Sister Dear - Laura McNeill

Sister Dear is a compelling story and once I'd started it everything else went on hold until I'd finished the last page.

Allie Marshall is about to be released from prison after serving 10 years for a crime she didn't commit. She strongly believes that someone set her up, she has her suspicions about who was responsible and being out on parole will enable her to find the proof she needs to clear her name if she's careful.

Along with proving her innocence Allie is desperate to reconnect with her now teenage daughter Caroline, who has been living with her sister Emma. It soon becomes obvious that Emma isn't so keen on mother and daughter building any kind of relationship and appears to be more than happy to let Caroline believe all the gossip that's started going around the town since her mother's release.

Even Allie's parent's aren't fully supporting her, despite finding her somewhere to live, her father buries his head in the sand and stays away while her mother will only see her away from the judgemental stares of her friends and the community. Her mother's visits are always awkward and anything about her past is a taboo subject.

Laura McNeill has once again written an enthralling novel with an intriguing cast of well thought out characters as well as an excellent plot which will keep you guessing from start to finish. Allie and Emma's back stories are skillfully drip fed to the reader, giving an insight into their lives and characters before Allie was convicted and to provide little clues to pick up on to try and figure out who really was responsible for what happened on that fateful night. Sister Dear is one of those books that you don't want put down and you don't want to end. I loved it and highly recommend that if you enjoy a good psychological/suspense thriller you give this one a try.

Sister Dear is published on the 19th April and is available for pre-order here.

With kind thanks to author Laura McNeill and NetGalley for the review copy.