Her Sister's Secret by S.E. Lynes
(previously titled: "The One to Blame")
Genre: Psychological thriller, Psychological drama, Suspense
Read: 10th July 2021
Published: 13th July 2021
★★★★★ 4.5 stars (rounded up)
DESCRIPTION:
Why would you pretend your life is a dream when you’re living a nightmare?
Annie and Dom lead perfect lives in a lovely cottage in a quiet village by the sea, with flowers at the front gate and an apple tree in the garden. Everyone knows them: generous, loving Dom, creative, joyful Annie.
But their neighbours don’t see Annie as she sits waiting for Dom well into the night. They don’t see her smiling through her tears. They don’t know what the perfect couple are hiding.
They just hear the sirens that break the silence of the night and see the flames that rise against the dark sky.
And the morning after, what everyone wants to know is – which one was to blame?
A brilliantly twisty tale of family secrets and the darkness that can lie behind closed doors, Her Sister's Secret will keep you turning the pages till the final devastating revelation. Fans of Lisa Jewell, Gillian Flynn and Louise Candlish will love it.
MY REVIEW:
I am excited to be taking part in the #BooksOnTour #BlogTour for S.E. Lynes' latest thriller HER SISTER'S SECRET (previously titled "The One to Blame").
In the past, I have found Susie Lynes to be hit or miss as her books are more of a slow burn of which I am not generally a huge fan. But...I have to say, that slow burning tension that her thrillers have simmering throughout just explodes in such a way that only she can excel at. Her books are some I never thought I would enjoy but Susie has mastered the slow burn in such a way that she keeps you enthralled throughout. And HER SISTER'S SECRET is proof that she just gets better and better.
Isla and Annie Andrews are two sisters that couldn't be more different. Growing up in the Scottish highlands in Inverary by strict and conservative parents, Isla is sensible, practical and prudent whilst Annie is wild, untamed and carefree. For many years Isla looked up to her older sister until she became the seemingly elder of the two. At 10 years old, she was wise beyond her years when 15 year old Annie woke her in tears one night to tell her she was pregnant. Instead of "fixing her problem", their parents set Annie up in a flat above their gift shop where she was to live with her newborn son Callum necessitating the fact that she must face her responsibilities and that with every decision there are consequences with which one must live. And there she and Callum lived happily for the first 11 years of his life.
And then she met Dom.
Isla had been away at uni and had returned home to scale the mountains the two sisters had always promised themselves they would but so far hadn't. Callum was with his granny and granddad, who doted on him, whilst the sisters were away for the weekend. Annie was charmed almost at once by Dominic who was on a boys weekend away with his two friends, doctor Gavin and barrister Tom. They talked long into the night and continued to correspond by phone and letter despite the long distance between them. Isla, the more sensible of the two, tried warning her sister to be careful but Annie was swept away by his charm and feelings she had never felt before.
Two years later they married and Dom whisked Annie and Callum away to their new home in Dorset.
Eleven years later, Isla returns from a night out to her flat in London and the ringing of the telephone, despite it being gone 1am. Wondering who could be calling at such an hour, she almost slurs her greeting but is immediately sobered by the frantic voice on the other end of the line. It's Callum. Her sister Annie and husband Dominic have been killed in a fire. No...not Annie. Almost immediately, Isla makes the journey to Dorset to support her nephew Cal, now her only living relative. But upon arrival she finds the place swarming with police and a wealth of unanswered questions.
Consumed with grief, Isla must now face the fact that not only is her beloved sister dead but that she had kept many secrets about her life from her. But why? She was her sister. She would have listened to her, been there for her. Why did Annie not confide in her what life with Dom was truly like? And then to make matters worse, Cal is arrested and charged with Annie's murder. Not Dom's...his mother's. But that is ludicrous. Cal and Annie were close. There is no way on earth he would harm his mother. Ever.
Over the next four months from the time of Annie's death to the trial in which Cal stands for her murder, Isla tries to make sense of what really happened that night and events leading up to it. She befriends Annie's best friend Daisy and close friend Jan whilst systematically uncovering the truth about Dom, his appalling treatment of Annie and their tempestuous marriage. The man who had charmed his way into her sister's life, who had seemingly doted on her, who had swept away to the other end of the country...had left her to look after his business and keep house while he did...what, exactly? Isla felt an inordinate amount of guilt for not keeping in regular touch with her sister and had she done so, feels she may have seen what was really happening and rescued her. She could have saved her. And Annie might still be alive today.
But Annie saw Dom as her way out of Inverary. And that despite her unhappiness, she'd made her bed and now she must lie in it...as her sister's voice echoed in her head - "Och, wheesht and get oan wae it!"
In the midst of all the secrets and lies, will Isla be able to uncover the truth before it's too late? And when she does, what will the future hold for her? Or for Cal, even?
What a fantastic read HER SISTER'S SECRET is! It's edge of your seat thrills and slow burn suspense that is palpable throughout right up to the courtroom drama that drips tension from start to finish. The grief, the secrets, the lies - every moment grips you as slowly the mystery is stripped away.
The portrayal of the tempestuous marriage between Annie and Dom is expertly carved - from the moment the charismatic bully masquerading as a romantic free spirit seduces the younger woman trapped in a small community in the highlands to the horrific aftermath of what essentially was an abusive situation. The flattery, the charm, the compliments that were really put downs, the manipulation and gas-lighting...Annie merely swapped one prison for another. Dom was pretty much a man-child who was spoilt and wanted to have his cake and eat it too. And if he didn't, he would behave like a spoilt child, over indulged by his parents and believing it was his right to get exactly what he wants when he wants. My heart broke for Annie but at the same time you could see her strength shine through even when Dom was at his cruelest. And when her art studio that Dom had once built especially for her burnt to the ground in a mass of turps, white spirit and candles...Isla found herself questioning which one of them was to blame.
HER SISTER'S SECRET is an enjoyable read filled with suspense and a palpable tension. And then there is the twist. But I wasn't to be hoodwinked or surprised by it because I had worked it out long before it was revealed. Little clues I had picked up that Susie had peppered throughout remained at the forefront of my mind that I had already guessed the twist that was to come...but it didn't spoil it for me. I love trying to work it out and even more so when I am proved correct. Three little (big) clues...can you spot them?
Cleverly told by Isla in the present with flashbacks from both Annie and Isla, HER SISTER'S SECRET is tense, compelling and brilliantly structured that will keep you guessing until the end. Susie has a way of creating intense characters, some of whom you will love to hate....and stories that will linger long after you have finished.
I definitely recommend this intriguing thriller which is perfect for fans of well constructed slow burns that continue to simmer beneath the surface throughout.
I would like to thank #SELynes, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #HerSistersSecret in exchange for an honest review.
MEET THE AUTHOR:
After graduating from Leeds University, Susie Lynes lived in London before moving to Aberdeen to be with her husband. In Aberdeen, she worked as a Radio Producer at the BBC before moving with her husband and two young children to Rome, where she lived for five years (that sounds amazing). There, she began to write while her children attended nursery. After the birth of her third child and upon her return to the UK, she gained an MA in Creative Writing from Kingston University. She combines writing with teaching at Richmond Adult Community College and bringing up her three children in Teddington, Middlesex. She is the author of critically acclaimed psychological thriller, VALENTINA, published by Blackbird books. MOTHER, her follow up, was published by Bookouture in November 2017 then THE PACT, THE PROPOSAL, THE WOMEN, THE LIES WE HIDE, CAN YOU SEE HER? and HER SISTER'S SECRET out 13th July.
Formerly a BBC producer, she turned to novel writing after the birth of her third child.
After her MA in Creative Writing, she became a Creative Writing Tutor at Richmond Adult Community College and now combines writing, mentoring and lecturing. She has also published three children's books in Italy.
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