The Inmate

The Inmate (2022) is a novel by author and practicing physician Frieda McFadden, whose other popular works include The Locked Door (2021), The Housemaid (2022), and The Coworker (2023). The novel is a psychological thriller about a single mother who returns to her hometown in the aftermath of her parents’ deaths. Memories of her past begin to haunt her when she takes a job at the federal prison where the father of her child, who once tried to kill her, is serving a life sentence for a triple homicide.

This guide utilizes the Kindle e-book edition published by Hollywood Upstairs Press.

Plot Summary

Brooke Sullivan returns to her hometown upon the deaths of her parents in a car accident. Brooke decided to keep her parents’ house and live in it with her 10-year-old son, Josh. However, Brooke, a nurse practitioner, has trouble finding a job and ends up taking a position at Raker Maximum Security Penitentiary. Unfortunately, this prison happens to house Shane Nelson, Brooke’s ex-boyfriend and Josh’s father, who is serving a life sentence for attempting to murder her and for murdering three of their school friends.