I do want to thank the author, the publisher, and #netgalley for the ARC

Midnight Express without the 'express', most of the story is of his time behind bars

Well written with wonderful pacing and prose

I started out saying "no" and was disappointed by the quick and unfulfilling ending

I received an advance digital copy of this book from the author, publisher and Netgalley.com. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Why This Book? I chose this book for two reasons: 1) the book cover and 2) the very first sentence of the book summary. The book cover with the fingers/hand forming the face of the person on the cover pulled me in with an interest to read beyond the title. The very first sentence of the book summary because it was short, to the point, and hinted at an interesting plot. Once I read the entire book summary, I chose to read the book to see if the author had written a story as intriguing as the cover and summary.

Writing Style. I feel the author's writing style was noteworthy for me. Since most of the dialogue happens between people of different cultures and dialects, I feel the author captured the dialect/way of speaking across the cultures represented in the book. The descriptions of characters, places, and action included the right amount of explanation, wording, and imagery that allowed me, as a reader, to be part of the scenes and action happening, even the graphic parts, like broken fingers and murders.

The Plot. The story lived up to the promises of the book summary. The main character's interaction with the key players made this a memorable story. As a reader, I was there with Jed and Aggie as their relationship was challenged and emotions ebbed and flowed; there with Jed as he dealt with his mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual challenges and evolution necessary to survive in a foreign prison; and there with Jed and Larry, best friends, who are forced to deal with the fall out of an injustice and its impact on their friendship. This was an action packed page turner. Side note: Lots of references to drinking and drugs yet based on the characters and how and why these things were woven into the story made some sense.

What I liked least about the story was: 1) the stereotypical theme of majority white people characters representing good/justice/hero and the majority of people of color characters representing bad/evil. What saved the 1/2 star rating was the story forced their interaction, and in some ways, their dependency on each other towards righting an injustice; and 2) the ending because one core part of the story was the love relationship between Aggie and Jed and the question of how they navigate their relationship before, during, and after the whole ordeal. The book delivered on the before and during, but less so on the after. I would have liked to see more loop closure between Jed and Aggie; and the whereabouts of Malika and Kapitan who played vital roles in Jed's transformation.

Bottom Line. I liked this book and the "in your face", descriptive way this book was written and the action that came to life throughout the story. Jed is one of those characters you cheer for, cry for, and empathize with until the very end of the story. He helps us understand why broken fingers is a fitting title for this book.

SO different than what I expected. I was sort of picturing Midnight Express with some romance thrown in. Nope.

There was much more focus on his time in prison. And it was brutal. (not as bad as it could have been). Then when he was freed, he was a different man. He wanted revenge, but he also wanted to be the person who was good enough for the love of his life.

I really got sucked into this. I hate to say I enjoyed it, because I think I did cringe a couple of times. The writing style really matched the story and it felt very dramatic and dark. The world building was excellent - I could picture the whole thing.

My only real issue with this book was the ending. I mean we are waiting for something (trying not to spoil) and then boom - it happens and the books is over. What? I actually have issues with how it ended and it didn't feel as realistic as the rest of the book.

I do want to thank the author, the publisher, and #netgalley for the ARC - this did not impact my review.

Although I enjoyed some aspects of this book and did want to keep reading to find out what happened I also felt that it wasn’t really sure if it wanted to be a tale of endurance and survival in a foreign prison or a love story, it kind of flitted back and forth between the two but I didn’t feel like they merged together. Also the blurb on the cover states that he is in jail for five years and turns into a killer which I feel is a completely unnecessary spoiler as over 50% of the way through the book, the lawyer is still trying to arrange release after only some weeks in prison so I felt as though I knew most of the ending before even reading the book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

The blurb says this book owes its authenticity to personal experience. That adds a whole new level to the unsettling experience which is reading this book. It’s fraught - a sense of high tension almost throughout the whole thing. The injustice, the revenge and the realisation that the revenge is actually quite easy to understand draw the reader in and challenge them to enter a world which is alien to most of us (thank goodness). The characters are well written and I found the dialogue and relationships very believable.

What a great book thoroughly enjoyed throughout read it super quick didnt want to put it down....would definitely recommend this book to others