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celiapowell's review against another edition
5.0
Tabitha has been charged with murder, which she's fairly certain she didn't do - unwilling to be represented by a solicitor who doesn't believe in her innocence, she decides to defend herself, and this novel is kinda of half her work prior to the trial, and half a courtroom drama as the trial unfolds. It is SUPER exciting and tense and Tabitha is such a great character. I was disappointed to finish this book, and wondering if I should read more Nicci French.
mellmeyer96's review against another edition
5.0
‘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.’
House of Correction is the story of a woman named Tabitha who has been convicted of a murder she has no recollection of committing. Tabitha leads us on the journey of proving her innocence to those around her and to the court even though all evidence seems to point to her. At first, Tabitha seems to be the confused victim, someone who is incredibly depressed, lost in the world, difficult and prickly but through the course of the book her real character is revealed. She is a strong, but misunderstood woman who I grew to appreciate as the story went on.
House of Correction was my first Nicci French book and it certainly wont be my last! I simply loved the detailed, smooth writing style filled with surprising characters and a plot that kept me guessing. The book is gripping, intelligently written, an excellent mystery story which had me thinking until the last page! I had no idea where the story was going to go but I am really satisfied with the ending and found it gave me all of the information I needed.
The book had very short chapters which I really enjoy and found there wasn't too much technical information through the trial to add confusion which I was really happy about. If anything it was a bit slow through the middle, some of the suspect details could have been condensed down a little bit, but in saying that, I don't think it's an absolute necessity.
If crime & suspense driven novels are your preferred reads, get this book on your shelf ASAP! You certainly will not be disappointed.
House of Correction is the story of a woman named Tabitha who has been convicted of a murder she has no recollection of committing. Tabitha leads us on the journey of proving her innocence to those around her and to the court even though all evidence seems to point to her. At first, Tabitha seems to be the confused victim, someone who is incredibly depressed, lost in the world, difficult and prickly but through the course of the book her real character is revealed. She is a strong, but misunderstood woman who I grew to appreciate as the story went on.
House of Correction was my first Nicci French book and it certainly wont be my last! I simply loved the detailed, smooth writing style filled with surprising characters and a plot that kept me guessing. The book is gripping, intelligently written, an excellent mystery story which had me thinking until the last page! I had no idea where the story was going to go but I am really satisfied with the ending and found it gave me all of the information I needed.
The book had very short chapters which I really enjoy and found there wasn't too much technical information through the trial to add confusion which I was really happy about. If anything it was a bit slow through the middle, some of the suspect details could have been condensed down a little bit, but in saying that, I don't think it's an absolute necessity.
If crime & suspense driven novels are your preferred reads, get this book on your shelf ASAP! You certainly will not be disappointed.
zoer03's review against another edition
3.0
This is my first foray into the world that Nicci French creates and so I was highly anticipating to be thoroughly gripped and intrigued. I was pretty much hooked into wanting to know what the outcome would be but at the same time I had my doubts about it too. I was not entirely convinced about the main character or the situation she found herself in. I also didn’t like how the prison system and basically every police officer or authority figures are portrayed, I had more sympathy for the victim than I did for the main character and the courtroom scene omg that was well I found it a bit of a mess.
I am sorry to say I was disappointed with how this book is written and I feel quite sad about that because it sounded like I would have enjoyed it. Not for me I am afraid. At least my shelves can breathe a sigh of relief I suppose.
I am sorry to say I was disappointed with how this book is written and I feel quite sad about that because it sounded like I would have enjoyed it. Not for me I am afraid. At least my shelves can breathe a sigh of relief I suppose.
jemmacrosland's review against another edition
2.0
I’ve read a few books from Nicci French and I find them hit and miss personally. Some I have loved and given 5 stars, others have been a flop and unfortunately House of Correction was the latter.
Similar to my other disliked Nicci French books, I found it to be confusing beyond necessary. As a reader I’m confused following the bizarre story, reading in the perspective of confused characters. And bringing law and the trial into it, it was just too hard to follow. As for the ending, was it clever or just plain absurd? I feel like as a reader you wouldn’t be able to guess the ending, I completely didn’t see it coming, which is a no from me.
I did really resonate with Tabitha actually, and whilst at points I found it triggering around mental health issues, particularly depression, I see a lot of similarities between her and I. So there was understanding there and sympathy.
Unfortunately overall I just found this book not very enjoyable, quite frustrating and dragged out.
2/5 ⭐️⭐️
Similar to my other disliked Nicci French books, I found it to be confusing beyond necessary. As a reader I’m confused following the bizarre story, reading in the perspective of confused characters. And bringing law and the trial into it, it was just too hard to follow. As for the ending, was it clever or just plain absurd? I feel like as a reader you wouldn’t be able to guess the ending, I completely didn’t see it coming, which is a no from me.
I did really resonate with Tabitha actually, and whilst at points I found it triggering around mental health issues, particularly depression, I see a lot of similarities between her and I. So there was understanding there and sympathy.
Unfortunately overall I just found this book not very enjoyable, quite frustrating and dragged out.
2/5 ⭐️⭐️
c_ward68's review against another edition
3.0
Pretty average thriller with unusual perspective. Listened to audiobook which was well read by Gemma Whelan. I don’t think I’d have managed to actually read the book, would have lost interest early on. Main character not particularly appealing and her incarceration meant it was quite static. However, wanted to know what happened so must have had some appeal.
tanishavd's review against another edition
4.0
I barely read books that are written from the eyes of an unreliable narrator. Tabitha is like-able when you are looking through her eyes but not really trust worthy. You want her to be innocent but there is no way to know for sure she didn't do it.
This stand alone from Nicci French is amazing. It's a true page turner that is able to keep you interested from start to finish. The plot twist/ending was incredible and something I didn't see coming at all. The pacing was perfect so it didn't get boring but didn't feel rushed either.
This stand alone from Nicci French is amazing. It's a true page turner that is able to keep you interested from start to finish. The plot twist/ending was incredible and something I didn't see coming at all. The pacing was perfect so it didn't get boring but didn't feel rushed either.
rinny96's review against another edition
dark
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book is a must for crime fiction and who-dunnit fanatics. It leaves you guessing the whole way through, and the case-building is so intense, it will increase your heart rate, and I know, because I checked!
njgareau's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
readingfar's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
aliatreides's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5