The Life Sentence by Jackie Kabler is a suspense filled psychological thriller that has plenty of twists and turns that will keep you on your toes throughout.

Heather used to be best friends with Amber until something happened that tore them apart. Now Amber is in prison serving a life sentence for a crime she claims she did not commit. And it seems as though Heather is the only one that can prove that she is innocent. But in order to do that Heather needs to go back. Back to the dark place where it all began…

What follows is a dark and at times shocking psychological thriller that builds the tension slowly. And as Heather sets out to unearth the truth, she begins to uncover far more than she could ever have expected to, leading to a denouement I can honestly say I did not see coming.

Although I would say that some suspension of disbelief is needed as the story moves forward, The Life Sentence is nevertheless a book that really does keep you guessing and is an entertaining psychological thriller that I thoroughly enjoyed. 3.5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and publishers for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest and fair review.

Having read previous books by Jackie Kabler, I was intrigued to read this one. A life sentence for a crime that didn't occur? It kind of pulls on the fact that the justice system isn't always correct, however I found that the scenario was a bit far fetched, a life sentence for a crime that wasn't murder?

Regardless of this there is plenty of action, twists and red herrings along the way; the build up to certain events kept you intrigued and on the edge of your seat. It is a fast paced read and easy to follow. A good read, even if a bit far fetched at times. 4/5 stars.

What a cracker of a book!
I love the way Jackie writes her stories with lots of details and information on the area. Character, sounds, smells etc to really show you the best atmosphere possible.
Her books always have you on the edge of your seat and this one was no different.
Lots of twists and turns that I didn't see coming. Many times I was convinced I had worked out the plot and the baddies. Only to find I was wrong!
Really enjoyed this book, reading it in two sittings.
Thank you to netgalley and the publishers and the author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest opinion

Amber was sent to jail from a crime she didn’t commit… sounds like the opening gambit from an 80s TV show. Only for Amber, the crime never happened. Heather, with the help of two strangers, is going to prove it. No pressure Heather!!

Heather’s task ain’t an easy one. She’s going into the lion’s den (aka Jack’s world) and trying to get the evidence to exonerate Amber. OMG Jack is a horrible human being. He makes my skin crawl at just the thought of him. He doesn’t just give me the ick – it’s like a million times the ick. He should come with a warning sign. Smooth, gorgeous, rich but keep well away!!

I’ve never read any of Kabler’s thrillers despite owning three others but I giving myself a severe reprimand. I’ve heard so many great things about her writing, hence the purchases but never got them to the top of the reading pile. This needs to be amended.

The Life Sentence is a sensational read. If you love your crime thrillers tense and in fear for your lead character, this book is for you. My chest was tight as Heather did her thing to help Amber. Loved this book!!

A psychological thriller full of twists and turns .
Heather works in a book shop, her ex best friend Amber is in prison serving a life sentence .
A woman takes Heather’s bags and key at a book event she is attending , when meeting the woman so she can return her property she finds that this was an orchestrated move and they have a lot in common that being Jack Shannon .
Shannon is Heather’s ex and also Amber’s ex and the reason she is in prison .
This meeting is a catalyst to bring Jack Shannon down , he isn’t who he says he is and he’s a very dangerous man .
Can Heather really bring Jack to justice and keep herself safe ?
This book leaves you on the edge of your seat .
Fantastic story and well developed characters.
It left me turning pages long in to the night and savouring every page .
A fantastic read!
Highly recommended!
Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK.

I have read a few Jackie Kabler now and as always this was a fast paced, twisty thriller that I couldn’t read fast enough. I was gripped from the very start needing to know how the unique story would play out, I genuinely wouldn’t have expected that that ending and I don’t think you will either. I loved that were characters and their stories were so well developed as they were easy to connect to. The multiple twists and turns kept me guessing until the very end. If you like a fast paced twisty thriller I highly recommend this is top of your list.

BLOG TOUR REVIEW

Review for 'The Life Sentence' by Jackie Kabler.

Well, Well, Well I did NOT expect that bombshell of an ending!!! Absolutely LOVED THIS compelling, gripping and addictive page turner!!!

Wow!!! What a rollercoaster ride of a read!!! Fantastically written with vivid descriptions throughout making me feel like I was in the storyline. The synopsis, title and cover suited the plot perfectly.

I could not put this book down and read it in one sitting!!! It is one of those books that each and every time I said one more chapter and then bed something happened so there was no chance I could put it down so I ended up walking around with my kindle glued to my hands until I had devoured it in one go!! . The storyline was absolutely gripping and kept me up until the early hours of the morning as I just could not put it down!! I absolutely love how intriguing, complex and multi-layered the storyline is with so much going on!!! I was sitting on the edge of my seat with a pounding heart and my jaw dropping as Jackie takes us on a psychological ride of suspense and tension!!! I was absolutely gobsmacked with ending and absolutely explosive twists throughout which I was not expecting!!! A HUGE congratulations to Jackie on that as it is definitely getting harder and harder to shock me but you most definitely did that!!! There were points where my heart was in my throat and I was on the edge of my seat, and then the edge of my bed as I was not putting this book down until I finished!!! It is rammed with bombshells, revenge, deceit, heartache, friendship, twists, lies, and absolutely everything you could ask for in an explosive psychological thriller! I was absolutely mind blown by some of the secrets that were coming out and just when I thought they had all been told BOOM another shocker!!! The ending was definitely the biggest twist and I would not have seen that one coming in a million years!! This book would make a fantastic movie!!

Clear your schedules before glancing into this absolutely addictive and explosive psychological thriller as once your hooked there's no letting go until the very end!!

The characters were all strong, realistic and very well developed. I was completely invested in each and every one of their stories. They all had such unique personalities and I felt different about each of them, liking them or not trusting them for different reasons. It is hard to say much about any of them really without giving anything away so I will go by how I felt before certain announcements were made. Jackie brings each of the characters to life with her fantastic writing skills and between the characters and the plot you will be left absolutely gobsmacked!! I genuinely felt like I was next to the characters on this rollercoaster ride feeling everything and seeing everything that each of them are seeing and feeling ensuring my heart was pounding throughout!! Regardless of whether you love or hated the characters they all worked perfectly well to make this a page turning psychological thriller!!

I absolutely loved your book Jackie and congratulations on yet another HUGE success . I cannot wait to read more of what promises to be heart stopping reads. This is the reason you are one on my top 5 favourite female psychological thriller author list and Here's to your next success 🥂.

Overall a heart pounding, page turning, edge of your seat psychological thriller filled with explosive twists that will keep you up late at night.

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this book hooked me from page one and had me turning the pages faster as I progressed through the short chapters. Gripping and action packed from start to finish. Overall a great read!

Heather Harris works as a bookseller in Chiswick, London. She is single and in her early thirties. The opening to the novel is brilliant – very intriguing. Heather’s at a book signing event and author talk. A woman sits next to her, acts a bit strangely and at the end, Heather realises the woman has taken her bag with her keys and wallet in it. This leads to a meeting and the whole story evolves from that, but it draws you in straight away.
We meet Felicity Dixon and her brother Nathan, who is a single dad to five-year-old Lacey. Then there’s Amber Ryan, who is in prison, serving a life sentence. She used to be Heather’s best friend and flatmate, but they haven’t been in touch for years.
And then there’s Jack Shannon, who links everyone. Both Heather and Amber have been in a relationship with him in the past.
There are chapters written from the viewpoints of the three main characters - Heather, Amber, and Jack and the first person point of view is perfect for this kind of book. You get inside the head of each character, so you can see how they are feeling and what they’re thinking.
I loved Jackie Kabler’s novel The Vanishing of Class 3B and was looking forward to reading The Life Sentence and it was just as good. It’s such a brilliant premise for a novel and the writing style matches the genre perfectly with its short, zippy chapters that move the action along at a steady pace.
The story is such an intriguing one and I loved trying to find out what really happened, playing detective myself by piecing together the jigsaw puzzle of events. I also found myself trying to work out wat I would do in a similar situation. As you would imagine, there are plenty of twist and turns to keep you guessing.
I enjoyed all the characters and getting to know them better. Heather is our heroine here and of course, she loves books and authors, so we as readers have plenty in common with her. One of the other characters is definitely not someone I’d want to spend time with, but the way they are written, you can understand they have charm and appeal which makes them realistic. All the best villains have a charming side, don’t they?

My first book by this author & what a great read it was. A tense psychological thriller in the truest sense of the word - manipulative & coercive behaviour to the fore.

Told from the POV of Jack, Heather & Amber. Jack is a businessman; Heather is his ex & works in a book shop & Amber was Heather’s best friend. I say was because Amber is now in prison for attacking Jack, except she says it never happened. Many prisoners say they’re innocent but to say the crime never even occurred? Welcome to Heather’s dilemma …

Well paced & twisty, this book slaps you round the face until finished. An entertaining read.

Thank you to @ rachelsrandomresources for inviting us onto this book tour.

I really enjoyed this book and read it within a day which for me is very good I could not put it down.

We have Heather who has been contacted by a strange woman at a book launch and she thinks is what felicity told her really true that her best friend amber from her childhood who she hasn't had much to do with for last couple of years really in prison for a crime she didn't commit and more importantly never happened.

She speaks to felicity's brother Nathan and she is still struggling with all the things they say has happened and not only that does she really want to go back to her ex who she always felt was.very strange.

Once I read the first few chapters I had to know what happened and was it like they said that the crime had never even happened I was very suspicious of Nathan and felicity and even rhona. At times things seemed a little unlikely but I was rooting for Heather and hopped the truth would come out for Amber.

I could not put this book down- at the same time as not wanting to read it at night!!! I got completely sucked into the storyline and was petrified for Heather. There were times I had to take a break from reading bc it made me anxious! Great story telling and I loved Johnny - I bet he has a tale or two to tell! I felt the ending was quite rushed after the build up but not so much it detracted from the overall story.

Amber was convicted and sentenced to life in prison for a crime that never happened. Heather, who was Ambers best friend in the past along with Felicity and her brother Nathan come up with a plan to set the wrongs things right and expose the ones who are truly guilty. This book has a few twists I never saw coming never knowing who to trust. I feel like it dragged a bit in a few spots but even then I couldn’t put it down. I was hooked from the start needing to know how the ending played out.

Imagine being sentenced to a life in prison for a crime you don't think you committed?? This story is about manipulation and taking a risk to save a friend's life. It's quite intense and twisted and filled with lies and deceit. As it got closer to the end the faster my heart was beating. There is a wonderful twist at the end of this unputdownable story. I highly recommend it.

This was a really interesting premise that grabbed me from the beginning and held on very tightly - until about halfway through. At that point things shifted and it started to feel a little repetitive and draggy. From there, it devolved into a series of actions and decisions that further pulled me out of the story. By the end, I must confess that I was mostly just waiting for it to wrap up so I could call it done.

I'm not sure what it was about the book - maybe the fact that there actually is no twist here? - but from about halfway I started to really struggle to stay in the narrative. You'd think that a book without a twist would stand out, in this era in which twist upon twist and turn upon turn are layered into what often becomes hodgepodge of action at the expense of narrative cohesion, and yet somehow I found my interest flagging. I kept looking for a surprise around every corner only to continually find...exactly what I expected. I suppose in this current environment that is a twist in and of itself, but it felt oddly unsatisfying nevertheless.

It isn't a bad read or an unengaging one, but I definitely felt like the second half of the book was not as strong as the first.

The Life Sentance is a 3.5⭐️ rounded up to 4⭐️
Amber Ryan is innocent, she has been given a life sentence for a crime she didn’t commit and if she did she has no knowledge of doing so. Heather her long time friend which she fell out with before the crime has come to visit her in prison and is offering to do something that Amber could never of dreamed of happening. Heather is going to get as much evidence as possible to prove Amber is innocent and that means she’s going to have to put herself in the hands of the man that caused all this.
The book flowed well and there were lots of twists and turns, the book is to,d from Heathers, Ambers and Jacks POV. This works well as you get a deeper insight into their thoughts and feelings. The reason I didn’t mark it higher is because I can’t believe Amber would have been given a life sentence and the ending was a bit mmm and it ended very quickly after the lengthly build up, don’t get me wrong I had no unanswered questions but it just wasn’t what I was expecting.
I would like to thank NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

A book that will keep you entertained. It is told in multiple POV, which is one of my favorite ways to read a book. Heather wants to get justice against her ex, who is not a nice guy. I enjoyed the unique story and it’s a book you want to read until the very last page to get the full story.

Amber Ryan has been given a life sentence for a crime she didn’t commit. When her friend Heather reappears in her life wishing to help prove her innocence it opens up a tangled web of secrets and lies. Moving between chapters we get to discover the story from the perspective of Amber, her friend Heather and Jack Shannon, who is the complex man at the centre of the story and who has such a psychological hold over both these women.

The story is rich in detail and the many twists and turns kept me guessing. I was particularly interested in Heather’s involvement and must admit to being on the edge of my seat as she tries to get the evidence which will prove Amber’s innocence. I also liked the fact that Heather was a bookseller and enjoyed the snippets of time we spent in the book shop with her. Although the story is to discover what happened to put Amber in prison, she is something of a peripheral figure, and it is mainly through Heather that we learn about what happened and of the consequences of having a relationship with Jack Shannon.

As always, this author knows how to crank up the tension, she writes well, keeping the plot tight and controlled and delivers another story which is filled with heightened emotion. The Life Sentence is another great read from this talented writer of psychological fiction.

This was a wild ride. Factually correct who knows. Intense yes! Realistic probably not, fun yes!

I blitzed the audiobook as I became addicted to it. I had to get to the bottom of what happened to Amber. It was a fresh take viewing the case through the eyes of the outside, someone who wasn't involved, in walks her ex friend, Heather. She is tasked with uncovering what actually happened and find Amber innocent. Well I say tasked, more like coerced, she was accosted by Felicity as she "stole" her bag, and then the web was woven.

It was nerve wracking but exciting as we followed Heather investigating Jack’s house. The bloody cameras everywhere!! Like Heather I was suspicious of Rona, Felicity and Nathan, everyone felt too good to be true! I just had no idea if anyone was who they say they were and what their own personal end game was.

An exciting tale, ending was a bit twisted (not twisty) and I think I wanted more but at the same time it was satisfying…although why do I feel sorry for the bad guy! It wasn't a big bang, it was subtle and it left me wondering what was next!

A Crime Never Committed?…
Has Amber been imprisoned for a crime that she did not commit? Or also, for a crime that actually never happened at all? Will former friend Heather help prove her innocence, or will she be put in perilous danger trying? An engaging and interesting suspense with a fluid and compelling narrative, a well crafted cast of characters and an intriguing premise which is well executed.