The Second Sister

July 17, 2017
Kendal follows her well-received debut, The Book of You, with a meandering novel of psychological suspense set in Bath, England. Ten years after Ella Brooke’s older sister, Miranda, left her infant son, Luke, with their parents and then vanished, presumed murdered, Ella is now the same age as Miranda was then and looks almost identical to her sister. Ella’s obsession with Miranda and preoccupation with having custody of 10-year-old Luke threaten to overwhelm her life and, at times, distance her from her parents. Luke longs to know about his mom and his father, whose identity has never been revealed. Ella believes that she has found evidence linking Miranda to serial killer Jason Thorne, sentenced to a psychiatric hospital, and she plans to visit Jason against her parents’ wishes. Aside from the precocious Luke, characters veer to the unappealing and one-dimensional. Ella’s grief over her sister and fondness for her nephew are understandable, but her stubbornness and strident nature make her unsympathetic. Agent: Euan Thorneycroft, A.M. Heath (U.K.).