Sister Dear
Fiction
Thomas Nelson
April 19, 2016
E-book
400
NetGalley
All Allie Marshall wants is a fresh start. But when dark secrets refuse to stay buried, will her chance at a new life be shattered forever?
Convicted of a crime she didn t commit, Allie watched a decade of her life vanish time that can never be recovered. Now, out on parole, Allie is determined to clear her name, rebuild her life, and reconnect with the daughter she barely knows.
But Allie's return home shatters the quaint, coastal community of Brunswick, Georgia. Even her own daughter Caroline, now a teenager, bristles at Allie s claims of innocence. Refusing defeat, a stronger, smarter Allie launches a battle for the truth, digging deeply into the past even if it threatens her parole status, personal safety, and the already-fragile bond with family.
As her commitment to finding the truth intensifies, what Allie ultimately uncovers is far worse than she imagined. Her own sister has been hiding a dark secret one that holds the key to Allie s freedom.
My review:
This psychological thriller had a lot of things I like within its pages.....family saga, mother-daughter bonding, drug use in sports, wrongful accusations, and a woman trying to get her life back. These are among the many themes touched on. The book is told in both the present, and the past, by four main characters. Allie has been in prison for ten years for a crime she did not commit. Her sister Emma has been caring for her daughter Caroline (who was 5 when Allie went to prison). The townspeople are not at all supportive when a convicted killer comes back to town, and neither is the sheriff, who will keep Allie from poking around to find out the real story of what happened that fateful night. Poor Allie is getting slammed from all sides. No one in town wants to hire her, she is not able to poke around in the murder mystery without violating her parole, her sister wants to adopt her daughter, and she dumped her ex boyfriend so he wouldn't have to hang around while she was in prison. Whew.....poor Allie, I was rooting for her all the way! I'm surprised to say that I did figure out who the real killer was quite early on (rarely happens for me), but that did not at all impede my enjoyment in reading how the actual events played out. It started out a bit slow, but once it picked up, it was a complete page turner!
A great who-dunnit story, with a lot of other facets thrown in, make this a wonderful choice for your next read.
Sounds like my kind of novel. Don't know how I missed it on NetGalley.
I hope you get a chance to read it. Thanks for stopping by my blog!
This one sounds like something I'd love. You mention that the story is told for both the past and present. Do these two perspectives ever get confusing? I've had mixed results with that alternating timeline structure in the past.
No, it is not confusing. I read it in e-book format so I can't easily check, but I believe the date is written at the beginning of each chapter so it's easy to know what time period you are in. Thanks for visiting my blog!
You always seem to add books to my wish list with finds that seem right for me. Thanks for putting this one on my radar!
I think we manage to pile books on each other's tbr Kathy 🙂 I always find great ones on your site as well! Hope you get the chance to read this one.
Donna - Thank you SO very much for reviewing and highlighting Sister Dear on your site! Am thrilled that you enjoyed the novel and that you were rooting for Allie all the way!
Please know that it means a lot that you would recommend the book to your readers!đź’— Laura
You are most welcome Laura! I can't wait to see what's next for you!