After the Lying Room this is Nicci French back to their best! Tabitha is accused of murder, an unsympathetic character and an unlikely heroine but still I was rooting for her. The story of her time in prison is told in unbearable detail with her relationships in centre stage. Her courage in representing herself in court is seems stupid and self-harming but still... I was rooting for her.

Absolutely loved this book! I haven’t been able to put this one down and have found myself completely captivated by this book.
It has been gripping and completely unputdownable.

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.

Thanks to Simon & Schuster UK and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Nuanced, engrossing and literally unputdownable. Yet, if it wasn't for the illustrious authors, I doubt I would have requested this book. A novel set in a prison didn't immediately grab my attention, quite the contrary. I needn't have worried, however, as the 'House of Correction' has been liberally sprinkled by that certain magic that only the deadly-duo of Nicci French could conjure up. This is an exceptional psychological thriller - a siren song to lovers of crime fiction everywhere. Meticulously plotted, subtle, yet devilishly clever, this book was an unexpected page-turner and the formula a winning one. The story revolves around the quirky character of Tabitha, a young woman accused of killing her former teacher, Stuart Rees. All the evidence points conclusively to Tabitha as Stuart's killer. There is the not-so-small litany of forensic evidence that supports this view and the fact that Stuart once had an inappropriate relationship with Tabitha when she was fifteen-years old. Moreover, Tabitha's memory of the fateful day of the murder is patchy, at best. So, what does she do? Well, firstly she starts investigating the crime from the relative discomfort of her prison cell, and secondly, she decides to represent herself at trial. What could go wrong? A great deal, apparently. But, as it turns out, Stuart was universally unpopular with the inhabitants of the small village where he and Tabitha reside. This begs the obvious question: was Tabitha 'set-up' by the real killer, or, is she in denial about her role in the teacher's death? You'll have to read this superior psychological thriller to find out more. Hint: there is a twist in the tale! So, go on dive in and get wonderfully, deliriously lost in this fabulous story. You won't regret it.

Tabitha is in a correction facility. She is depressed. She is innocent, or is she? Tabitha decides to defend herself so she can find out who killed Stuart Rees. There is a twist to the end which reveals Stuart's true character. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me review this book.

A man is found murdered in Tabitha’s shed.
She has no memory of the day it happened but is sent to prison awaiting trial.
She decides to conduct her own defence but how can she possibly solve the case from a prison cell?
This was a great novel. Tabitha is a warts-and-all spiky character and you’re soon rooting for her.
Her prison story is well handled too and the friendships she makes while there.
I’d got a little jaded with French’s Dr Freda Klein series, so for me this was a real return to form.
I’d really recommend this one for those who like an absorbing detective novel.

I'm a fan of Nicci French but I have to admit I was unsure about this one as I'm not generally a fan of novels set in prison.
How wrong was I? I loved this. I absolutely devoured it. Tabitha annoyed, me, frustrated me, made me laugh at inopportune moments and just root for her all the way.
Hugely recommend!

Very longwinding and unbelievable. Tabitha is a character that is really fleshed out, but does not have a lot of depth.
I have read many books by Nicci French, and unfortunately, I have to say that this is one of the worst ones they have written.

Nicci French is back on form with ‘House of Correction’. Perhaps I was just pining for Frieda Klein when I read ‘The Lying Room’ but their latest novel is in another league. It’s a brave move to write a story which is, for the most part, focuses on desk-bound research and a trial and it is testament to the writing duo’s skills that the narrative never becomes repetitive or dull, even though the feisty, spiky protagonist, Tabitha, on trial for murder, must spend most of her time shut either in her cell or in a dusty sewing cupboard as she puts together the case for the defence.
In the first pages of the novel Tabitha and her friend Andy find the body of Stuart Rees, neighbour and Tabitha’s one-time Maths teacher wrapped in plastic in her garden shed. He has bled out. Given that no one has been able to pass through the village on the day in question because a tree has fallen blocking the only road in and out, the police soon decide that Tabitha must be the murderer. With a history of mental instability, a motive and no alibi, who else can it be? Nicci French adapts some of the tropes of the Golden Age of Crime Fiction: a small community; villagers who know each other’s business; inept police; plenty of motives. And yet, the detective at the heart of the narrative is also the accused! The depiction of Tabitha could not be further from the that of the controlled, quiet Jane Marple. She is angry, sweary, grubby and desperate.
As the story unfolds it is difficult not to become thoroughly immersed in Tabitha’s fight for justice. There are times when even she cannot be certain that she hasn’t killed Stuart, given her occasional memory loss. However, whilst we may groan initially when she fires her lawyer, it is her madcap idea to represent herself which is the foundation for an emerging self-respect. Her notebooks - scribbles, list and drawings - are depicted vividly and her determination not to be flummoxed by court protocol is admirable. It is not likely that she will win her freedom but, nevertheless, she will go down fighting!
My thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster UK for a copy of this novel in exchange for a fair review.

A brilliant, utterly compelling book that's a contender for my favourite of the year so far. I've read and enjoyed Nicci French's books before but this one really connected with me on another level. I read the whole thing in a single day because I couldn't put it down.

A large part of that was down to Tabitha, the central character from whose POV the entire book is narrated. I LOVED Tabitha: an angry, prickly, depressed woman with an unshakeable moral core. Watching her navigate the prison system and then a courtroom was a delightful mixture of tension and dark humour. She's not what people think of as likeable, but maybe that's why I loved her. Female characters need to be given the space to be complicated and difficult as well as fundamentally decent. Her cellmate, and later friend, Michaela is also a wonderful uncompromising yet supportive character.

The plot is equally compelling. Tabitha is in prison on remand for murder, and the evidence against her seems cut and dried. Often in thrillers we see the investigation into a crime from the police perspective, so seeing it from the accused's point of view and how much more difficult it is for her to figure out what really happened – when she doesn't have any resources, police training or evidence beyond what has been supplied by the prosecution – is a fascinating change. I figured out part of the solution but didn't see the final twist coming at all. Tabitha is obviously smarter than I am.

Can I just say again how much I loved Tabitha?

Thoroughly recommended.

My heart skipped a beat when I saw this book had been approved. I already knew it’d be brilliant and my favourite author duo did not let me down. To show how much I loved this I got it yesterday and I’m gutted to say I’ve just finished it.
There is literally no one better out there than Nicci French. Always an excellent plot that keeps you guessing whilst the characters are so detailed you feel that you know them. I just wish they could write faster! Solution? Re-read their old stuff. All so good I can’t pick a favourite.

Another dark tour de force from Nicci French. The rather unprepossessing central character is Tabitha, a women who suffers from bouts of severe depression and who finds herself on remand accused of murdering her next door neighbour but with no memory of having done so. Her search towards the truth is at different times harrowing, frustrating and admirable, but the brilliantly serpentine plot makes this a compulsive read.

This takes a little bit of time to warm up but once it does, I was hooked! French hangs the whole thing on the skeleton of classic Golden Age crime: a closed circle of suspects due to a fallen tree preventing anyone from coming in or out, the picturesque village that hides a morass of dark secrets... but Tabitha is an unusual heroine with some of Frieda Klein's spikiness and stubbornness.

The first half takes place in the grim setting of a women's prison (how shocking, if true, that someone on remand i.e. accused but not found guilty of anything is subject to the full prison regime and can even be put into solitary confinement); the second half is in court - and I loved the light touches of humour around the put-upon judge! The ending is satisfying and there's even a tricksy solution to the murder. This may not have the emotional weight of some of the Frieda Klein books, but it's clever and becomes increasingly unputdownable.

I read this ARC for an honest review
All thoughts and opinions are mine

This is not my usual fare, however, I make an exception for this author. I've read a few of their books so was pleased to be able to read this

It did not disappoint !

Thrilling, couldn't put this down - loved it !!

I wanted everything to stop so I could read this book, there was something that grabbed me from the opening. Tabitha has returned to her former village and to say she’s less than appreciated there would be an understatement. But she’s currently in prison awaiting trial for murder and it doesn’t look good, especially as she cannot remember what happened on the day of the crime. She knows she isn’t guilty and knows she has to do whatever she can to prove her innocence, proving everyone wrong in the process. What this leads to is a series of events that I think would work so well on TV. From friends who are more frenemies than true pals, to the person from her past that about whom everyone has an opinion, to people who offer help and those who really mean it, this is a clever, well crafted novel with twists and turns right until the end. I loved trying to discover what was really going on and it keeps you guessing. The courtroom scenes are especially good and strike that balance between honour and order as well as farcical at times. Definitely a favourite read of mine for 2020.

I have read most of the novels by Nicci French and am trying to catch up on those I have missed. This is another gem. I devoured this in less than 24 hours and thoroughly enjoyed it.

The novel begins when we learn that Tabitha is on remand for the murder of Stuart, her neighbour and former teacher whose body was found in her garden shed. Tabitha had returned to the small village, Okeham, she grew up in even though she never thought she would. Okeham is close to the sea and there is only one road in and out with everybody knowing everybody else’s business.

The investigating officers view this as a ‘slam dunk’ and it appears as if everybody believes her guilty, even her solicitor who suggests she should plead guilty to manslaughter due to diminished responsibility, having suffered mental illness throughout her life.

She fires her solicitor and decides to represent herself unaware about how much evidence she will have to sift through. She uses her former cellmate, Michaela, to assist her as her ‘McKenzie friend’.

As the story line twists and turns bringing out a variety of secrets, lies and horrors the reader is given an insight into small village life and the underhand behaviour of people.

Thank you to NetGalley, Simon and Schuster UK and Nicci French for my ARC in return for my honest review.

Another must read, highly recommended.

House of Correction by Nicci French. Thanks @netgalley @niccigerrard @simonschusteruk for my arc
Publication date 3rd September
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I was so excited to receive this arc that I began reading it without even reading the blurb. I knew I was going to love it. I love Nicci French books and after reading this I've ordered some more 😊.
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Tabitha is currently being held on remand in prison for the murder of her neighbour Stuart. It seems like a clear cut case. All the evidence points to Tabitha but she's sure she didn't do it. Or is she? For years Tabitha has suffered black outs and memory loss but she would remember killing someone wouldn't she? With pressure from her lawyer to plead guilty, Tabitha decides to represent herself, scouring mountains of evidence from inside the prison. Can someone from her village be framing her? Or is it possible she lost control?
Dark secrets are revealed with plenty of twists and turns as Tabitha tries to prove her innocence.
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An absolutely phenomenal book. Highly recommended for psychological thriller fans who love a good murder mystery. Amazing. Five big stars xxxxx

I enjoyed this incredible thriller very much, and found the protagonists to be realistic and believable. Highly recommended!

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via Netgalley with no promise of a favourable review. Overall, I think I'd give this 3.5 stars but have rounded up as overall, I did enjoy it.

This story starts with Tabitha, on remand in UK jail on suspicion of murder when a body was discovered in her shed. Tabitha suffers with poor mental health, takes lots of medication and her recollection of the day is limited. The case seems clear - she had the opportunity, the motive and the evidence is obvious with the body being found on her property. Tabitha is under pressure from her lawyer to plead guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter but she is convinced she didn't do it. Should she agree to a shorter jail term to avoid the inevitable life sentence that is coming her way if she is found guilty? Tabitha feels she won't be fairly represented - no one cares about her version of events or trying to find the truth. She'll defend herself. This book is split into two parts- getting ready for the trial and seeing all the evidence against her and the second part is the trial itself.

This is a pretty compelling read. The book has short chapters and I found myself thinking 'just one more chapter...' till I'd finished! It's easy to read as it's not bogged down in technical information. Tabitha has no real idea what she's doing so we are just swept along with her. The evidence is really limited to a really short window of time so there isn't too much detail either with only one CCTV camera for evidence and the statements of a handful of witnesses. Tabitha is a quirky character - I couldn't really decide if I liked her not but thought she was genuine without really knowing if I thought she did it or not!!

Despite all of this, there were a lot of aspects about this book I found unlikely and got frustrated! Given the real mess Tabitha was in mentally and knowing she had been like this for most her life makes me wonder if she'd really have the kind of fight in her that we see here. Yes, she is fighting for her freedom, but good mental health can't be switched on because something important is happening. Also, we are told the evidence is compelling but I thought the big 'surprise' in the court case had been pretty obvious from the beginning and I wondered whether a case could really get so far on the basis it did....

I hadn't seen the very end of the book coming but felt it was necessary to come full circle and bring this story to a close. I'm not wholly convinced Tabitha would have behaved exactly as she did... but it closes the book neatly and all the loose ends get tied up. This book raises some interesting questions about the legal system and justice. Overall, it's an easy but compelling read that keeps you guessing as its difficult to know what's going to happen and when as Tabitha is literally flying by the seat of her pants and mostly making it up as she goes along!! The reader has the opportunity to solve this crime, at least most of it, and I enjoy books like this. It kept me guessing!!

3.5 stars


It's a bold move to sack your counsel just before you go into court charged with murder... because they think you did it.
Bold or incredibly foolish.
But that's what Tabitha does,and despite the fact she doesn't have a clue how the law works,or have a proper memory of the day of the murder,she sets about proving herself innocent.
Strangely I much preferred the run up to the trial,in fact when we got to court I felt the thing fall apart a bit.
That's probably the idea,it's supposed to be chaotic,but I didn't find it the best part of the story.
Except the star that was Michaela.
Excellent ending,leaving me feeling satisfied with the outcome.
Another good story from the French duo