So this was a cracking piece of writing, which brutally took you through the issues and debates around the death penalty. I found the premise interesting (any prosecutor who gives the death penalty forfeits their lives if the conviction is overturned). There was plenty of harrowing and compelling stuff, particularly the flashbacks through death penalties gone wrong. I found the arguments compelling and it’s eye-opening.

That said, I hated the ending - and found it a bit of a frustrating cop out. And I felt some of the last scenes to be a bit far fetched.

Also - just a note that I think the description of the book is very misleading and makes it sound like a cheap thriller, which it absolutely is not.

Despite my dislike for the ending, I’d recommend the book. She can certainly tell a story.

Wow Wow Wow !!!!! What a book!!!

Justine Boucher is a prosecutor who worked on one of the biggest cases in modern days.....and ensuring the death penalty was handed out as punishment.
Justine is convinced that she's got the right man and that pursuing his execution is the right decision.
Much later on, evidence appears that would make her doubt this. Due to law that states that anyone convicted...later to be proven innocent.....will require that the prosecutor who ordered the execution also be put to death.
Will Justine continue to pursue justice....even if it puts her life on the line.

A fantastic story which I couldn't set down. I absolutely loved it

This is a difficult one to review, because what I expected was so different from what I got.

What I expected: a gimmicky but fun high-concept thriller about a new law that means that prosecutors who pass a death sentence are held accountable if that person is later found innocent after they are executed, and are put to death themselves. Lots of courtroom drama.

What I got: a very serious examination of the horrors of the death penalty, alongside how we live with the decisions we make, and how visiting wrongs on other human beings warps us as people.

I'm still not sure how well this works as a novel, because its important and necessary themes are at odds with its slightly silly premise, but it hit me so much harder than I had anticipated. And how brilliant it is to see a thriller take moral questions seriously rather than simply default to 'I AM A MOTHER MY CHILDREN COME FIRST SO EVERYTHING I DO IS JUSTIFIED'.

I'd skipped Christina Dalcher's earlier novels because I assumed they would be shallow and unbelievable, sacrificing all for the sake of a snappy premise, but I think I have to reconsider. The Sentence does have some structural problems - I wasn't sure why Justine's story was told out of order, as this actually made her motives more difficult to emphasise with, and added some unnecessary confusion at the beginning of the book - but Dalcher can really write.

Prepare yourself, this is bleak - but I think very much worth reading.

4+ stars

Dalcher has again served up a slice of the possible future, that I'd going to get everyone talking.
A cracker of a book, that's left me lost for words.
I'm sure I'll be alone, as this is going to prompt a lot of talk, around the reality of death sentences, and the new idea put forward in this book.
So many strands tied brilliantly together.
Very good.

Brilliant. Harrowing. Intense.

I inhaled this book in about four hours, unable to put it down. The topic of the death penalty is so complicated and CD took me through a whole range of emotions regarding it whilst reading The Sentence. The ending was, despite frustrating me, perfectly done and expertly crafted to fit the narrative built throughout the story. If you haven't yet read a CD book yet I highly recommend you do. I don't want to add much detail now as I'm reviewing an advanced copy, but I will undoubtedly update my review once the book is out to fully discuss all my thoughts on this story

This was a strange one for me. The premise was fantastic, a society where any lawyer who is seeking the death penalty must face death themselves if it turns out they sought the death penalty against an innocent client.

The writing was also impressive and this is clearly an author who can tell a story well.

For me, the story was just a bit too confusing. To be clear, this may just have been me but it just seemed to jump too much and it made it difficult to follow.

Given the fantastic premise, I would recommend giving it a try but it just didn't land for me.

Thanks to Netgalley and HQ for an ARC in exchange for an honest review