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.

This was an addictive thriller. I loved the short chapters, it definitely kept me turning the pages. This was my first book by this author, and I'm definitely a fan.

I highly recommend!

I have really enjoyed the previous novels I’ve read by the author and was intrigued by the synopsis of The Life Sentence. It’s told primarily from the point of view of Heather who becomes involved in a plan to help release her old friend Amber from prison. Amber has received a life sentence for a crime she claims she did not commit that involves Heather’s ex boyfriend Jack.
The novel had a promising start and I liked the characterisation of Heather and her job in a bookshop, However I found what followed completely unrealistic, the plot was a bit clunky and the writing didn’t flow. It’s very different to the author’s previous novels and lacked the tension of those. A disappointing read.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.

Jackie Kabler can do no wrong in my eyes and this one was no different. Hooked me from the first chapter and really kept me on the edge of my seat throughout. I really enjoyed the ending and finding out all the secrets, twists and turns that were in the earlier part of the story. I will always pick up any book by this author, just a fantastic writer with a talent for keeping us in suspense!

I enjoyed The Life Sentence, however my biggest gripe is I find it hard to believe Amber was given a life sentence for the crime that was committed. Setting that aside, it was a great concept - being sent to prison for a crime that didn't happen. Whilst it was Amber in prison, the story was mostly told from Heather's point of view. Heather was once Amber's best friend, and she was tasked to get to the bottom of the crime that put Amber in jail. This meant getting back with Jack, an old boyfriend of Heather's, who lived his life during the nighttime and was a clever but very sinister, man. We also got a few chapters from Amber's and Jack's viewpoints and I really liked these. There was plenty of suspense as Heather, working with some allies, tries to get evidence of what Jack had done. I liked the relationship Heather had with Nathan and Felicity, the ones who get her into this situation of helping Amber, and I liked how the housekeeper was portrayed. I could never quite tell whose side she was on. It had a great ending and was an enjoyable story.

The Life Sentence had me completely hooked from start to finish. It was full of twists and turns that made me want to keep reading. A great story.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC .

I couldn't help it, I kept screaming "GET OUT" at the main character!

Okay, so it was bad enough Heather threw herself back into what she knew was a bad, even dangerous, relationship, but then when she knows she shouldn't, she goes back again? Perhaps out of some mis-guided guilt? Also, the beginning of the book almost had me thinking I was reading a cozy. But wait - suspend your disbelief and enjoy the great sense of tension and suspense. It happens every day - people in jail for a crime they didn't commit - but framed by the pure evil that is Jack? Yikes!

When I read The Murder List and The Vanishing of Class 3B by this author, I felt like I had made a discovery for a new auto-buy. I will continue to read Kabler, because I like the originality and suspense that she brings to the field.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollinsUK, One More Chapter for an advance reader's copy.

As thriller writers strive to find original plots and angles some of the stories can get a little bit unfeasible. A few steps beyond ‘framed for a crime they didn’t commit’ The Life Sentence plot starts with ‘framed for a crime that never happened’.

I don’t mind unbelievable and unrealistic if the story drags me in, but sadly, this one didn’t.

It wasn’t bad, just a little bit awkward. There’s lots of dialogue, it took me a while to get involved and then I was interested rather than compelled. An original idea than didn’t quite come off for me.

Thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins UK