Book Review: The Silent Sister

The drama unfolds seamlessly in Diane Chamberlain's novel, The Silent Sister. She carefully weaves each clue into the tale, one at a time, until the truth is revealed and the final crisis moment arrives. The suspense is palpable, but I figured out the truth too soon. Plus, I thought the resolution was a bit too quick and undefined. In the end, we are left wondering whether or not the silent sister meets her tragic end or not.

Riley MacPherson and her brother Danny have been told that their older sister committed suicide, as a teen, over the stress of being a child prodigy on the violin. Their family has been reeling ever since. The deceased mother spent the rest of her life as a shell of the woman she once was. Danny is angry and volatile in the aftermath of all the attention given to his older sister.

Now Riley is forced to confront the past as she clears things out of her family home after the death of her father. Danny is no help at all, wanting nothing to do with the past or his family. When information is uncovered suggesting that her sister Lisa's suicide was faked, Riley must uncover the clues of the past and discover much about herself in the process. Feeling alone in the face of loss, she is desperate to find out anything she can about this much older sister (15 year gap) even if her brother is determined to bring this attention thief to justice.

The beginning was a bit slow getting going, but once I reached the 100th page, I was deeply engrossed in the novel. This author does a fine job of maintaining the reader's interest and slowly unveiling the truth. I would be willing to attempt another suspense novel from this author. From the reviews on Amazon, it sounds like many have liked her other books even more.