Member Review
Review by
Annette C, Librarian
This was an eloquently written literary novel which held my attention from the very first page. It examined some deep questions including the nature of sacrifice as well as having a mystery at its heart.
Garrett Nelson works for the Sheriff’s department and enjoys his job. He has little home life and no friends or family, his work is what drives him. When disaster strikes and he is invalided out of the police, he is not sure what to do. However a burgeoning new relationship pushes him in the direction of working for the prison service. Hannah’s father and brother are wardens at Southern State and have made a good living there.
But this is 1970s Florida which has recently re established the death penalty and Garrett has to work on Death Row with the condemned men on occasion. Over the course of 18 months Garrett meets some truly awful people but he also gets to know a prisoner, about to be executed, who may not have committed the crime. Garrett’s cop sense kicks in and he starts to investigate.
This book looks at a subject which a lot of people would find difficult to stomach, including Garrett himself. It is not an easy read, particularly the scenes set in the Bell Tower where the prisoner’s are executed. It is not a subject English readers need to think about and it is hard to believe that this still happens in some states in the US, a so called modern country. There is no going back once the worst is happened, even if that person is innocent.
There is a major twist at the end which went some way to explaining what had happened in the course of the novel.
This is an excellent read which is beautifully written and cleverly plotted. The research which has gone into the book was also second to none. It is one of those novels that will probably stay with me in the weeks to come as I contemplate the events that took place in it.
I definitely recommend “The Bell Tower” as a five star read but be warned - it is difficult to stomach in places.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my advance copy.
Garrett Nelson works for the Sheriff’s department and enjoys his job. He has little home life and no friends or family, his work is what drives him. When disaster strikes and he is invalided out of the police, he is not sure what to do. However a burgeoning new relationship pushes him in the direction of working for the prison service. Hannah’s father and brother are wardens at Southern State and have made a good living there.
But this is 1970s Florida which has recently re established the death penalty and Garrett has to work on Death Row with the condemned men on occasion. Over the course of 18 months Garrett meets some truly awful people but he also gets to know a prisoner, about to be executed, who may not have committed the crime. Garrett’s cop sense kicks in and he starts to investigate.
This book looks at a subject which a lot of people would find difficult to stomach, including Garrett himself. It is not an easy read, particularly the scenes set in the Bell Tower where the prisoner’s are executed. It is not a subject English readers need to think about and it is hard to believe that this still happens in some states in the US, a so called modern country. There is no going back once the worst is happened, even if that person is innocent.
There is a major twist at the end which went some way to explaining what had happened in the course of the novel.
This is an excellent read which is beautifully written and cleverly plotted. The research which has gone into the book was also second to none. It is one of those novels that will probably stay with me in the weeks to come as I contemplate the events that took place in it.
I definitely recommend “The Bell Tower” as a five star read but be warned - it is difficult to stomach in places.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my advance copy.
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