catreader18's review against another edition
5.0
I really enjoyed this book. Each chapter was from a different persons viewpoint and time but it was easy to follow the story.
bwkramer's review against another edition
4.0
I could have done without the ending, but the rest of the book was such a solid read I'm still going to give it 4 stars.
mollywill's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence and Murder
Moderate: Trafficking
Minor: Schizophrenia/Psychosis
stefanilw's review against another edition
3.0
I really enjoyed this book, but the ending was upbrupt and out of left field.
shericrandall's review against another edition
3.0
Alright, but not the best. The ending is just not believable. Won't spoil it, but Maggie would never have been allowed to come along on an investigation and bust as she was in the end.
thegeekybibliophile's review against another edition
4.0
Maggie Ippolitti lost custody of her only child, Anna, when she was only a few months old. 17 years later, Maggie is overjoyed when she receives a call from Anna. After learning that her father has recently died and how miserable Anna is at her nearby boarding school, Maggie allows Anna to move into her home. Her husband, Noah, is thrilled Maggie reunited with her daughter, and welcomes Anna into the family. Their happy home quickly turns into a battleground, ending with Anna making terrible accusations against Noah. He denies everything, but is forced to move out—then Anna is killed, and Noah is accused of her murder. He swears he didn't do it, but if Noah didn't kill Anna, who did... and why?
What I Liked
The story is told in alternating chapters and told from the perspectives of Maggie and Noah. A nice twist on this dual perspective is that Maggie's portion (Before) starts at the beginning (when she is first contacted by Anna), and moves forward in a linear fashion. Noah's part (After) is the opposite—it begins near the end (on the tenth day of his murder trial), and moves backwards in time. The timelines sync around 3/4 of the way in, with time moving forward linearly for both characters. The way it's structured may be off-putting to some readers, but I loved it. It worked exceedingly well for this story, and made it an even better reading experience.
Anyone who reads thrillers knows that when a situations seems clear-cut, it's definitely not going to play out that way. I was expecting some sort of plot twist to happen, and when it came, you could have knocked me over with a feather—that's how stunned I felt.
The ending was everything I hoped for, and I was thoroughly satisfied when I finished. I love it when a book leaves no loose ends dangling!
What I Didn't Like
Umm... let's see. Oh! I know! I didn't like that it took me so long to read a book written by Lisa Scottoline. What was I thinking?! Other than that... yeah, I got nothing.
Final Thoughts
The way the story is structured is a bit unorthodox, but it adds an extra layer of suspense to an already suspenseful story. With its intricate plot, well-developed characters, and explosive twists, After Anna is a novel you won't soon forget.
Scottoline's writing is superb throughout, and I'm looking forward to reading more of her novels in the future.
Recommended for fans of suspense driven thrillers.
I received an advance reading copy of this book courtesy of St. Martin's Press via Netgalley.
What I Liked
The story is told in alternating chapters and told from the perspectives of Maggie and Noah. A nice twist on this dual perspective is that Maggie's portion (Before) starts at the beginning (when she is first contacted by Anna), and moves forward in a linear fashion. Noah's part (After) is the opposite—it begins near the end (on the tenth day of his murder trial), and moves backwards in time. The timelines sync around 3/4 of the way in, with time moving forward linearly for both characters. The way it's structured may be off-putting to some readers, but I loved it. It worked exceedingly well for this story, and made it an even better reading experience.
Anyone who reads thrillers knows that when a situations seems clear-cut, it's definitely not going to play out that way. I was expecting some sort of plot twist to happen, and when it came, you could have knocked me over with a feather—that's how stunned I felt.
The ending was everything I hoped for, and I was thoroughly satisfied when I finished. I love it when a book leaves no loose ends dangling!
What I Didn't Like
Umm... let's see. Oh! I know! I didn't like that it took me so long to read a book written by Lisa Scottoline. What was I thinking?! Other than that... yeah, I got nothing.
Final Thoughts
The way the story is structured is a bit unorthodox, but it adds an extra layer of suspense to an already suspenseful story. With its intricate plot, well-developed characters, and explosive twists, After Anna is a novel you won't soon forget.
Scottoline's writing is superb throughout, and I'm looking forward to reading more of her novels in the future.
Recommended for fans of suspense driven thrillers.
I received an advance reading copy of this book courtesy of St. Martin's Press via Netgalley.
kbranfield's review against another edition
4.0
After Anna by Lisa Scottoline is a gripping domestic mystery.
Maggie Ippolitti has not any contact with her seventeen year old daughter Anna since her vindictive ex-husband sued for custody after Maggie was hospitalized for postpartum psychosis. Now happily married to Dr. Noah Alderman and stepmom to ten year old, Caleb, she is stunned but thrilled to hear from Anna. Maggie does not hesitate to agree to Anna's request to move in with them and in short order, her once happy marriage is in serious trouble. The situation goes from bad to worse when Anna is murdered and Noah is accused of killing her. After Noah's trial ends, Maggie learns stunning news but will this startling turn of events undo the damage that has been wrought on her family?
Anna's presence in the Alderman household is disruptive right from her arrival. Maggie is overjoyed by their reunion and desperate to ensure Anna's happiness. Tension quickly builds between Maggie and Noah as they disagree over how to deal with Anna's manipulative behavior. Noah sees his new stepdaughter a whole lot more clearly than his besotted wife who staunchly defends her daughter and ignores some pretty glaring warning signs that something is not quite right. With an alarming rift rapidly widening between Maggie and Noah, Maggie is bamboozled by Anna's shocking allegations.
Unfolding in reverse order, After Anna by Lisa Scottoline shifts back and forth between Noah's murder trial and the events leading up to Anna's murder. Maggie is a completely irritating character who desperately wants to make up for events from the past and her allegiance quickly shifts to her daughter. Noah makes a few boneheaded decisions that that come back to haunt him and it is shocking how quickly Anna comes between him and Maggie. Anna is extremely devious and quite cunning but what possible motive could she have for her malicious accusations against Noah? Well, Lisa Scottoline answers that intriguing questions during the twist-filled, action-packed and somewhat improbable denouement. While all of the loose ends are neatly tied up, readers might be a little disappointed with the novel's saccharine sweet happy ending.
Maggie Ippolitti has not any contact with her seventeen year old daughter Anna since her vindictive ex-husband sued for custody after Maggie was hospitalized for postpartum psychosis. Now happily married to Dr. Noah Alderman and stepmom to ten year old, Caleb, she is stunned but thrilled to hear from Anna. Maggie does not hesitate to agree to Anna's request to move in with them and in short order, her once happy marriage is in serious trouble. The situation goes from bad to worse when Anna is murdered and Noah is accused of killing her. After Noah's trial ends, Maggie learns stunning news but will this startling turn of events undo the damage that has been wrought on her family?
Anna's presence in the Alderman household is disruptive right from her arrival. Maggie is overjoyed by their reunion and desperate to ensure Anna's happiness. Tension quickly builds between Maggie and Noah as they disagree over how to deal with Anna's manipulative behavior. Noah sees his new stepdaughter a whole lot more clearly than his besotted wife who staunchly defends her daughter and ignores some pretty glaring warning signs that something is not quite right. With an alarming rift rapidly widening between Maggie and Noah, Maggie is bamboozled by Anna's shocking allegations.
Unfolding in reverse order, After Anna by Lisa Scottoline shifts back and forth between Noah's murder trial and the events leading up to Anna's murder. Maggie is a completely irritating character who desperately wants to make up for events from the past and her allegiance quickly shifts to her daughter. Noah makes a few boneheaded decisions that that come back to haunt him and it is shocking how quickly Anna comes between him and Maggie. Anna is extremely devious and quite cunning but what possible motive could she have for her malicious accusations against Noah? Well, Lisa Scottoline answers that intriguing questions during the twist-filled, action-packed and somewhat improbable denouement. While all of the loose ends are neatly tied up, readers might be a little disappointed with the novel's saccharine sweet happy ending.
andrearbooks's review against another edition
4.0
After Anna by Lisa Scottoline was another thriller that just hit the spot as this author seems to always do, and I'm so here for that. What I really liked about this one was the way the story was told. The story begins with Dr. Noah Alderman being on trial for the death of his stepdaughter Anna. This is the after part. This alternates with chapters of the before when Anna showed up to live with Dr. Alderman and his wife Maggie. This was a really compelling way to tell the story as you were able to piece together what might have happened with how the relationship began and also see where things evolved via the happenings in the trial. The twists and turns of this one were fascinating given the dual timelines. You really wondered how all of this converged, and it kept me turning the pages to continue to piece together all sides of this story. One thing I've learned about Lisa Scottoline as this is my third of her novels is she goes hard on the sensational reveals. There's one twist, but then they keep coming with that. It's not a critique at all, but it definitely is interesting to see the big endings happen. And y'all, whoa, whoa on this ending. I sort of started to put this together, but what transpired was something. I'm so thankful I have found the work of Lisa Scottoline. Sometimes I just need that great thriller in my life, and she always delivers.