Prison Break

Prison Break by Joan Foley Baier is a historical fiction story based loosely on the real life prison break that happened in the 1920s. The author has taken the actual event and woven in her own characters and her imaginings of how those characters may have handled the event.

Lizzie Fowler is the teenage daughter of the prison’s warden, she and her family live on the prison grounds. Dan Moriarty is the teen boy that is interested in courting Lizzie and the two have a date planned the afternoon that the riot breaks out.

At the time events begin to unfold Lizzie is on the prison grounds alone in her home waiting for Dan to arrive and pick her up putting her right in the middle of the rioting and mayhem. Dan is on his way to the prison when he begins to hear of trouble and can only think of Lizzie.

Prison Break isn’t a bad story for those that enjoy historical fiction based on real life events. The thing I found with this one though was I just felt it needed more to it then I found. It’s a fairly short, quick read that jumps right into the action that when said and done I felt there wasn’t much more then you get from the book blurb itself. Personally I would have like more depth to the story and characters to make it more than just “ok”.

I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

This is a story about a prison break, and how it affected different people. It starts with Lizzie the warden's daughter. Her family is out on a picnic, and she has returned to the house located behind the prison walls. Her boyfriend Dan was to come pick her up, and take her to the picnic. However, before that happened, the outbreak occurred. Lizzie tried unsuccessfully to hide. Two prisoners found her. The one beat her up, and attempted to rape her, but the inmate who was a trustee protected her by killing the inmate. She escaped to safety, but had to deal with the trauma. Dan was kidnapped by 3 inmates, and he later had to deal with his trauma. The story is well written, and sad in some places. I couldn't wait to read the outcome.

A historical fiction novel, that didn't feel like history, Prison Break weaves a tale about (you guessed it) a Prison Break in 1929. Baier, encapsulates a convincing story-line in something more powerful and impacting, whilst utilising themes that were able to intensely grip the reader, we also see a clear and empathetic understanding of mental illness, which in the societal climates today is even more relevant.