Every reader has those guilty-pleasure authors, the kind whose works might not grace the hallowed halls of literary greatness yet possess an undeniable pull that keeps you turning the pages. For me, Freida McFadden, a pen name for Sara Cohen, fits this mold perfectly. Despite the criticisms that often surround her writing, there's something about her twisted plots that draws me in. Clearly, I’m not alone in this; she's a #1 New York Times Bestselling author renowned for her sometimes delightfully trashy plot twists.
Enter Death Row, a 2025 novella in the Alibi series for Amazon Original Stories that recently made its way into paperback via Poisoned Pen Press. Priced at $10.99, it feels a bit steep for a mere 73 pages, but, fortunately for me, I received my copy as a birthday gift and zipped through it in just twenty minutes.
The story revolves around Talia Kemper, a woman condemned to death for the murder of her husband, Noel. She possesses a rock-solid alibi and no identifiable motive, yet her fervent declarations of innocence fall on deaf ears. Then, in a chilling twist of fate, she encounters a man in the visiting area who looks unmistakably like her husband. She believes her husband is alive. Naturally, no one believes her.
In classic McFadden style, the novella dances between present and past, revealing the cracks in Talia and Noel’s marriage, where her jealousy looms large. The present-day chapters are steeped in prison life as the clock counts down to her execution. Unfortunately, this intricate setup culminates in a bafflingly messy ending. While McFadden attempts her signature twist, the brevity leaves it feeling more like a convulsive jolt than a satisfying conclusion. To add insult to injury, readers are directed to her website for a deeper understanding of the ending; something I find baffling. Shouldn’t a well-crafted story stand on its own without an online crutch? That finale exuded more soap opera than suspense, a missed opportunity that felt like a flimsy twist instead of the shocking reveal we’ve come to expect from her works.
Death Row is a poorly executed novella, and I cannot recommend it, even to my fellow Freida McFadden enthusiasts. It’s a disappointing venture into literary fluff that meanders without a clear purpose and leaves you feeling unfulfilled. This would-be thriller is far from thrilling; truly a letdown that left me wishing for a better plot and a more shocking resolution. Save your time and skip this one. ╌★✰✰✰✰
If anyone is still interested in reading Death Row, please consider supporting future reviews on this blog by buying the paperback [*] or Kindle eBook [*].
〜B.J. Burgess
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“The plot thickens… especially when you comment.” 〜B.J. Burgess