"I was gripped from the first sentence. The full sensory evocation of a spring garden was one of the most intense I have experienced. A best-seller in the making."
– Paula
Sentenced
Liz’s world collapses when she learns the police have arrested her son and his partner. Forced to make a quick decision, she takes in their three-year-old daughter, Freya – a grandchild she never knew she had.
As Liz learns to ease the child’s heartache, social workers raise questions over her demanding job and her commitment to Freya.
Inside HMP Graybarrows, Liz devotes her days to helping prisoners battle with fear, loss, and guilt. Her work gives her purpose – but when the boundaries between prison and home blur, can Liz find balance between the broken men behind bars and the little girl whose life has just begun?
Listen to chapter one
M. J. Whelan lives in the heart of Northamptonshire. Early each morning, you'll find her in her writing room, shaping her thoughts into words.
By midday, she is offering guidance, comfort and understanding to prisoners as she walks along the landings and wings. When evening falls, her cat claims her lap, and laughter fills the air as she shares stories, games, and precious moments with her grandchildren.
SENTENCED is her debut novel, a story more than a decade in the making. Through its fictional characters, M. J. Whelan explores, with professional insight and heartfelt honesty, the hidden impact incarceration has on the families left behind.
“An absolutely phenomenal read. By the time I finished the first few pages, I knew I was embarking on an extraordinary journey. It’s a must-read.”
Christine M
“This book should be made available to sentenced prisoners to enable their understanding of what their children and family are forced to endure due to their imprisonment.”
J. Ferguson-Jones
“Wow, what a gripping story from the perspective of a mother, grandmother and prison well-being officer. Such raw emotions collide with the harsh world of incarceration.”
Kathleen O’Connor
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A percentage of all royalties will go to Kinship Care UK.
Paperback £12.99, Signed Hardback £22.99.