Sister Dear

by Laura McNeill

Overview

In this domestic, psychological thriller perfect for fans of The Silent Patient and The Woman in the Window, one woman wants nothing more than to prove her innocence. But those closest to her will do anything to keep the truth from surfacing.

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.

“Will have you flipping pages late into the night”—Deep South Magazine

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780718030926
Publisher:	Nelson, Thomas, Inc.
Publication date:	04/19/2016
Pages:	400
Sales rank:	824,974
Product dimensions:	8.20(w) x 5.40(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Laura McNeil is a writer, web geek, travel enthusiast, and coffee drinker. In her former life, she was a television news anchor for CBS News affiliates in New York and Alabama. Laura holds a master’s degree in journalism from The Ohio State University and is completing a graduate program in interactive technology at the University of Alabama. When she’s not writing and doing homework, she enjoys running, yoga, and spending time at the beach. She lives in Mobile, AL with her family.

Editorial Reviews

02/22/2016
McNeill (Center of Gravity) misfires with this tangled tale of a wrongfully convicted woman trying to reclaim her life. In 2006, Allie Marshall went to prison for manslaughter in the death of high school football coach Boyd Thomas. On her release 10 years later, Allie returns home to Brunswick, Ga., where her daughter, Caroline, who was five when Allie was sentenced, wants nothing to do with her. Caroline has bonded closely with Allie’s sister, Emma, who has been Caroline’s guardian since her mother was imprisoned. Flashbacks to the events of 2006 reveal how Allie became convinced that Thomas was abusive and giving his players steroids. Sheriff Lee Gaines’s animosity, Emma’s subversion (first hinted at, then blatant), and Caroline’s histrionic anguish all become explicable once Allie discovers mysteriously still-intact evidence 10 years after Thomas’s death. Clumsy plotting and shallow characters don’t help. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

'...McNeill kept dangling me above the motivation until she finally explained it to me. I highly recommend this book to everyone.'

Fiction 411

3 stars. 'Subtly creepy, McNeill’s latest sneaks up on the reader with its eerie storyline. But some of the plot points and motives don’t really work together. The buildup and eventual reveal fall a bit flat in the scope of the book. Overall, it’s an original twist on the wrongly accused victim trying to exonerate herself, and will keep readers interested throughout.

RT Book Reviews