Nobody cuts deeper than family…Dr. Noah Alderman, a widower and single father, has remarried a wonderful woman, Maggie Ippolitti, and for the first time in a long time, he and his young son are happy. Despite her longing for the daughter she hasn’t seen since she was a baby, Maggie is happy too, and she’s even more overjoyed when she unexpectedly gets another chance to be a mother to the child … mother to the child she thought she’d lost forever, her only daughter Anna.
Maggie and Noah know that having Anna around will change their lives, but they would never have guessed that everything would go wrong, and so quickly. Anna turns out to be a gorgeous seventeen-year-old who balks at living under their rules, though Maggie, ecstatic to have her daughter back, ignores the red flags that hint at the trouble brewing in a once-perfect marriage and home.
Events take a heartbreaking turn when Anna is murdered and Noah is accused and tried for the heinous crime. Maggie must face not only the devastation of losing her daughter, but the realization that Anna’s murder may have been at the hands of a husband she loves. In the wake of this tragedy, new information drives Maggie to search for the truth, leading her to discover something darker than she could have ever imagined.
Riveting and disquieting, After Anna is a groundbreaking domestic thriller, as well as a novel of emotional justice and legal intrigue. And New York Times bestselling author Lisa Scottoline will keep readers on their toes until the final shocking page
Praise for Lisa Scottoline:
“Scottoline keeps the pace relentless as she drops a looming threat into the heart of an idyllic suburban community, causing readers to hold their breath in anticipation.” —Booklist on One Perfect Lie
“Readers can be assured that the author nails the high school milieu, from athletic rivalries to sexting…they’re in for one thrilling ride.” —Kirkus on One Perfect Lie
”Entertaining…This fast-paced read culminates in a daring chase that would play well on the big screen.” —Publishers Weekly
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Well written and suspenseful. One that you hate to put down.
Awesome
Awesome book
Wow, this book was incredible! I listened to the audiobook version and couldn’t put it down. It was emotional and drew me in from the start. I enjoyed the back and forth format and an extra plus for having two narrators, one for each character!
The narrators of this book did an excellent job of keeping me interested in this story.
This is the first book by Lisa Scottoline that I’ve read. I would consider this a domestic suspense novel and I must say, I kept trying to figure out what happened as the story went along without much success until about 3/4 of the way through. I loved the plot twists in this book.
I highly recommend that you get the audio, print or e copy of this book.
After Anna is a story told in the past as well as in the present, featuring Noah who is on trial for murder, and Maggie, his wife, who is recently confronted with having her estranged daughter back in her life. The way the story unfolds is done in a creative way, piecing the puzzle together each step of the way to paint a picture of postpartum psychosis and the guilt of not having been able to be there for Anna as the mother Maggie felt she should have been. As the story unfolds, the reader learns of a series of girls who have gone missing, all with ties to Anna.
This is a page turning thriller of a read. As it’s not my most favorite story told by Ms. Scottoline, I do enjoy the creative story progression as it was very effective in the telling and the unfolding of the bigger picture. The ending was a little abrupt to me as I felt like maybe there could’ve been a bit of foreshadowing created early on, but maybe that’s just become something I’ve been used to and it doesn’t effect the final ending.
If you enjoy Ms. Scottoline’s previous novels, you are sure to enjoy this one as well.
I really didn’t like this book
I received an Advanced Reader’s Copy from St Martin’s Press via Netgalley and these are my own opinions.
The story begins in a police procedural type fashion. With the accused about to get a verdict and then tells you how we got to this point. The chapters alternate points of view. The main ones are Maggie and Noah’s. We get their observations and analysis based on before Anna and after Anna enters their lives.
It was a hard to believe story. I know Maggie wanted her daughter back in her life but why would she throw away the life she has now instead of trying to make it work for all of them. Most mothers would not ignore all the signs. She wouldn’t even listen to anyone else’s observations or conjectures.
I felt a lot of the prison action was contrived and not realistic. Most inmates cannot make demands and have them met immediately.
It took way too long to get to the meat of the matter. Three quarters of the way through the story, it becomes a lot more interesting. Unfortunately, it felt rushed and left us wanting more substance in wrapping it all up . I felt the author was in a hurry to end the story.