who was the boy next door that was always in love with her growing up and warned her about Shane before the crimes. As a teen Brooke grew up in a strict household. There is a murder of a teen girl that happened recently and her parents tightened the reigns even more. Her parents never approved of Shane Nelson so she could never tell them he was her boyfriend. It was unclear why they didn’t like him. In the story she mentions more than once that Shane was wild in junior high, he doesn’t know his own father and lives in an old run down farm house with his mom. They struggle to make ends meet. But Brooke is not pretentious and likes him for who he is and how he treats her. Granted, they are only 17, he’s the Star quarterback, she’s the cheerleader - typical HS trope. Shane’s mom is going out of town which gives the teens the perfect opportunity to have some friends over and spend the night together for the first time. Shane does tell her that it could be just the two of them instead of having their best friends over but Brooke is still innocent & wants her bff there too. Shane obliges, reminds her to be at his place by 7:30 and she exits his 3rd hand vehicle (that he rebuilt himself bc he can’t afford to buy a used car. I can see the appeal that Brooke sees in him). Tim just so happens to hear the tail end of their conversation as Shane drives off and asks Brooke what is going on at 7:30 with the dangerous Shane Nelson. Brooke cares about Tim bc they grew up close so she invites him to go with her and her friends to Shane’s for the big sleepover/small get together in hopes Tim can get to know the Shane she knows and everything will be kosher between them all. She even arranges for her bff to find another girl to come who hopefully will hit it off with Tim. At Shane’s thar evening the teens play NEVER HAVE I EVER as a drinking game. Tim tries to expose/humiliate Shane for putting a boy in the hospital for no reason. Brooke is shocked and upset Shane and his football buddy did this to a skinny nerdy kid at school. Shane explains what happened and why, seems remorseful. Then Shane strikes back by exposing Tim dated the girl who was recently murdered. Brooke and everyone there is shocked. Tim never spoke to the police that he dated the girl supposedly only two times, the last time was also the same night the girl was murdered. So suspicions are now elevated. But Brooke tell’s herself how she’s known Tim her entire life, there is no way he’d harm anyone. The night progresses, everyone goes to their respective rooms with their significant others. Brooke and Shane are asleep when she is awoken to hearing her name being screamed by her bff only to find that the girl’s boyfriend has been stabbed to death. The wifi doesn’t work at the house, the storm is raging, the power has gone out, the knives are missing in the kitchen……Shane and Tim are adamant everyone should stay until the storm passes and since the killer is someone outside…….or is it?? So what I didn’t like about this story was that Brooke doubted herself after 11 years of the events that happened. She didn’t believe the facts in front of her, she didn’t bother to question anything enough or listen to ppl she’s known her whole life and then the very ending was like COME ON!!!! There would’ve been evidence of what happened in the woods (the epilogue) without giving anything else away, you just have to read it to see what I mean. It’s definitely a worthy read. It’s just too far fetched even for fiction.
  • Kate B
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book!!!
    Reviewed in the United States on January 14, 2025
    This was an amazing, twisted story with a great build up and insane ending. Just when you think you know what’s going on, it’s completely thrown back in your face. All the way through the epilogue!
  • James A. Glynn
    4.0 out of 5 stars She jailed two men, at different times, for the same crime
    Reviewed in the United States on August 17, 2024
    Mystery fans will love this one. Frieda McFadden’s, “The Inmate” (2024, 332 pages in softcover) has more twists and turns than a Dutch cruller. And there are two timelines, eleven years apart. But the author makes it easy on us. The characters are the same. In the earlier period, they’re teenagers; in the later years, they’re in their late twenties.

    [Before going on, let me answer a question, asked by a reader. I don’t use the terms “paperback” and “softcover” interchangeably. I don’t know if there is an “official” difference, but to me, a paperback was usually originally published in hardback and then made available in a slick-covered paperback that is typically 4” by 7”. A softcover is often the original publication, the cover is not shiny, and it typically measures 5” by 8”. A hardback has a plain hard cardboard cover with a glossy dust cover. The size is quite variable, but usually larger than a softcover or a paperback. Every textbook, workbook, and study guide that I published in sociology or computer science was in softcover regardless of size because I wanted to keep the cost to students as low as possible.]

    The main character in “The Inmate” is Brooke Sullivan, a single mother and nurse practitioner. She’s 28 years old and has a 10-year-old son, Josh. She’s just returned to her home town of Raker, which she left as a teenager. But she has inherited her parents’ house and has applied for jobs in and around Raker. The only one that was offered to her was at the prison, the one at which her former boyfriend Shane is serving a life sentence for multiple murders, including the attempted murder of Brooke. Naturally, this makes Brooke feel uneasy, especially because it was mainly her testimony that led the jury to find Shane to be guilty.

    But things start looking up for her when she is reacquainted with Tim, her best friend since they were toddlers. And, it was Tim who rescued her when Shane, who had killed their friends at a party, had his hands around Brooke’s throat and was choking her.

    Things are also looking up at the prison where the prisoners are courteous and grateful for her help. Brooke, however, finds that conditions for medical treatment are substandard, and this becomes clear when Shane is brought to her with multiple bruises and a cut on his face that needs to be sutured. However, when Brooke asks for some lidocaine to numb the area, she learns that the prison has no anesthetic available.

    Naturally, when Tim learns that Brooke is practicing at the prison, he tells her to beware of Shane because he’s dangerous. However, after Brooke sews up his face, Shane issues that warning about Tim. As Brooke begins to delve into accounts of the night that the killing took place, doubts arise. Perhaps Shane, who has spent the last decade in prison, is an innocent man. And Brooke is dead set on learning the truth.

    ...Jim Glynn

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