The Inmate by Freida McFadden was one of those books that started quietly and then slowly took over my reading time. I went into it expecting a psychological thriller with the usual twists and secrets, but what worked for me was how the story gradually built its tension rather than throwing everything at the reader immediately.

The beginning has a relatively steady pace. The story takes its time establishing the characters, their relationships and the situation they find themselves in. At first, I wondered when the real suspense was going to begin, but I think that slower buildup actually helped the later parts of the book. By the time the tension started increasing, I was already invested enough in the characters to want answers.

And once the questions started piling up, I found myself constantly trying to work out what was really happening.

What I Enjoyed About the Story

The biggest strength of The Inmate for me was the uncertainty surrounding the characters. There is a constant feeling that there is more to the story than what we are being told. People don't always appear to be exactly who they seem, and that makes even ordinary conversations feel like they might contain something important.

I particularly enjoyed the way the book plays with trust. As a reader, you naturally start deciding which characters you believe and which ones you don't. But just when you become comfortable with one interpretation of events, another possibility starts creeping in.

That made me keep revisiting my own theories while reading. I would think I had finally figured out what was going on, only to question myself a few chapters later. For a thriller, that is exactly the kind of reading experience I enjoy.

The Pacing

The pacing is interesting because it isn't constantly fast. The first part is more about establishing the situation and creating the atmosphere, while the tension becomes stronger as the story progresses. Once I reached the point where the different pieces started connecting, the book became much harder to put down.

The second half definitely worked better for me than the beginning. There is a stronger sense of urgency, and the unanswered questions become more difficult to ignore. I kept telling myself that I would read just one more chapter, which obviously didn't work very well.

Even though I finished the book in two days, it didn't feel like I was rushing through it just because it was short or easy. The story has enough unanswered questions to keep the momentum going, and the relatively straightforward writing style makes it very easy to keep reading.

The Characters

The characters are another reason the mystery works. I found myself questioning their motivations quite often. Instead of simply waiting for the next plot twist, I was also trying to understand why certain characters behaved the way they did and whether their version of events could actually be trusted.

That uncertainty added another layer to the story. In a thriller like this, I don't necessarily need every character to be completely likeable. What matters more to me is whether they make me curious, suspicious or interested enough to keep reading. The Inmate manages to do that.

The Twists and Suspense

This is where Freida McFadden's writing style really worked for me. The book keeps giving you enough information to form a theory without giving you enough to feel completely certain about it.

I had several moments where I thought, "Okay, now I know what's going on." And then the story would introduce another detail that made me reconsider everything. That back-and-forth kept the reading experience entertaining without making the plot feel completely random.

I also appreciated that the book doesn't require you to remember an enormous cast of characters or complicated subplots. The central mystery remains easy to follow, while the uncertainty around it keeps the suspense alive.

And Then Came the Ending...

And then comes that ending.

I genuinely thought I had figured it out.

I really hadn't. 😅

The final part of the book was probably my favourite because it made me reconsider some of the assumptions I had made while reading. It is the kind of ending that makes you mentally go back through earlier events and wonder whether you noticed the clues that were sitting there all along.

And that epilogue! 🤯

Without giving anything away, I thought the epilogue was a brilliant final touch. It wasn't simply there to wrap up the story. It added one last layer that made the ending more memorable and gave me that satisfying "wait... what?" reaction that I want from a thriller.

What Didn't Work as Well for Me

If I had to point out a weakness, I would say the beginning felt slightly slower compared with the pace of the second half. Since the story eventually becomes quite addictive, I was a little impatient during the initial setup.

I also think readers who prefer very complex psychological thrillers with deeply layered character development might find some aspects of the book a little straightforward. The writing is intentionally accessible, and the main focus is clearly on keeping the mystery moving rather than spending pages exploring every emotional detail.

Personally, though, I didn't mind this too much. Sometimes I actually want a thriller that is easy to get into, keeps the pages turning and doesn't require me to stop constantly to process complicated prose or multiple timelines.

My Overall Take

Overall, The Inmate was an entertaining and addictive thriller for me. It has a relatively simple reading style, a steadily building mystery, characters that keep you guessing and enough twists to make you question your assumptions along the way.

What I liked most is that the book didn't need to be relentlessly dramatic to keep me interested. The unanswered questions did most of the work. Once I became invested in finding out what was really happening, I simply wanted to keep reading until I had the answers.

It also turned out to be exactly the kind of book I was looking for at the time: something gripping, relatively fast-paced and easy to read without being so short that the story felt underdeveloped.

Would I recommend it? Yes, especially if you enjoy psychological thrillers, unreliable characters, secrets, twists and endings that make you rethink what you just read.

Just don't expect me to tell you whether your theory is right. 😉

For me, the slow beginning was worth it because the story eventually delivered the suspense I was looking for — and that final epilogue definitely earned its place in my list of memorable thriller endings.