**Listened to the audiobook**

At the beginning of the book, I wasn't sure if I would be able to stick the book out due to the narrator/s. I found the accent to be very whingey and winey. However, the more the book went on, the more I loved the narrators and they really helped to bring the book to life.

This synopsis of this book was right up my street. The whole idea of the death penalty is one I find fascinating. Its a debate I always enjoy having, and I'm always intrigued to hear peoples different perspectives on it. This book continues this debate... I like how the book considers lots of different views and how different people are affected by it. It's a really interesting and divisive premise - and it was a super interesting book. I can definitely see myself re-reading/re-listening to this again.

I listened to the audiobook of The Sentence, and it definitely had me hooked. I enjoyed the narrators for the most part (although I hated the pronunciation of the surname Boucher), and the plot was pretty well-paced.

The subject matter is deep and thought-provoking, but I did feel that the narrative treads the middle ground a little too much. In subject matter, it reminded me a lot of Krzysztof Kieślowski's spectacular A Short Film About Killing. But where Kieślowski's film compares the brutality of both murder and state-sanctioned killing, The Sentence seems to justify killing in some cases and sanitises certain elements of the narrative to excuse particular actions.

Still, overall, this was an excellent audiobook, that kept me hooked. It was a unique way to represent the death penalty and is a story that will stay with me.

Excellent book. Really enjoyed this one, I will defo recommend it to others. The story follows a high class lawyer type who opposes the death penalty but in a hormonal and grief stricken turn of events she sentences a man to death. An interesting story and not too far out of reality that such a bill could be passed, which made it quite a terrifying idea! Great moral and philosophical to-and-fro, this book was dramatic thriller but also a thinker. - SPOILER ALERT- The ending was very satisfying but considering the book being so heavily about her opposing a life for a life it was unlikely that her character would kill, or that's what I thought at least. Enjoyed it all the same.

‘The one decision you can’t take back’ - cover tag line

My thanks to HarperCollins U.K. Audio HQ for a review copy via NetGalley of the unabridged audio edition of ‘The Sentence’ by Christina Dalcher. It is narrated by Laurel Lefkow and Greg Lockett.

While not an out and out dystopian tale, Dalcher’s legal thriller is set in a recognisable near future USA and contains dystopian elements.

Virginia Prosecutor Justine Boucher-Callaghan has only asked for the death penalty once, seven years ago in a brutal murder case that had involved a child. In doing so, she put her own life on the line as under the State Remedies Act, a law passed in 2016 that states if the convicted is later found innocent, the prosecutor who requested the death penalty will be sentenced to death. Justine had no doubt that Jake Milford, the man she sentenced to the chair, was guilty. Until now…..

In the novel’s opening Justine is holding a press conference about her latest prosecution and has cause to think about Jake, who had finally been executed only two days previously, as his widow Emily was standing there clearly grieving. Reporters swarm them both asking ‘Do you think your husband deserved to die?’ ‘What would you do if new evidence came to light?’ Then a woman in a blood-red suit comes up and whispers in Mrs. Milford’s ear. Cue dramatic music…

The story is mainly told by Justine as she deals with the possibility that if indeed there is new evidence in the Jake Milford case it will place her life in jeopardy. Ironically throughout her legal career, Justine has campaigned against the death penalty and is very familiar with how the Remedies Act works as she had helped draft it in tandem with others including her late husband, Ian Callaghan, a brilliant law professor.

The red-suited woman who had appeared at the courthouse was a member of Vita, an activist group dedicated to investigating possible cases of wrongful conviction and ensuring that the Remedies Act is enforced. Justine had once been a founding member.

Indeed, their signature look was inspired by the bright red suit that Justine bought in her senior year at Harvard Law to address a rally. She had never thought that people would adopt it as a uniform as she had just wanted to stand out: “a girl in a red dress always stands out.” The red suited women had echoes for me with the uniforms of Atwood’s handmaidens.

The other narrative is provided by Jake Milford, who has been on death row for six years and is facing execution. His entries are headed as ‘Death Row Inmate #39384’ and he relays his story bit by bit.

I found Justine a relatable protagonist who clearly had sought a way to limit the use of capital punishment never realising that she might find her life impacted by her youthful idealism. Jake’s story including his time on Death Row is harrowing.

With respect to its audiobook edition, I was pleased that there were two narrators as it made a clear distinction between the accounts provided by Justine and Jake. I have enjoyed Laurel Lefkow’s reading of quite a few audiobooks over the years as she has served as narrator on hundreds of audiobooks spanning many genres. While I am less familiar with Greg Lockett, I felt that his mature, rich voice was well suited to convey the seriousness of Jake’s story. I felt that both narrators were excellent.

Overall, I found ‘The Sentence’ an intriguing legal thriller that addresses the complex issue of capital punishment and proposes a fascinating ‘what if’. A well paced thought provoking novel.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

I really loved Christina Dalcher's Vox. I love the dystopian themes which she writes so well. Her plots are so character driven and she is fantastic at making you empathise with them. This one is based on a rule where if a criminal lawyer recommends a death sentence for a crime such as murder, if they were ever to be discovered as innocent then the criminal lawyer will end up in the electric chair in penance. A rule brought in with the intention to abolish the death penalty.

This is exactly what happens to the main character. It was quite long but a good story with a satisfying ending.