I could not put this one down! It’s the quintessential psychological thriller that will keep you up at night and keep you guessing with every page.
Ryan Mills is thrilled that his sister Gina is back in his life after many years of estrangement, relating to the family’s breakdown after the tragic loss of their younger sister Cassie. He’s shrugged off his initial wariness and has fully embraced having a sister again, inviting her to live with him in their childhood home now that their parents have emigrated to live in Florida.
Ryan lives a carefully consistent life. It’s clear that his younger years were marred by unpleasantness and he’s doing his best to dispel the ghosts and continue as best he can to get back on track and maintain his equilibrium. Gina too seems to be doing all she can to live an ordinary, unexciting life. She gave up her journalist job to return to London with her boyfriend Julian, and although she longs to be a news presenter and lands a job (with Julian’s help) at Channel 8, her tough boss Jacqueline isn’t interested in viewing her as anything more than a PA – in fact she makes it crystal clear that she views Gina as lower than something she’d discard from the bottom of her shoe!
But one night, she leaves work late and takes a shortcut home. Walking through an alley she knows she shouldn’t be taking, she stumbles on the body of a murdered woman. She’s shocked and terrified, but in an instant, she decides to grab her chance and broadcasts the news live via the Channel 8 Facebook page. She’s wholly unprepared for the backlash that follows. Surprisingly, she doesn’t lose her job, but she’s propelled into a world of uncertainty, sure she’s being stalked, not knowing who’s out there just waiting for some harm to befall her. And then the unthinkable happens … another dead girl turns up right in front of her, once again! What does Gina do now?
Told in alternating points of view, we hear from Gina, her brother Ryan, and the inspector on the case, Detective Adam Adebayo. The narrative also takes us back to 1996, with some chapters being related by Gina and Ryan’s mother Sharon, which adds an entirely different perspective to the already rather dark picture!
Elle Croft’s characterisation is excellent, but I think in this story, it’s the concept that steals the show. I can’t say much more about that as I don’t want to give any spoilers, but I found it quite mind-blowing! It made me really start to wonder … what if?
This one will have you guessing all the way through, and you’ll change your mind on every page with all the twists and turns it takes you on. It’s a solid 4.5 from me.
Thank you Tracy Fenton, and Orion Books for inviting me onto this dark, dangerous blog tour!
The paperback of The Other Sister is out TODAY! Click here to get it.
Jan's Book Buzz 