The Sentence by Christina Dalcher

 

Imagine an America where the death penalty still exists but is rarely issued. The reason for this is that any prosecutor who seeks the death penalty has to be absolutely convinced they are right because their own life is on the line. If the death penalty is carried out and the person is later exonerated then the prosecutor will be killed.

I love books like The Sentence from Christina Dalcher, ones which are set in a society we are familiar with but where one small thing has been changed. Not as dystopian as something along the lines of The Handmaid's Tale but with enough of a dystopian element to be thought-provoking.

The Sentence is told from two very distinct perspectives, the main one is prosecutor Justine Callaghan. When we are first introduced to her she is struggling with the aftermath of her latest trial. She has managed to gain a murder conviction but despite the overwhelming evidence and a confession, she refused to seek the death penalty. This has not gone down well with a vocal, and hostile, group of people. With a young son to take care of she's not prepared to risk her own life should the person she has just convicted ever be exonerated.

The second character we hear from is Death Row Inmate #39384 via extracts from his diary. Convicted of murder seven years previously he is counting down the days until his execution.

As the story progresses we learn a little about each character's background. We learn that Justine was partly responsible for the Remediation Act becoming law. As a law student, she met her future husband and they were both strong advocates against the death penalty, arguing that it was an arbitrary sentence. They also argue that with advancements in science evidence used to convict people has been discredited.

We also discover that seven years previously Justine, during a moment of extreme distress, sought the death penalty for Jake Milford, a man convicted of the brutal torture and murder of a child. Overwhelming DNA evidence and lack of an alibi were enough to convince Justine.

Jake Milford is inmate #39384. In his diary, we learn about the moments leading up to his arrest for murder and the reason he has no alibi. His story is heartbreaking. We learn that despite an unhappy childhood he has settled down and made a life for himself. 

Following Jake's execution new evidence arises. Justine is placed in a difficult position, should she destroy the evidence, flee the country or pass the evidence on? Deciding to investigate the events leading up to the murder Jake was found guilty of, Justine discovers there is far more to the case than was initially made public. She feels that with everything that has happened, there is only one thing she can now do to make things right.

This is the type of book where you wish everyone around you was reading it at exactly the same time so that you had someone to talk to, obviously it will be ideal for a book group. 

The Sentence by Christina Dalcher will be published on 17th August 2023 in hardback, ebook and audio format. My thanks to NetGalley and HQ publishers for a review copy.