Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

34 Years in Hell by Jamie Morgan Kane. This book is a memoir of Jamie's life as a lifer inside one of America's toughest prison. Once I started to read this book I couldn't put it down. I am so glad I read this book. It was a shocking eye opener and I would highly recommend 34 Years in Hell!

Big Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for allowing me a copy of his book to read in exchange for my honest review.

A huge Thank You to The author, The publisher and Netgalley for providing the e-arc in exchange for a unbiased review of these works

very intresing and quite shocking look in to prison life, real hope the author is on the straight and narrow now!

I really enjoy reading non-fiction, especially when it is a biography/autobiography or true crime. This combined the two, telling the story of Jamie Morgan Kane and the horrific misjudgement that resulted in him spending 34 years in a number of pretty awful US prisons.

The story describes Jamie’s life before the incident which ended up with him being convicted of the crime that saw him imprisoned. His early life could have been a novel in itself – a truly awful story that makes you wonder how Jamie turned out to be the seemingly caring and hardworking guy he seems to have become.

The descriptions of prison life – the other inmates, the guards, the routine and the torturous conditions is truly terrifying. I don’t believe prison should be an easy ride but as Jamie was wrongly convicted (or so it seems), it makes what he went through so much worse.

An interesting read which I would recommend to all lovers of true crime and biographical stories. Jamie’s story is well written about his full, frustrating and sad life.

An interesting insight into many years in prison for something you believe you have not done. I work in this industry and it is amazing how many innocent people there are! Therefore, whilst I think you can take some of this account with a pinch of salt, as there are always two sides to every story, it was nonetheless interesting to read. It does highlight that no matter what, people have the ability to be resilient and succeed.

Wow what a story. This story is the kind of thing Hollywood would make into a film and you wouldn’t believe it to be possible. How much bad luck can one guy go through in life. This is a fascinating insight into prison life and how to survive in horrific circumstances as well as a sad story about a man who’s whole life was built on lies and mistreatment. It is a truly fascinating read and I could not put this book down.

What did I like about this book? Every page. I couldn’t put it down. He is so honest and reading how he change is life for the better is amazing. Inspiring, heart felt and mind changing.

I really enjoyed this book and couldn’t put it down.
What interested me most was that it seems to be a very calm, factual explanation of events. Considering what happened I did expect animosity and anger.
Having read some other reviews I do intend to research this a bit more but this book offers a great insight into life in the prison system.
I found it hard to believe someone would have such strength and calm having faced the situation described in this book.
It certainly got me thinking and I am very glad I read it and would like to thank Net Galley and Mirror Books for providing me with a copy of this book to read and review.

This a very well written account of one mans lengthy stay within the American jail system.
I was gripped from the beginning and couldn’t wait to see how or when Jamie would finally find freedom.
I likened it to a modern day Papillon, this would be great for film adaptation.
A great read.
Easily worthy of 4.5 stars.

Having been through a prison journey with my husband (although much shorter than 34 year!), I’ve got a great interest in reading about other people’s experiences of prison & the justice system.
I found this book interesting and thought provoking, although I think the author has used a lot of artistic license!
There are parts which are very hard to believe and don’t really make sense. Perhaps better editing would have made some chapters more easily understood because some parts just don’t add up. 34 years is a long time and I know that I wouldn’t be able to write an accurate description of things that happened to me so long ago.
34 Years in Hell is an interesting read but often feels like a work of fiction. I’m glad I read and did enjoy it.

I found 34 Years in Hell to be an interesting read and was excited to have been approved to read an ARC.

Writing wise - 34 Years in Hell is not the strongest literary work out there. It is clear that it was written by someone with a lack of literary experience (sentence structure seemed disconjointed in places and lacked a little something I can't quite put my finger on), however that does not detract from the interesting read and from Jamie's story.

Sometimes during the book, there were cases of information overload on silly things that weren't important to the story (for instance, long paragraphs about what he ate in military training). Some aspects seemed a little unnecessarily drawn out for the sake of upping a word count. (I also picked up on a lot of formatting & grammatical errors, however that is to be expected from an ARC)

That being said, I felt that 34 Years in Hell was impactful and had me truly gripped. There was a certain quote, very early on, that suckered me right in. "She used 27 February as her birthday too, as she said she hadn't started to live until she saw and held me for the first time". Sucker punched me in the stomach! The portrayal of Jamie's difficult childhood really hit home for me.

Fact wise - I think it best to take 34 Years in Hell with a pinch of salt if you've already done your research on Jamie. His version of events don't always seem to add up to the stories already out there and the evidence against him in his case. Additionally I have found multiple sources claiming that Jamie is not a Vietnam Veteran, which is interesting! (I've yet to find proof of either claim so I remain on the fence with this)

I have no personal opinion on the case or whether the facts laid out in the book are true or false, but it did make for an interesting read which is all that matters to me! I'd definitely recommend to anyone who loves the True Crime genre and to those who love to read from the 'accused's' perspective. My only points of criticism would be aimed towards the writing style, which i'm sure will improve the more Jamie writes.