Sunday Synopsis

On My Life by Angela Clarke
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The main character of this book is Jenna. She is finally happy. She has a wealthy fiance' and a soon-to-be-stepdaughter, and life is good, even if her future in-laws are a little controlling. One day, Jenna comes home and finds her stepdaughter murdered in their home. Her fiance's blood is found, but he is missing. And the police have found child pornography on her computer.

Jenna will be waiting in jail until her trial. Shortly after her arrival, she is clocked in the nose. She is taken for medical treatment and finds out that she is pregnant. How in the world is she going to be able to prove her innocence from a jail cell. She knows she is innocent, so she's going to have to figure out who the real killer is, and where is her fiance'?

This book was described as fast-paced, mesmerizing, and a smart thriller. I disagree with this. While I thought the book was going to be about how Jenna was able to prove her innocence, it was mostly about surviving in a women's prison. There was less about the mystery and more about the wrongs of the British prison system. That's not what drew me to the book, so I was disappointed about not getting a true mystery or thriller. I was very bored with it.

Most of the book is spent reading about Jenna whining about being in jail, feeling sorry for herself, professing her love for Richard, or continuously saying that she has to protect her child. None of that had to do with her situation and how she would solve the mystery of who killed her stepdaughter. And while there was a twist at the end, it was radically unbelievable.

This was also originally published in the UK. While I usually enjoy reading books from a British point-of-view, the constant reference to certain British slang actually began to bother me. Joggies, trainers, jumper, cuppa, crisps, and kip, to name a few. And the author is very repetitive when focusing on Jenna's alleged crimes.

If you're looking for a story about prison life, this may be the book for you. If, however, like me, you'd rather read a mystery that involves clues and a solution, keep looking for a different book.

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