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dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Finished reading: June 2nd 2025
"I'm naively hopeful about the appeal, although I'm always hopeful. How could anyone think that I killed Noel? I had no motive - he was the love of my life. And most of all, I have an alibi."
I've enjoyed Freida McFadden's writing so far, and since I kept seeing Death Row everywhere I ended up giving in and added the whole Alibis Collection to my TBR. I was intrigued by the premise of this short story with the prison setting and the possibility of the husband she is supposed to have murdered not being dead after all... Things started out extremely well, but it was the epilogue that completely ruined the story for me. Seriously, WTF did I just read?! Freida McFadden is known for her twisty endings that come out of the blue, and this short story is not an exception. Sure, I did have a vague idea what was going on with those little hints, but I didn't see the full truth until it was revealed. I was pretty satisfied with how things had ended... Up until the moment I read the epilogue that is. I'm honestly confused what the epilogue even MENT, and I hate the feeling of being left in the dark about what really happened in the end... It's a shame, because the rest of the story is very entertaining once you look past the fact that everything moves extremely fast. Then again, I always have a weak spot for stories with a prison setting... Death Row had a lot of potential to be excellent and I would have loved a longer story with more fleshed out characters. It could definitely do with losing that terrible epilogue though.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Car accident, Murder, Fire/Fire injury
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Murder