A review by thegeekybibliophile
After Anna by Lisa Scottoline
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.