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House of Correction
‘So,’ said Mora Piozzi, her lawyer, looking down at her laptop. ‘In brief: you are charged with the murder of Stuart Robert Rees, on December 21st, between the hours of ten-forty in the morning and half-past three o’clock in the afternoon.’
Tabitha is accused of murder. She is in prison awaiting trial.
There is a strong case against her, and she can’t remember what happened on December 21st.
She is alone, frightened and confused.
But somehow, from the confines of her cell, she needs to prove everyone wrong.
Tabitha is accused of murder. She is in prison awaiting trial.
There is a strong case against her, and she can’t remember what happened on December 21st.
She is alone, frightened and confused.
But somehow, from the confines of her cell, she needs to prove everyone wrong.
528 pages, Paperback
First published April 6, 2020
About the author
Nicci French
68 books3,359 followersNote: (Nicci Gerrard and Sean French also write separately.)
Nicci Gerrard was born in June 1958 in Worcestershire. After graduating with a first class honours degree in English Literature from Oxford University, she began her first job, working with emotionally disturbed children in Sheffield. In that same year she married journalist Colin Hughes.
In the early eighties she taught English Literature in Sheffield, London and Los Angeles, but moved into publishing in 1985 with the launch of Women's Review, a magazine for women on art, literature and female issues.
In 1987 Nicci had a son, Edgar, followed by a daughter, Anna, in 1988, but a year later her marriage to Colin Hughes broke down.
In 1989 she became acting literary editor at the New Statesman, before moving to the Observer, where she was deputy literary editor for five years, and then a feature writer and executive editor.
It was while she was at the New Statesman that she met Sean French.
Sean French was born in May 1959 in Bristol, to a British father and Swedish mother. He too studied English Literature at Oxford University at the same time as Nicci, also graduating with a first class degree, but their paths didn't cross until 1990. In 1981 he won Vogue magazine's Writing Talent Contest, and from 1981 to 1986 he was their theatre critic. During that time he also worked at the Sunday Times as deputy literary editor and television critic, and was the film critic for Marie Claire and deputy editor of New Society.
Sean and Nicci were married in Hackney in October 1990. Their daughters, Hadley and Molly, were born in 1991 and 1993.
By the mid-nineties Sean had had two novels published, The Imaginary Monkey and The Dreamer of Dreams, as well as numerous non-fiction books, including biographies of Jane Fonda and Brigitte Bardot.
In 1995 Nicci and Sean began work on their first joint novel and adopted the pseudonym of Nicci French. The Memory Game was published to great acclaim in 1997 followed by The Safe House (1998), Killing Me Softly (1999), Beneath the Skin (2000), The Red Room (2001), Land of the Living (2002), Secret Smile (2003), Catch Me When I Fall (2005), Losing You (2006) and Until It's Over (2008). Their latest novel together is What To Do When Someone Dies (2009).
Nicci and Sean also continue to write separately. Nicci still works as a journalist for the Observer, covering high-profile trials including those of Fred and Rose West, and Ian Huntley and Maxine Carr. Novels include Things We Knew Were True (2003), Solace (2005) and The Moment You Were Gone (2007). Sean's last novel is Start From Here (2004).
Nicci Gerrard was born in June 1958 in Worcestershire. After graduating with a first class honours degree in English Literature from Oxford University, she began her first job, working with emotionally disturbed children in Sheffield. In that same year she married journalist Colin Hughes.
In the early eighties she taught English Literature in Sheffield, London and Los Angeles, but moved into publishing in 1985 with the launch of Women's Review, a magazine for women on art, literature and female issues.
In 1987 Nicci had a son, Edgar, followed by a daughter, Anna, in 1988, but a year later her marriage to Colin Hughes broke down.
In 1989 she became acting literary editor at the New Statesman, before moving to the Observer, where she was deputy literary editor for five years, and then a feature writer and executive editor.
It was while she was at the New Statesman that she met Sean French.
Sean French was born in May 1959 in Bristol, to a British father and Swedish mother. He too studied English Literature at Oxford University at the same time as Nicci, also graduating with a first class degree, but their paths didn't cross until 1990. In 1981 he won Vogue magazine's Writing Talent Contest, and from 1981 to 1986 he was their theatre critic. During that time he also worked at the Sunday Times as deputy literary editor and television critic, and was the film critic for Marie Claire and deputy editor of New Society.
Sean and Nicci were married in Hackney in October 1990. Their daughters, Hadley and Molly, were born in 1991 and 1993.
By the mid-nineties Sean had had two novels published, The Imaginary Monkey and The Dreamer of Dreams, as well as numerous non-fiction books, including biographies of Jane Fonda and Brigitte Bardot.
In 1995 Nicci and Sean began work on their first joint novel and adopted the pseudonym of Nicci French. The Memory Game was published to great acclaim in 1997 followed by The Safe House (1998), Killing Me Softly (1999), Beneath the Skin (2000), The Red Room (2001), Land of the Living (2002), Secret Smile (2003), Catch Me When I Fall (2005), Losing You (2006) and Until It's Over (2008). Their latest novel together is What To Do When Someone Dies (2009).
Nicci and Sean also continue to write separately. Nicci still works as a journalist for the Observer, covering high-profile trials including those of Fred and Rose West, and Ian Huntley and Maxine Carr. Novels include Things We Knew Were True (2003), Solace (2005) and The Moment You Were Gone (2007). Sean's last novel is Start From Here (2004).
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September 25, 2020
*4.5 stars *
This one's a terrific read. It gripped me completely from the first until the very last page.
Tabitha is a small, unprepossessing woman with a vile temper who is on remand for murder. She is accused of killing Stuart Rees, a local schoolteacher who is also involved with the management of the church. She hates being in prison, and resents the fact that she has to share a two-bunk cell with Michaela.
The following day she meets her brief, who she treats very nonchalantly. She knows she is innocent of the crime, and consequently thinks it will just be a matter of a simple explanation and she will be released. The lawyer swiftly disabuses her of this idea and explains that the case against her is very strong. The witnesses to be called by the prosecution, who she thinks of as friends, are nothing of the kind.
She also has a strong motive for the killing: when she was fifteen and a pupil in Rees's class, he had secretly abused her. She had never reported him and when his crime against her is disclosed, all the villagers simply think she is a slut.
Her brief advises her to plead guilty to manslaughter with mitigating circumstances. Tabitha's reaction is to dismiss her brief and conduct her own case. She knows absolutely nothing about the law or the machinery of a murder trial. Her only friend is her cellmate Michaela, who is released well before the trial begins and despite her own complete lack of knowledge, becomes her greatest help.
The rest of the novel tells in (graphic detail), Tabitha's indictment for murder and the long-drawn-out trial which follows. I tried very hard to like Tabitha. I'm afraid I failed, despite admiration for her tenacity. During her trial she is incredibly rude to all the Court officials, including the judge. I did find it a bit hard to believe that a well-educated woman could be quite so ignorant. Nevertheless, a spellbinding novel.
This one's a terrific read. It gripped me completely from the first until the very last page.
Tabitha is a small, unprepossessing woman with a vile temper who is on remand for murder. She is accused of killing Stuart Rees, a local schoolteacher who is also involved with the management of the church. She hates being in prison, and resents the fact that she has to share a two-bunk cell with Michaela.
The following day she meets her brief, who she treats very nonchalantly. She knows she is innocent of the crime, and consequently thinks it will just be a matter of a simple explanation and she will be released. The lawyer swiftly disabuses her of this idea and explains that the case against her is very strong. The witnesses to be called by the prosecution, who she thinks of as friends, are nothing of the kind.
She also has a strong motive for the killing: when she was fifteen and a pupil in Rees's class, he had secretly abused her. She had never reported him and when his crime against her is disclosed, all the villagers simply think she is a slut.
Her brief advises her to plead guilty to manslaughter with mitigating circumstances. Tabitha's reaction is to dismiss her brief and conduct her own case. She knows absolutely nothing about the law or the machinery of a murder trial. Her only friend is her cellmate Michaela, who is released well before the trial begins and despite her own complete lack of knowledge, becomes her greatest help.
The rest of the novel tells in (graphic detail), Tabitha's indictment for murder and the long-drawn-out trial which follows. I tried very hard to like Tabitha. I'm afraid I failed, despite admiration for her tenacity. During her trial she is incredibly rude to all the Court officials, including the judge. I did find it a bit hard to believe that a well-educated woman could be quite so ignorant. Nevertheless, a spellbinding novel.
February 13, 2021
EXCERPT: ... now the person who had abused her was dead. Mr Rees the maths teacher. Stuart Rees her neighbour. The pillar of his little community. His body in her shed, his car parked outside, his blood all over her.
She bit her lip so hard that she tasted iron in her mouth. She put her hands over her eyes to make the darkness darker. She couldn't remember that day, or only a few snatches. It had been a day of wild weather and of a crouching fear. The kind of day that she had to crawl blindly through, just to get to the end.
What had happened? Why had he come to her house and why had he died and what had she been doing?
Her solicitor believed she had murdered him. What did she, Tabitha Hardy, believe? She didn't know. She didn't know, and not knowing tipped dread through her like poison.
She didn't know what to do. She had no idea. She had no one to turn to and the night went on and on and on and when morning came she still didn't know.
ABOUT 'HOUSE OF CORRECTION': 'So,’ said Mora Piozzi, her lawyer, looking down at her laptop. ‘In brief: you are charged with the murder of Stuart Robert Rees, on December 21st, between the hours of ten-forty in the morning and half-past three o’clock in the afternoon.’
Tabitha is accused of murder. She is in prison awaiting trial.
There is a strong case against her, and she can’t remember what happened on December 21st.
She is alone, frightened and confused.
But somehow, from the confines of her cell, she needs to prove everyone wrong.
MY THOUGHTS: Tabitha is a difficult character to like. She is depressed, angry - sometimes to the point of violence - and quite hostile towards the people in her village. She doesn't have friends. But then she has been through a lot - seduced/raped at the age of fifteen by the man she is accused of murdering, she never told anyone at the time. She has had spells in psychiatric hospitals. She is medicated. She struggles to live any semblance of a 'normal' life.
All the evidence seems to point to her, even the CCTV footage. Tabitha at times doubts her own innocence. She doesn't think she did it, killed Stuart, doesn't think she is capable of it, but can't be certain...
Nicci French has written a 'locked room' mystery set in a small coastal English village. There is only one road in and out which, on the day of the murder, was blocked by a fallen tree. So we have a limited pool of suspects, none of whom, other than Tabitha, appear to be in the right place at the right time.
I became absorbed by her case. She has fired her brief, who believes her to be guilty, and elects to defend herself against all advice. Her defence is haphazard and stumbling. She constantly erupts in the courtroom, doing herself no favours. She has the feeling that she is missing something, something important that dances around the periphery of her mind but that she can't quite grasp...
There are plenty of twists in this story, none of which I saw coming. At the beginning, I wasn't entirely convinced that Tabitha hadn't murdered Stuart, yet I was busy trying to work out who else could have killed him right through to the end. Believe me, I suspected almost everyone in the village at some point.
House of Correction is a read that will set your 'little grey cells' humming. While I can't say that I liked Tabitha by the end, I had certainly grown to admire her.
An interesting and absorbing read with a cast of interesting characters. Definitely recommended.
⭐⭐⭐⭐.2
#HouseofCorrection #NetGalley @niccifrenchauthor
#contemporaryfiction #crime #legalthriller #mentalhealth #murdermystery #psychologicalthriller
THE AUTHOR: Nicci French is the pseudonym of English husband-and-wife team Nicci Gerrard (born 10 June 1958) and Sean French (born 28 May 1959), who write psychological thrillers together.
DISCLOSURE: Thanks to Simon and Schuster via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of House of Correction by Nicci French for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com
This review and others are also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
She bit her lip so hard that she tasted iron in her mouth. She put her hands over her eyes to make the darkness darker. She couldn't remember that day, or only a few snatches. It had been a day of wild weather and of a crouching fear. The kind of day that she had to crawl blindly through, just to get to the end.
What had happened? Why had he come to her house and why had he died and what had she been doing?
Her solicitor believed she had murdered him. What did she, Tabitha Hardy, believe? She didn't know. She didn't know, and not knowing tipped dread through her like poison.
She didn't know what to do. She had no idea. She had no one to turn to and the night went on and on and on and when morning came she still didn't know.
ABOUT 'HOUSE OF CORRECTION': 'So,’ said Mora Piozzi, her lawyer, looking down at her laptop. ‘In brief: you are charged with the murder of Stuart Robert Rees, on December 21st, between the hours of ten-forty in the morning and half-past three o’clock in the afternoon.’
Tabitha is accused of murder. She is in prison awaiting trial.
There is a strong case against her, and she can’t remember what happened on December 21st.
She is alone, frightened and confused.
But somehow, from the confines of her cell, she needs to prove everyone wrong.
MY THOUGHTS: Tabitha is a difficult character to like. She is depressed, angry - sometimes to the point of violence - and quite hostile towards the people in her village. She doesn't have friends. But then she has been through a lot - seduced/raped at the age of fifteen by the man she is accused of murdering, she never told anyone at the time. She has had spells in psychiatric hospitals. She is medicated. She struggles to live any semblance of a 'normal' life.
All the evidence seems to point to her, even the CCTV footage. Tabitha at times doubts her own innocence. She doesn't think she did it, killed Stuart, doesn't think she is capable of it, but can't be certain...
Nicci French has written a 'locked room' mystery set in a small coastal English village. There is only one road in and out which, on the day of the murder, was blocked by a fallen tree. So we have a limited pool of suspects, none of whom, other than Tabitha, appear to be in the right place at the right time.
I became absorbed by her case. She has fired her brief, who believes her to be guilty, and elects to defend herself against all advice. Her defence is haphazard and stumbling. She constantly erupts in the courtroom, doing herself no favours. She has the feeling that she is missing something, something important that dances around the periphery of her mind but that she can't quite grasp...
There are plenty of twists in this story, none of which I saw coming. At the beginning, I wasn't entirely convinced that Tabitha hadn't murdered Stuart, yet I was busy trying to work out who else could have killed him right through to the end. Believe me, I suspected almost everyone in the village at some point.
House of Correction is a read that will set your 'little grey cells' humming. While I can't say that I liked Tabitha by the end, I had certainly grown to admire her.
An interesting and absorbing read with a cast of interesting characters. Definitely recommended.
⭐⭐⭐⭐.2
#HouseofCorrection #NetGalley @niccifrenchauthor
#contemporaryfiction #crime #legalthriller #mentalhealth #murdermystery #psychologicalthriller
THE AUTHOR: Nicci French is the pseudonym of English husband-and-wife team Nicci Gerrard (born 10 June 1958) and Sean French (born 28 May 1959), who write psychological thrillers together.
DISCLOSURE: Thanks to Simon and Schuster via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of House of Correction by Nicci French for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com
This review and others are also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
November 16, 2021
Tabitha is arrested for the murder of her neighbor Stuart Rees. The evidence against her is pretty strong - everyone including her lawyer thinks she did it. Determined to prove her innocence, Tabitha decides to defend herself by dismissing her lawyer and investigating this case on her own. She knows absolutely nothing about the law or a murder trial. Will Tabitha be able to prove her innocence?
House of Correction is a part mystery part courtroom drama, set in a small coastal English village. This isn't your standard courtroom drama or a murder mystery. The first half of the novel deals with Tabitha's time in jail and her attempts to put together what happened that day. The second half of the novel is a courtroom drama that has some dramatic twists and turns which will keep you hooked till the end.
The story really shines in the second half and all the courtroom fights are very well written and Tabitha’s inexperience as a lawyer makes the contest really uneven and intriguing. The trial is gripping and you have no idea which way it’s going but the underdog nature of the fight really makes you root for Tabitha.
Tabitha is a complicated character to write. She is a loner, moody, hostile, ill-tempered, and hence not so easy to like. However, as the story progresses readers will start to like her as they understand her and some of the factors that may have shaped her. Her grittiness and determination during the trial also transform the way readers look at her.
For the first half of the book, Tabitha is preparing herself for her trial while in prison and I found this part a bit slow and repetitive. At a little over 500 pages, the book is long, but it is a very fast read. Although the first part is not as engaging, I would advise the readers to keep reading.
Overall, House of Correction is a cleverly written story with some exceptional twists and turns. It’s an interesting and absorbing read with an interesting cast of characters which makes the story highly readable right from the start. Definitely recommended for lovers of courtroom dramas.
Many thanks to the publishers HarperCollins and Edelweiss for the ARC.
House of Correction is a part mystery part courtroom drama, set in a small coastal English village. This isn't your standard courtroom drama or a murder mystery. The first half of the novel deals with Tabitha's time in jail and her attempts to put together what happened that day. The second half of the novel is a courtroom drama that has some dramatic twists and turns which will keep you hooked till the end.
The story really shines in the second half and all the courtroom fights are very well written and Tabitha’s inexperience as a lawyer makes the contest really uneven and intriguing. The trial is gripping and you have no idea which way it’s going but the underdog nature of the fight really makes you root for Tabitha.
Tabitha is a complicated character to write. She is a loner, moody, hostile, ill-tempered, and hence not so easy to like. However, as the story progresses readers will start to like her as they understand her and some of the factors that may have shaped her. Her grittiness and determination during the trial also transform the way readers look at her.
For the first half of the book, Tabitha is preparing herself for her trial while in prison and I found this part a bit slow and repetitive. At a little over 500 pages, the book is long, but it is a very fast read. Although the first part is not as engaging, I would advise the readers to keep reading.
Overall, House of Correction is a cleverly written story with some exceptional twists and turns. It’s an interesting and absorbing read with an interesting cast of characters which makes the story highly readable right from the start. Definitely recommended for lovers of courtroom dramas.
Many thanks to the publishers HarperCollins and Edelweiss for the ARC.
August 14, 2020
When Tabitha Hardy and her handyman Andy find the dead body of maths teacher Stuart Rees in her shed late one night, she is accused of his murder and placed on remand awaiting trial. Tabitha has been suffering from episodes of depression and mental illness most of her life and has no clear memory of what happened that day. She certainly doesn't remember killing anyone, but the police believe it's an open and shut case as she had a motive for killing him and no one else in the village was seen to go towards her house that day.
Although Tabitha protests her innocence, her lawyer doesn't believe her and advises her to plead guilty to manslaughter, so Tabitha decides to defend her own case despite knowing nothing of the law and court procedure and with the inherent difficulty in talking to witnesses and gathering information while in prison. She also has the problem that she has not made any attempt to fit in to the village and make friends, despite growing up there and recently returning to live.
This was a bit of a change of pace for Nicci French but made for a suspenseful read. The first half of the novel deals with Tabitha's time in remand and her attempts to put together what happened that day. At first she is a difficult character to like, being moody, hostile and often angry, however French manages to make us like her as she starts to understand herself and some of the factors that may have shaped her. Her grittiness and determination also start to win her some sympathy. The second half of the novel takes us in to the court room where Tabitha is clearly naive to think she can represent herself in court against experienced prosecutors and was lucky to have a patient judge (who allowed her more leeway that would likely be allowed in reality). This did provide some humor as Tabitha blundered her way through questioning the witnesses, assisted only by her unlikely support person, Michaela, a friend from prison. Overall, an engaging and suspenseful read.
With thanks to Simon & Schuster UK and Netgalley for a digital copy to read.
Although Tabitha protests her innocence, her lawyer doesn't believe her and advises her to plead guilty to manslaughter, so Tabitha decides to defend her own case despite knowing nothing of the law and court procedure and with the inherent difficulty in talking to witnesses and gathering information while in prison. She also has the problem that she has not made any attempt to fit in to the village and make friends, despite growing up there and recently returning to live.
This was a bit of a change of pace for Nicci French but made for a suspenseful read. The first half of the novel deals with Tabitha's time in remand and her attempts to put together what happened that day. At first she is a difficult character to like, being moody, hostile and often angry, however French manages to make us like her as she starts to understand herself and some of the factors that may have shaped her. Her grittiness and determination also start to win her some sympathy. The second half of the novel takes us in to the court room where Tabitha is clearly naive to think she can represent herself in court against experienced prosecutors and was lucky to have a patient judge (who allowed her more leeway that would likely be allowed in reality). This did provide some humor as Tabitha blundered her way through questioning the witnesses, assisted only by her unlikely support person, Michaela, a friend from prison. Overall, an engaging and suspenseful read.
With thanks to Simon & Schuster UK and Netgalley for a digital copy to read.
April 16, 2022
I have read many of the books written by this talented pair of authors, both stand alone and from the popular Frieda Klein series, and this one is out there with the best. It was so readable and so tense that I could hardly put it down.
The main character, Tabitha, is not the easiest of people to like. She is described as prickly and stand offish and lives with depression. When she is found covered in blood next to a dead body she is unable to explain herself or remember what has happened and she is arrested for murder.
The rest of the book is set either in prison or in the court room. The prison scenes are harrowing especially if you believe that at least some of the prisoners are actually innocent and have been wrongly arrested. Tabitha believes that is the case for her and sets out to prove it which is difficult to do when you are behind bars. The court scenes are much lighter since Tabitha decides to defend herself and she has next to no knowledge of how to abide by the rules of the court. There are some very entertaining moments as a result.
The end of the book came as a total surprise to me. The reader has all the same information as Tabitha - in fact one vital piece of information is presented twice - but she guessed the murderer correctly and I did not. An excellent ending to a really good book.
The main character, Tabitha, is not the easiest of people to like. She is described as prickly and stand offish and lives with depression. When she is found covered in blood next to a dead body she is unable to explain herself or remember what has happened and she is arrested for murder.
The rest of the book is set either in prison or in the court room. The prison scenes are harrowing especially if you believe that at least some of the prisoners are actually innocent and have been wrongly arrested. Tabitha believes that is the case for her and sets out to prove it which is difficult to do when you are behind bars. The court scenes are much lighter since Tabitha decides to defend herself and she has next to no knowledge of how to abide by the rules of the court. There are some very entertaining moments as a result.
The end of the book came as a total surprise to me. The reader has all the same information as Tabitha - in fact one vital piece of information is presented twice - but she guessed the murderer correctly and I did not. An excellent ending to a really good book.
October 22, 2020
Five 'Best of the Year' Stars to House of Correction!!!
Raise your hands if this is the first time you've seen or heard of this book. Anyone? Well, I'm here to change that. This is a legal/courtroom drama that cannot be missed. I was absolutely riveted. I had never read anything by Nicci French (a husband and wife duo) before, but there was something about the premise of this that grabbed my attention and I'm so glad that I was fortunate enough to be given a copy.
So what's it about? When the book starts, you don't know much about the main character, Tabitha. You know that she is accused of murdering a neighbor because his body was found in her shed. The police believe she has the motive and means to carry out this crime. However, Tabitha cannot remember the events of that day. The more and more the reader learns about this case, the more and more unsure we are of Tabitha's innocence.
What I liked so much about Tabitha was that she was an underdog who didn't always make the best decisions, but you rooted for her anyway. When she makes the shocking decision to defend herself of the murder charge, things really get interesting. Now, it's possible that not every reader will be as into this as me, particularly because it takes a while for it to become clear the direction the authors are taking you in, but I absolutely urge you to be patient and trust me. This isn't your standard courtroom drama. It is unique and deliberately written and holy crap when the book moves into the courtroom scenes it really gets going. I was counting down the minutes to when I could get back to reading this. At a little over 500 pages, it might look cumbersome, but it is a very fast read. The authors ask for your trust in writing a book this long, but boy is the payoff huge. The ending was highly rewarding and I will be sending this book off as a gift to many friends this holiday season.
Thank you to Christina Joell and William Morrow for providing me a galley of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Review Date: 10/22/2020
Publication Date: 10/27/2020
Raise your hands if this is the first time you've seen or heard of this book. Anyone? Well, I'm here to change that. This is a legal/courtroom drama that cannot be missed. I was absolutely riveted. I had never read anything by Nicci French (a husband and wife duo) before, but there was something about the premise of this that grabbed my attention and I'm so glad that I was fortunate enough to be given a copy.
So what's it about? When the book starts, you don't know much about the main character, Tabitha. You know that she is accused of murdering a neighbor because his body was found in her shed. The police believe she has the motive and means to carry out this crime. However, Tabitha cannot remember the events of that day. The more and more the reader learns about this case, the more and more unsure we are of Tabitha's innocence.
What I liked so much about Tabitha was that she was an underdog who didn't always make the best decisions, but you rooted for her anyway. When she makes the shocking decision to defend herself of the murder charge, things really get interesting. Now, it's possible that not every reader will be as into this as me, particularly because it takes a while for it to become clear the direction the authors are taking you in, but I absolutely urge you to be patient and trust me. This isn't your standard courtroom drama. It is unique and deliberately written and holy crap when the book moves into the courtroom scenes it really gets going. I was counting down the minutes to when I could get back to reading this. At a little over 500 pages, it might look cumbersome, but it is a very fast read. The authors ask for your trust in writing a book this long, but boy is the payoff huge. The ending was highly rewarding and I will be sending this book off as a gift to many friends this holiday season.
Thank you to Christina Joell and William Morrow for providing me a galley of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Review Date: 10/22/2020
Publication Date: 10/27/2020
August 1, 2020
Tabitha Hardy returns to her childhood home in Okeham, Devon to renovate a property. However, now she is on remand for the murder of Stuart Rees who was her maths teacher as a teenager. Tabitha denies the murder and questioning by her solicitor reveals a complicated and troubled past and a deeply complex personality in Tabitha. She fires her solicitor as determines to defend herself.
Well, the Nicci French duo have done it again, drawing me into the storytelling hook, line and sinker. It starts with the depiction of prison life, the House of Correction which is well portrayed as a dismal place but there are redeeming aspects especially cellmate Michaela who stands by Tabitha so admirably. The story of Tabitha and her courtroom fight is very well written and unfolds extremely well and the whole concept of the novel hanging around the court case is really intriguing. Tabitha is not the easiest protagonist to like as she’s difficult, spikey, easy to anger and can be foul mouthed but I have to say as time goes on I warm to her. Her courtroom battle is admirable and shall we say, unconventional and I have a tendency to like the unconventional! The trial is gripping reading, at times the atmosphere is electric and you have no idea which way it’s going but she fights in doggedly and occasionally explosively. I like the character of the judge who despite Tabitha trying her patience more than once, treated her fairly. There are some interjections of wry and dark humour throughout the book which I enjoy and the way the novel ends is extremely apt.
Overall, this is a fascinating premise, I love the courtroom drama and the characters are interesting and you find yourself rooting for Tabitha despite some of her less likeable personality traits. Highly recommended.
With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Simon and Schuster for the much appreciated ARC.
Well, the Nicci French duo have done it again, drawing me into the storytelling hook, line and sinker. It starts with the depiction of prison life, the House of Correction which is well portrayed as a dismal place but there are redeeming aspects especially cellmate Michaela who stands by Tabitha so admirably. The story of Tabitha and her courtroom fight is very well written and unfolds extremely well and the whole concept of the novel hanging around the court case is really intriguing. Tabitha is not the easiest protagonist to like as she’s difficult, spikey, easy to anger and can be foul mouthed but I have to say as time goes on I warm to her. Her courtroom battle is admirable and shall we say, unconventional and I have a tendency to like the unconventional! The trial is gripping reading, at times the atmosphere is electric and you have no idea which way it’s going but she fights in doggedly and occasionally explosively. I like the character of the judge who despite Tabitha trying her patience more than once, treated her fairly. There are some interjections of wry and dark humour throughout the book which I enjoy and the way the novel ends is extremely apt.
Overall, this is a fascinating premise, I love the courtroom drama and the characters are interesting and you find yourself rooting for Tabitha despite some of her less likeable personality traits. Highly recommended.
With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Simon and Schuster for the much appreciated ARC.
August 7, 2020
⭐️4 Stars⭐️
House of Correction is an intriguing psychological thriller which shifts between the confinement of prison and a courtroom drama.
Tabitha Hardy is accused of murdering her neighbour Stuart Rees within a week of moving back to her small, remote hometown of Okeham, England. Stuart has been found fatally stabbed in Tabitha’s yard.
Tabitha has a blurred memory of the day of the murder. She doesn't fit in and is not liked by the community, she’s a loner and all the evidence appears to point to her. She is arrested and sent to prison on remand until her court case is heard.
After firing her court appointed lawyer, although advised not to Tabitha decides to conduct her own defence in court and sets out to solve her case from the confines of prison.
The story was filled with twists and turns, it’s well written and cleverly plotted, with a smidge of delightful humour. I wasn’t fond of the protagonist at first but I started to warm to her and her feisty nature as the story evolved. A recommended read for those that love a courtroom drama and a twisty outcome.
I wish to thank NetGalley and Simon & Schuster UK for an advanced copy in return for an honest review.
House of Correction is an intriguing psychological thriller which shifts between the confinement of prison and a courtroom drama.
Tabitha Hardy is accused of murdering her neighbour Stuart Rees within a week of moving back to her small, remote hometown of Okeham, England. Stuart has been found fatally stabbed in Tabitha’s yard.
Tabitha has a blurred memory of the day of the murder. She doesn't fit in and is not liked by the community, she’s a loner and all the evidence appears to point to her. She is arrested and sent to prison on remand until her court case is heard.
After firing her court appointed lawyer, although advised not to Tabitha decides to conduct her own defence in court and sets out to solve her case from the confines of prison.
The story was filled with twists and turns, it’s well written and cleverly plotted, with a smidge of delightful humour. I wasn’t fond of the protagonist at first but I started to warm to her and her feisty nature as the story evolved. A recommended read for those that love a courtroom drama and a twisty outcome.
I wish to thank NetGalley and Simon & Schuster UK for an advanced copy in return for an honest review.
November 23, 2020
For me, this book fell right in the middle - not awful but definitely not great. Several of my other amazing GR friends really liked it, but the style just didn't work. The story dragged on needlessly, and the protagonist was so unlikable that I just didn't care what happened to her.
The premise had promise - when Tabitha Hardy returns to her hometown and begins rehabbing a ramshackled house, things go awry when her contractor finds a dead man in her shed - a man with whom, as it turns out, she has damming past connections. Tabitha immediately becomes suspect numero uno, is arrested for his murder, and remanded to prison until her trial. Enter problem one - Tabitha cannot remember anything about the specifics of the day of the murder. She is assigned a solicitor who urges her to plead guilty of manslaughter, but Tabitha does not believe that she is guilty, so she fires her solicitor and elects to proceeds pro se. Problem two - she knows nothing about the legal system, and the evidence against her is compelling, including the motive. Tabitha quickly becomes her own worst enemy, as it never seems to occur to her that she does not have the necessary skills to mount a successful defense. That being said - shocker - somehow she clumsily manages to crack the case wide open.
This book took me forever to get into, and I honestly would have DNF'd it, but some of my fellow reviewers encouraged me to continue; and I admit, the second half of the book (the trial), is much better than the first half (Tabitha's time in prison awaiting trial). Even though I enjoyed the trial, the courtroom scenes were unbelievable and almost laughable at times. Nothing about the trial was true to life - no matter the country - and while I can suspend belief in many cases, this one really stretched it. My biggest issue though, was with Tabitha. From the start, she was an unlikable, unsympathetic character. While not every protagonist must be entirely likable, they need to have at least some redeeming quality that allows the reader to root for them. I couldn't find any such quality here - Tabitha was quick-tempered, rude, impulsive, and just plain crazy, in my opinion.
The final reveal is somewhat intriguing, but it is so bizarrely random, that I give props to anyone who can figure it out. Overall, if you're in the mood for a book featuring an unreliable narrator with serious personal issues and can suspend disbelief to the nth degree, this one might work for you. 3 stars for me.
The premise had promise - when Tabitha Hardy returns to her hometown and begins rehabbing a ramshackled house, things go awry when her contractor finds a dead man in her shed - a man with whom, as it turns out, she has damming past connections. Tabitha immediately becomes suspect numero uno, is arrested for his murder, and remanded to prison until her trial. Enter problem one - Tabitha cannot remember anything about the specifics of the day of the murder. She is assigned a solicitor who urges her to plead guilty of manslaughter, but Tabitha does not believe that she is guilty, so she fires her solicitor and elects to proceeds pro se. Problem two - she knows nothing about the legal system, and the evidence against her is compelling, including the motive. Tabitha quickly becomes her own worst enemy, as it never seems to occur to her that she does not have the necessary skills to mount a successful defense. That being said - shocker - somehow she clumsily manages to crack the case wide open.
This book took me forever to get into, and I honestly would have DNF'd it, but some of my fellow reviewers encouraged me to continue; and I admit, the second half of the book (the trial), is much better than the first half (Tabitha's time in prison awaiting trial). Even though I enjoyed the trial, the courtroom scenes were unbelievable and almost laughable at times. Nothing about the trial was true to life - no matter the country - and while I can suspend belief in many cases, this one really stretched it. My biggest issue though, was with Tabitha. From the start, she was an unlikable, unsympathetic character. While not every protagonist must be entirely likable, they need to have at least some redeeming quality that allows the reader to root for them. I couldn't find any such quality here - Tabitha was quick-tempered, rude, impulsive, and just plain crazy, in my opinion.
The final reveal is somewhat intriguing, but it is so bizarrely random, that I give props to anyone who can figure it out. Overall, if you're in the mood for a book featuring an unreliable narrator with serious personal issues and can suspend disbelief to the nth degree, this one might work for you. 3 stars for me.
August 10, 2020
Tabitha Hardy is in prison, on remand and awaiting trial for the murder of Stuart Rees - her neighbour and former teacher. More importantly, he had sexually abused her when she was 15. Tabitha had only recently returned to the village she grew up in, Okeham, after inheriting some money and using it to buy a cottage in the village to renovate. When her court appointed lawyer encourages her to plead guilty to manslaughter to cop a lower sentence she fires the lawyer for not believing in her innocence and then decides to defend herself. No one is happy with this decision and Tabitha makes a real dog’s breakfast of it all.
This book was quite long and extremely slow in the first half. We spend a lot of time in Tabitha’s head and it’s not a pleasant place to be. It’s not that she’s evil or bad, rather that her thoughts are so chaotic and unstructured and annoying. She is a very prickly, angry person and at the same time she was muddle-headed, confused, forgetful and unable to concentrate and so on. A lot of that can be attributed to the sexual abuse which I think she had repressed until her conviction brought it all up again. Also, clearly being in prison and representing herself in court was giving her a lot of stress. None of that changes the fact though that it was boring to read about. So Tabitha was unlikeable, but by the end of the story I was left feeling that just about everyone in the village was thoroughly unpleasant.
The story, however, was really good. Even though I didn’t like Tabitha I was rooting for her. The courtroom scenes had some humour along with all the awkwardness of Tabitha’s defence. Prison life was depicted in a way that I thought was realistic although, as I have never been to prison, I don’t know for certain. A bit more brevity and a bit more action in the first half would have lifted this book immeasurably. Many thanks to Netgalley, Simon & Schuster and Nicci French for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.
This book was quite long and extremely slow in the first half. We spend a lot of time in Tabitha’s head and it’s not a pleasant place to be. It’s not that she’s evil or bad, rather that her thoughts are so chaotic and unstructured and annoying. She is a very prickly, angry person and at the same time she was muddle-headed, confused, forgetful and unable to concentrate and so on. A lot of that can be attributed to the sexual abuse which I think she had repressed until her conviction brought it all up again. Also, clearly being in prison and representing herself in court was giving her a lot of stress. None of that changes the fact though that it was boring to read about. So Tabitha was unlikeable, but by the end of the story I was left feeling that just about everyone in the village was thoroughly unpleasant.
The story, however, was really good. Even though I didn’t like Tabitha I was rooting for her. The courtroom scenes had some humour along with all the awkwardness of Tabitha’s defence. Prison life was depicted in a way that I thought was realistic although, as I have never been to prison, I don’t know for certain. A bit more brevity and a bit more action in the first half would have lifted this book immeasurably. Many thanks to Netgalley, Simon & Schuster and Nicci French for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.
September 6, 2020
The House of Correction is an interesting read. It was a book that I read over a weekend and it had me hooked. The main character Tabitha is an absolute mess of a woman and you can't help but admire her. She is damaged, stronger than she thinks and very determined. Her honesty made me laugh and warm to her. I enjoyed the way the story was split into 2 parts, the initial part of the arrest and incarceration and then the court case. An enjoyable read.
Tabitha is trying to get her life back on track after several setbacks. She has returned to the village that she grew up in for her new start. But that all comes crashing down when she is arrested for murder - the body of her former teacher Stuart Rees is found wrapped in plastic in her shed. Tabitha is convinced that she is innocent but all those around her believe she killed him, including her lawyer who tells her to plead guilty. So what does she do - she sacks the lawyer and defends herself. This is where the fun begins, with her limited resources she sets out to prove her innocence. While at times the storyline is little hard to believe I really enjoyed Tabitha's journey.
Thanks to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster UK for my advanced copy of this book to read.
Tabitha is trying to get her life back on track after several setbacks. She has returned to the village that she grew up in for her new start. But that all comes crashing down when she is arrested for murder - the body of her former teacher Stuart Rees is found wrapped in plastic in her shed. Tabitha is convinced that she is innocent but all those around her believe she killed him, including her lawyer who tells her to plead guilty. So what does she do - she sacks the lawyer and defends herself. This is where the fun begins, with her limited resources she sets out to prove her innocence. While at times the storyline is little hard to believe I really enjoyed Tabitha's journey.
Thanks to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster UK for my advanced copy of this book to read.
July 9, 2020
A courtroom drama if there ever was one! Tabitha, accused of murder, apparently never read one herself, or she would have known that what she is trying to do is almost impossible. But... she does it! She is confused and angry, nobody likes her (she thinks) and the whole community sentenced her before the trial even started.
Yet somehow she is so angry of being accused of a murder she didn't commit, she doesn't let go and what unfolds is a true brilliant story.
Although it is a lengthy story and there are many repetitions in it, it doesn't feel slow or 'too long'. I loved every page of it. Sometimes I wanted to grab Tabitha by her shoulders and shake her, other times I wanted to hug her.
I'm very thankful to Netgalley for this digital reading copy.
Yet somehow she is so angry of being accused of a murder she didn't commit, she doesn't let go and what unfolds is a true brilliant story.
Although it is a lengthy story and there are many repetitions in it, it doesn't feel slow or 'too long'. I loved every page of it. Sometimes I wanted to grab Tabitha by her shoulders and shake her, other times I wanted to hug her.
I'm very thankful to Netgalley for this digital reading copy.
August 1, 2020
These day's I only have to see the name Nicci French to want to read more and that's exactly what happened here. I was first hooked on these two authors after reading the Freida Klein series but have since enjoyed many of the stand alone novels.
This is an excellent courtroom thriller that pulls you along without the need to rush yet entertain in doing so. Excellent characters and cleverly constructed plot that keep you guessing.
School Teacher Stuart Rees lies dead and his ex pupil Tabitha Hardy is on remand in prison accused of his murder. The police are convinced she is the killer after his body was found in her garden shed. Although Tabitha pleads innocent she is unaware of what actually happened on the day he was found. She has an history of mental health and depression and her memory is always a little hazy. The case against her is not helped by the discovery that she had an underage sexual relationship with him which provides a motive for revenge. After a falling out with her lawyer Tabitha decides to defend herself which adds a little humour to the book.
This is an enjoyable read and I am sure it will prove to be another winner for Nicci French.
I would like to thank both Net Galley and Simon & Schuster UK for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
This is an excellent courtroom thriller that pulls you along without the need to rush yet entertain in doing so. Excellent characters and cleverly constructed plot that keep you guessing.
School Teacher Stuart Rees lies dead and his ex pupil Tabitha Hardy is on remand in prison accused of his murder. The police are convinced she is the killer after his body was found in her garden shed. Although Tabitha pleads innocent she is unaware of what actually happened on the day he was found. She has an history of mental health and depression and her memory is always a little hazy. The case against her is not helped by the discovery that she had an underage sexual relationship with him which provides a motive for revenge. After a falling out with her lawyer Tabitha decides to defend herself which adds a little humour to the book.
This is an enjoyable read and I am sure it will prove to be another winner for Nicci French.
I would like to thank both Net Galley and Simon & Schuster UK for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
August 13, 2020
I'll be honest, I was expecting more from this. Previous books I've read by Nicci French have been, while not beacons of outstanding literary genius, decent pageturners with a solid plot. This book was missing something and left me fairly underwhelmed.
I love a flawed protagonist, but they do need to be someone that the reader can sympathise with at least a little – and that is something that I struggled with with Tabitha. I just found her frustratingly unlikable as a main character.
While the book deals with issues of mental health, it doesn't do so in a particularly sensitive way. Instead, memory loss and sudden mood swings seem to just be for the convenience of the plot, of which there isn't much.
A lot of the book is taken up with a trial in court, and as such it gets a little monotonous after a while.
Overall, this book is... fine. But it's not brilliant. 2.5/5, rounded down.
(An ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thoughts are my own.)
I love a flawed protagonist, but they do need to be someone that the reader can sympathise with at least a little – and that is something that I struggled with with Tabitha. I just found her frustratingly unlikable as a main character.
While the book deals with issues of mental health, it doesn't do so in a particularly sensitive way. Instead, memory loss and sudden mood swings seem to just be for the convenience of the plot, of which there isn't much.
A lot of the book is taken up with a trial in court, and as such it gets a little monotonous after a while.
Overall, this book is... fine. But it's not brilliant. 2.5/5, rounded down.
(An ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thoughts are my own.)
November 19, 2021
Another great read from the duo Nicci French! I have thoroughly enjoyed all of the books by this author team and this is no exception. House of Correction is an expertly crafted tale of a woman convicted of a murder she does not remember committing. Believing that she is innocent, Tabitha leads us on the journey of proving her innocence. She is a strong, yet misunderstood woman that I grew to respect and appreciate as the story unfolded. I especially enjoyed the courtroom drama. This is a slow, burn mystery that I highly recommend. Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins for my ARC!
February 22, 2024
It took too long to finally get to this audio. Its been on my TBR since August of 2020. Can't really say what made me pick it up but it proves once more that one finds surprises in the most unusual places. This is my 6th Nicci French read and I think by far the best I've had to pleasure to pick up. 5 star for me all the way--well not so much in the beginning but once past 1/3 I could not put it down. I listened to the audio done so well by Michelle Ford, far into the night and into the wee hours of the morning. I tried to turn it off but found I just had to keep listening to find out how these two wonderful writers (Nicci French is a husband and wife team) would pull out and solve this mystery/psychological thriller
The story begins with a confused young woman in jail for the murder of a man she knows she could not have committed but is so traumatized she's blocked out most memories of. When no one believes her, she decides to defend herself in court and that is where the story really takes off. Will she manage to find any clues, the right clues and will there be a Perry Mason type twist to allow her to walk free?
There were some flaws and at times areas of redundancy that interrupted the flow of this really great mystery but I easily ignored any for the run up to the end. I had no clue how it was going to turn out and it was too delicious a well told story to stop.
There is more than one story here. A woman finding her strengths. Finding friendships, looking for a new life, persevering on, murder and paying attention to the smallest details. Contrasted with an unreliable narrator, an unlikeable character one had to root for and how much can learn about oneself in the most trying of circumstances.
Maybe my sleepiness has played a roll in my rating. Perhaps I need a nap now. But I did find this one really great story even with flaws and almost wish I had not read it so fast so I could savor it some more.
4.5 stars rounded up!
The story begins with a confused young woman in jail for the murder of a man she knows she could not have committed but is so traumatized she's blocked out most memories of. When no one believes her, she decides to defend herself in court and that is where the story really takes off. Will she manage to find any clues, the right clues and will there be a Perry Mason type twist to allow her to walk free?
There were some flaws and at times areas of redundancy that interrupted the flow of this really great mystery but I easily ignored any for the run up to the end. I had no clue how it was going to turn out and it was too delicious a well told story to stop.
There is more than one story here. A woman finding her strengths. Finding friendships, looking for a new life, persevering on, murder and paying attention to the smallest details. Contrasted with an unreliable narrator, an unlikeable character one had to root for and how much can learn about oneself in the most trying of circumstances.
Maybe my sleepiness has played a roll in my rating. Perhaps I need a nap now. But I did find this one really great story even with flaws and almost wish I had not read it so fast so I could savor it some more.
4.5 stars rounded up!
August 13, 2020
I have been a huge fan of the Nicci French duo ever since picking up THE SAFE HOUSE a couple of decades ago. Ever since then, I have greedily devoured everything they have written, and have never been disappointed. I was beyond excited to get the opportunity to review an ARC of their latest novel, HOUSE OF CORRECTION, and am happy to report that the winning streak is continuing!
If you mourned the end of the Frieda Klein series as much as I did, then you will be happy to hear that Tabitha, the protagonist of French’s new book, has been created in the same mould as Frieda. Tabitha is a loner, she has no filter between her brain and her mouth, she is prickly and a bit of a loner and whilst Frieda walks for hours to clear her head, Tabitha prefers a swim in the icy ocean. Having returned to her old hometown, which holds few good memories for her, Tabitha still finds herself an outsider, shunned by most of the villagers. So it’s not a big stretch for them to immediately point the finger at her when one of the village’s stalwarts is found brutally murdered, his body disposed of in Tabitha’s garden shed. The police are more than happy to agree that Tabitha not only had the opportunity and means, but also a motive for the murder. Even her own solicitor doesn’t believe her when she proclaims her innocence. So Tabitha does the unthinkable – she fires her solicitor and plans on defending herself in the murder trial. She has only a few weeks to find enough evidence to clear her name – from her prison cell.
I’m not sure what exactly it is about French’s writing that perfectly hits the mark for me, but as soon as I started reading I knew that this was going to be another winner for me. With its claustrophobic small town setting and cast of characters who all seem to have something to hide, the clock was ticking for Tabitha to find a way to break out of jail. On the day of Robert Rees’ murder, the village had been cut off from civilisation by a fallen tree, narrowing the cast of characters to the ones who had been trapped in town. This gave the book an old-fashioned closed door mystery feel I loved! As Tabitha discovers evidence, one clue at a time, I was not only cheering her on but felt as if I was playing detective with her. I love books where I am just as much in the dark as the main character – someone I am not even sure I fully trust. The stage thus set, I settled in for the ride.
Again, the French team have created a mysterious, aloof and yet compelling protagonist who may even keep her readers at arms’ length, and yet still wormed her way into my heart. Perhaps you will find Tabitha unlikeable and prickly, but I bet you will fight in her corner, even though one small part of you will suspect that she is not telling the full truth. Is she? That’s something you will have to find out for yourself.
All in all, with HOUSE OF CORRECTION, the French writing duo have continued their winning streak for me. Perhaps it was the claustrophobic setting, or the ticking clock, or the closed-door mystery style writing, but I sat up all night reading and don’t hesitate giving it a full five stars. It’s a book that will appeal to readers who enjoy a slow burning, character driven mystery that slowly unfolds, clue by clue, keeping you guessing until the end. I can’t wait to find out what the duo will come up with next!
Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster Australia for the free electronic copy of this novel and for giving me the opportunity to provide an honest review.
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If you mourned the end of the Frieda Klein series as much as I did, then you will be happy to hear that Tabitha, the protagonist of French’s new book, has been created in the same mould as Frieda. Tabitha is a loner, she has no filter between her brain and her mouth, she is prickly and a bit of a loner and whilst Frieda walks for hours to clear her head, Tabitha prefers a swim in the icy ocean. Having returned to her old hometown, which holds few good memories for her, Tabitha still finds herself an outsider, shunned by most of the villagers. So it’s not a big stretch for them to immediately point the finger at her when one of the village’s stalwarts is found brutally murdered, his body disposed of in Tabitha’s garden shed. The police are more than happy to agree that Tabitha not only had the opportunity and means, but also a motive for the murder. Even her own solicitor doesn’t believe her when she proclaims her innocence. So Tabitha does the unthinkable – she fires her solicitor and plans on defending herself in the murder trial. She has only a few weeks to find enough evidence to clear her name – from her prison cell.
I’m not sure what exactly it is about French’s writing that perfectly hits the mark for me, but as soon as I started reading I knew that this was going to be another winner for me. With its claustrophobic small town setting and cast of characters who all seem to have something to hide, the clock was ticking for Tabitha to find a way to break out of jail. On the day of Robert Rees’ murder, the village had been cut off from civilisation by a fallen tree, narrowing the cast of characters to the ones who had been trapped in town. This gave the book an old-fashioned closed door mystery feel I loved! As Tabitha discovers evidence, one clue at a time, I was not only cheering her on but felt as if I was playing detective with her. I love books where I am just as much in the dark as the main character – someone I am not even sure I fully trust. The stage thus set, I settled in for the ride.
Again, the French team have created a mysterious, aloof and yet compelling protagonist who may even keep her readers at arms’ length, and yet still wormed her way into my heart. Perhaps you will find Tabitha unlikeable and prickly, but I bet you will fight in her corner, even though one small part of you will suspect that she is not telling the full truth. Is she? That’s something you will have to find out for yourself.
All in all, with HOUSE OF CORRECTION, the French writing duo have continued their winning streak for me. Perhaps it was the claustrophobic setting, or the ticking clock, or the closed-door mystery style writing, but I sat up all night reading and don’t hesitate giving it a full five stars. It’s a book that will appeal to readers who enjoy a slow burning, character driven mystery that slowly unfolds, clue by clue, keeping you guessing until the end. I can’t wait to find out what the duo will come up with next!
Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster Australia for the free electronic copy of this novel and for giving me the opportunity to provide an honest review.
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November 12, 2020
Let me begin this review saying that at the beginning of this story I was a bit underwhelmed. We meet Tabitha when she goes into prison accused of killing one of her neighbors whose body was found on a shed on her property. For the police she had the motive and the opportunity and all the evidence seems to point to her. She herself doesn't even know if she's innocent or not as she was going through a rough patch and has some memory lapses. For the first half of the book Tabitha is preparing herself for her trial while in prison and I found this part a bit slow and repetitive. Also, she comes as a very unsympathetic character being annoying, stubborn and unreasonable, making some hard to understand decisions that made it pretty hard to empathize with her and her situation.
But everything changed in the second half! Be forewarned that this second half is basically the trial so if you're not a fan of courtroom stories maybe it's best to steer clear of this one. I'm a sucker for courtroom dramas so I enjoyed this part tremendously (I hate when I'm the one having to go to court to testify but reading about it...OH, YES!). Also, Tabitha became more likeable so it was much easier to root for her.
There were some final twists but I catched some of the clues that led to them early on as there were some forensic details I couldn't understand how were not considered by the police but they were by Tabitha. In spite of this the story kept me turning pages to a pretty satisfying conclusion.
Although I didn't find find the first part as engaging I'm glad I kept on reading as the trial part got me completely hooked, so if you decide to give this one a chance be patient cause as the proverb says, good things come to those who wait.
Thanks to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster UK for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
But everything changed in the second half! Be forewarned that this second half is basically the trial so if you're not a fan of courtroom stories maybe it's best to steer clear of this one. I'm a sucker for courtroom dramas so I enjoyed this part tremendously (I hate when I'm the one having to go to court to testify but reading about it...OH, YES!). Also, Tabitha became more likeable so it was much easier to root for her.
There were some final twists but I catched some of the clues that led to them early on as there were some forensic details I couldn't understand how were not considered by the police but they were by Tabitha. In spite of this the story kept me turning pages to a pretty satisfying conclusion.
Although I didn't find find the first part as engaging I'm glad I kept on reading as the trial part got me completely hooked, so if you decide to give this one a chance be patient cause as the proverb says, good things come to those who wait.
Thanks to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster UK for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
July 2, 2021
I oftern find the husband and wife writing team of Nicci Gerrard and Sean French to be extremely hit and miss - but this one kept me completely gripped.
Tabitha is arrested for the murder of her neighbour Sturat Rees - everyone including her lawyer thinks she did it.
The evidence is pretty daming as the body was discovered in her shed, even worse Tabitha has no recollection of that day.
Determined to prove her innocence, Tabitha decideds to defend herself by dismissing her lawyer and investigate this case on her own.
We really get a good understanding of her character during the first half of the novel which is set in prison.
Both a determined individual who suffers from bouts of blackouts and her own mental health.
As see searches for clues we get an even a stronger case against her.
The second half follows the trial which was still engaging, though they Tabitha conducted herself felt a little off with the more intelligent women that we were led to believe during her incarceration.
Written with a more comedic edge, it helped that I was desperate to know what would happen next that these sections didn't fell as annoying as they could've been.
Tabitha is arrested for the murder of her neighbour Sturat Rees - everyone including her lawyer thinks she did it.
The evidence is pretty daming as the body was discovered in her shed, even worse Tabitha has no recollection of that day.
Determined to prove her innocence, Tabitha decideds to defend herself by dismissing her lawyer and investigate this case on her own.
We really get a good understanding of her character during the first half of the novel which is set in prison.
Both a determined individual who suffers from bouts of blackouts and her own mental health.
As see searches for clues we get an even a stronger case against her.
The second half follows the trial which was still engaging, though they Tabitha conducted herself felt a little off with the more intelligent women that we were led to believe during her incarceration.
Written with a more comedic edge, it helped that I was desperate to know what would happen next that these sections didn't fell as annoying as they could've been.
October 26, 2021
Unfortunately, this is not at all on par with the Frieda Klein books by Nicci French, which I had been hoping for! It didn't hold my attention, and felt extremely drawn out, though it's not a long book. Sadly, this was a miss.
Find my book reviews and more at http://www.princessandpen.com
Find my book reviews and more at http://www.princessandpen.com
May 25, 2021
(3.5) Just wanted to mention that I enjoyed the second half a lot more than the first half.. So if you start it, stick with it!🙂
November 28, 2020
I really am not sure how this book got such good reviews. It was 513 pages and literally 490 pages were torture. The same information you knew on page 10 was the same information you knew on page 400. Then the ending was super rushed, anti-climatic and pretty unrealistic in my opinion. The IDEA of this book was great but the book itself was as boring as batshit.
September 10, 2020
Just..no.
September 3, 2020
The House of Correction marks the return of the husband and wife writing partnership in a new pulse-poundiing stand-alone thriller penned under the Nicci French pseudonym. 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? As Tabitha is shepherded through the system, her entire life is picked apart and scrutinised — 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. 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.
This is a compulsive and highly addictive story from the get-go and I found the concept of a woman accused of murder attempting to solve her own case from the confines of a prison cell totally enthralling. Needless to say I was gripped pretty quickly, especially due to the fact that it seems Tabitha isn't sure of her own actions which makes it all the more compelling as you really have no idea who is trustworthy throughout the plot or whose recollections are genuine. As she unravels the truth, everything is called into question, including her own certainty that she is innocent. I love books that get under your skin and into your psyche and tear up your preconceptions and this fits the bill perfectly. The mystery and intrigue, which fill these pages, are handled expertly, and although I have read all of the Nicci French books, this is one that is special due to the potent mix of razor sharp observations, social commentary, enough tension and suspense to have your nerves jittering and characters you really begin to care about. A real intelligent page-turner and a must read for all crime connoisseurs. Many thanks to Simon & Schuster UK for an ARC.
This is a compulsive and highly addictive story from the get-go and I found the concept of a woman accused of murder attempting to solve her own case from the confines of a prison cell totally enthralling. Needless to say I was gripped pretty quickly, especially due to the fact that it seems Tabitha isn't sure of her own actions which makes it all the more compelling as you really have no idea who is trustworthy throughout the plot or whose recollections are genuine. As she unravels the truth, everything is called into question, including her own certainty that she is innocent. I love books that get under your skin and into your psyche and tear up your preconceptions and this fits the bill perfectly. The mystery and intrigue, which fill these pages, are handled expertly, and although I have read all of the Nicci French books, this is one that is special due to the potent mix of razor sharp observations, social commentary, enough tension and suspense to have your nerves jittering and characters you really begin to care about. A real intelligent page-turner and a must read for all crime connoisseurs. Many thanks to Simon & Schuster UK for an ARC.
August 7, 2020
“Tabitha had heard of those dreams where people find themselves on a stage, not knowing the lines, not even knowing what the play is. She had never been on a stage and she had never dreamed about being on stage, so she had never understood the anxiety behind it. She understood now.”
House of Correction is the fourteenth stand-alone novel by British writing duo, Nicci French. In a cell in Crow Grange prison in Devon, on remand for the charge of murder, Tabitha Hardy is bewildered. It is true that the body of Stuart Rees, dead from multiple stab wounds, was found in the shed in her back garden; it is true that Tabitha had his blood on her when the police came; it is true that many believe the history Tabitha has with Stuart constitutes a clear motive for murder.
But Tabitha’s memory of the day is clouded: she was deep in a depressive fugue and can recall only snippets: “She felt like the last fragments of memory were flowing away like water through her fingers”; she simply can’t believe, though, that she could have murdered a man without remembering that she did so. Nor is she the sort of person who would commit murder; both surely convincing arguments for innocence?
Of the possible pleas she can make (not guilty, guilty of manslaughter, guilty with diminished responsibility) her court-appointed solicitor maintains that pleading guilty of manslaughter will result in the best possible outcome. But Tabitha has one very compelling reason to ignore that advice in favour of a not guilty plea.
Can Tabitha, a freelance copy-editor of science texts, really conduct her own defence?
At first, Tabitha seems to be hopelessly out of her depth and the challenges she faces seem insurmountable, given her lack of expertise, her confinement, her initial reluctance to request help, and her social ineptitude. But she is surprised to discover there are people who want to help her, perhaps the nearest thing to friendship she has ever encountered.
Sometimes Tabitha seems to have good insight into her own behaviour; at other times, she seems woefully naïve. But ultimately “The events of the past months had shone a bright and unforgiving spotlight on how people saw her: as plain or even ugly, as mannish, weird, ridiculous, dysfunctional, angry, pathetic, capable of killing someone.”
Initially the story seems a touch bleak, perhaps tragicomic, with a sense of foreboding, until the courtroom scenes are reached, when the reader may be surprised to find themselves exclaiming, laughing out loud and cheering in what must be the most entertaining courtroom scenes since that Australian classic movie, The Castle.
These authors are so skilled at both characters and plot, they easily have the reader rooting for the underdog despite what sometimes seems like (perhaps naïve) self-sabotage, and keep the reader guessing right through to the final pages. The sense of powerlessness that must be felt by any first-time prisoner, and all the tiny factors that lead to it, are expertly depicted. This is a cleverly-plotted murder mystery, full of intrigue and thought-provoking themes, but also darkly funny and hugely entertaining.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Australia.
House of Correction is the fourteenth stand-alone novel by British writing duo, Nicci French. In a cell in Crow Grange prison in Devon, on remand for the charge of murder, Tabitha Hardy is bewildered. It is true that the body of Stuart Rees, dead from multiple stab wounds, was found in the shed in her back garden; it is true that Tabitha had his blood on her when the police came; it is true that many believe the history Tabitha has with Stuart constitutes a clear motive for murder.
But Tabitha’s memory of the day is clouded: she was deep in a depressive fugue and can recall only snippets: “She felt like the last fragments of memory were flowing away like water through her fingers”; she simply can’t believe, though, that she could have murdered a man without remembering that she did so. Nor is she the sort of person who would commit murder; both surely convincing arguments for innocence?
Of the possible pleas she can make (not guilty, guilty of manslaughter, guilty with diminished responsibility) her court-appointed solicitor maintains that pleading guilty of manslaughter will result in the best possible outcome. But Tabitha has one very compelling reason to ignore that advice in favour of a not guilty plea.
Can Tabitha, a freelance copy-editor of science texts, really conduct her own defence?
At first, Tabitha seems to be hopelessly out of her depth and the challenges she faces seem insurmountable, given her lack of expertise, her confinement, her initial reluctance to request help, and her social ineptitude. But she is surprised to discover there are people who want to help her, perhaps the nearest thing to friendship she has ever encountered.
Sometimes Tabitha seems to have good insight into her own behaviour; at other times, she seems woefully naïve. But ultimately “The events of the past months had shone a bright and unforgiving spotlight on how people saw her: as plain or even ugly, as mannish, weird, ridiculous, dysfunctional, angry, pathetic, capable of killing someone.”
Initially the story seems a touch bleak, perhaps tragicomic, with a sense of foreboding, until the courtroom scenes are reached, when the reader may be surprised to find themselves exclaiming, laughing out loud and cheering in what must be the most entertaining courtroom scenes since that Australian classic movie, The Castle.
These authors are so skilled at both characters and plot, they easily have the reader rooting for the underdog despite what sometimes seems like (perhaps naïve) self-sabotage, and keep the reader guessing right through to the final pages. The sense of powerlessness that must be felt by any first-time prisoner, and all the tiny factors that lead to it, are expertly depicted. This is a cleverly-plotted murder mystery, full of intrigue and thought-provoking themes, but also darkly funny and hugely entertaining.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Australia.
August 13, 2021
Το ότι διάβασα το βιβλίο αυτό μέσα σε μια μέρα νομίζω ότι αποτελεί από μόνο του μια κριτική. Μια καταπληκτική ιδέα που μετουσιώθηκε με το σωστό τρόπο. Φυσικά και προτείνεται!
December 28, 2020
4.5-5*s . My first Nicci French. Really good!
December 6, 2021
Wife and husband authors Nicci Gerrard and Sean French, aka "Nicci French," are internationally renowned suspense writers. In House of Correction, the quasi-heroine, Tabitha, is a depressed, anti-social woman who has been victimized but is no victim. Never popular, she's a prickly outcast with a dark sense of humor. She experiences blackouts from her depression and medication and struggles to fit in.
After a long absence, having just returned to Okeham, England, she barely announces herself to neighbors when police place her in handcuffs. A local man was murdered, and she is a prime suspect. Because of her medication, Tabitha is shocked, unable to recall the night before. Initially, she is adamant that she is not the killer until her trial offers evidence linking her to a motive. She begins to doubt herself as her personality, mental health, and past are picked apart in court.
While locked in a correctional facility, the courtroom drama forces her to recall the trauma that led to her depression and why she had returned. Against the advice of the few people trying to help her, she takes on her own case, unable to let others into her life. Her methods end up backfiring, and the evidence against her piles up, and her few friends adandon her too.
While I enjoyed certain sections of the book and got swept along, I spent some time trying to decide if I liked the character or not. The trial was solid and well put-together until a sudden twist popped up, seemingly out of nowhere, and I found myself rereading sections to see if I had missed something. As a mystery author, I know how difficult it is to leave enough clues to keep people guessing while preparing them for the twists, but I felt some of that prep was missing. Overall, if you are a fan of hard-to-like characters, courtroom drama, and a sudden twist, you can finish it in a sitting or two.
After a long absence, having just returned to Okeham, England, she barely announces herself to neighbors when police place her in handcuffs. A local man was murdered, and she is a prime suspect. Because of her medication, Tabitha is shocked, unable to recall the night before. Initially, she is adamant that she is not the killer until her trial offers evidence linking her to a motive. She begins to doubt herself as her personality, mental health, and past are picked apart in court.
While locked in a correctional facility, the courtroom drama forces her to recall the trauma that led to her depression and why she had returned. Against the advice of the few people trying to help her, she takes on her own case, unable to let others into her life. Her methods end up backfiring, and the evidence against her piles up, and her few friends adandon her too.
While I enjoyed certain sections of the book and got swept along, I spent some time trying to decide if I liked the character or not. The trial was solid and well put-together until a sudden twist popped up, seemingly out of nowhere, and I found myself rereading sections to see if I had missed something. As a mystery author, I know how difficult it is to leave enough clues to keep people guessing while preparing them for the twists, but I felt some of that prep was missing. Overall, if you are a fan of hard-to-like characters, courtroom drama, and a sudden twist, you can finish it in a sitting or two.
May 5, 2020
Goed en vlot lezend boek. Maar voor mij geen thriller te noemen.
January 4, 2022
It took me about 1/3 of the book to get in to this, but once I did… I really liked it!
First, I loved the character Michaela, and I wish she would have been fleshed out more - or a side story with her background.
The premise of the story is an interesting one, and definitely finding yourself I jail facing a trial for a murder you didn’t commit is everyone’s worst nightmare. I found myself struggling to figure out what was going on in the beginning (I think that was the point… but it’s an uncomfortable feeling I don’t particularly like even in literature). The beginning was dreadful and dark (I’m sure on purpose) and made it harder for me to get in to.
First, I loved the character Michaela, and I wish she would have been fleshed out more - or a side story with her background.
The premise of the story is an interesting one, and definitely finding yourself I jail facing a trial for a murder you didn’t commit is everyone’s worst nightmare. I found myself struggling to figure out what was going on in the beginning (I think that was the point… but it’s an uncomfortable feeling I don’t particularly like even in literature). The beginning was dreadful and dark (I’m sure on purpose) and made it harder for me to get in to.
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