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A review by mg_in_md_
After Anna by Lisa Scottoline
4.0
I was one of the lucky winners of a FirstReads copy of the latest thriller by Lisa Scottoline and received my copy a couple of days ago. This standalone domestic and legal thriller drew me in immediately and I could not read it fast enough! The chapters alternate between the perspective of Dr. Noah Alderman and his wife, Maggie Ippolitti. This is the second marriage for both of them -- Noah is a widower with a young son; Maggie is divorced. Their new life together is turned upside-down when Maggie's estranged teenage daughter, Anna, unexpectedly returns and joins their new family. Guilt, suspicion, and fear surface soon after, and the reader is left wondering who is telling the truth and what the characters' motivations are for their actions. Just when you think you have it figured out, another twist is revealed to keep you guessing.
For most of the book, those chapters are presented as "before" and "after" a particular event occurs. The blurb on the back doesn't specify what it is, so I won't either, even though it is revealed in the first chapter. The chapters featuring Noah move backwards in the timeline and those featuring Maggie move forward to the point in the story where Noah is. Once their timelines intersect, the timeline shifts again to the present, with the chapters continuing to go back and forth between Noah's and Maggie's perspectives. I found this technique incredibly effective and felt that it heightened the suspense even more; this one kept me guessing right up until the end. I found the legal thriller and mystery aspects of the story equally gripping, and could not wait to find out where the story was going to go. Many thanks to St. Martin's Press and the FirstReads program for giving me an early look at this excellent novel by one of my favorite authors -- definitely one of her best to date!
(Also used this for the 2018 PopSugar Ultimate Reading Challenge prompt "a book with alliteration in the title.")
For most of the book, those chapters are presented as "before" and "after" a particular event occurs. The blurb on the back doesn't specify what it is, so I won't either, even though it is revealed in the first chapter. The chapters featuring Noah move backwards in the timeline and those featuring Maggie move forward to the point in the story where Noah is. Once their timelines intersect, the timeline shifts again to the present, with the chapters continuing to go back and forth between Noah's and Maggie's perspectives. I found this technique incredibly effective and felt that it heightened the suspense even more; this one kept me guessing right up until the end. I found the legal thriller and mystery aspects of the story equally gripping, and could not wait to find out where the story was going to go. Many thanks to St. Martin's Press and the FirstReads program for giving me an early look at this excellent novel by one of my favorite authors -- definitely one of her best to date!
(Also used this for the 2018 PopSugar Ultimate Reading Challenge prompt "a book with alliteration in the title.")