The Silent Sister" begins with Lizzy Beresford receiving and reading a note that states: "You're my only obsession." But who sent it? Lizzy's initial thought is that it's from her estranged sister, Emma. Both her boyfriends, Joe, and her friend and co-worker, Pippa, are very concerned that Lizzy is being stalked. Then another letter arrives: "Dearest Lizzy, I love to watch you." This prompts Lizzy to get the police involved in an effort to get to the truth of the matter. She no longer trusts anyone anymore, even those she has been close to for many years and she starts to suspect everyone. Few things sound as scary to me as having a stalker. Someone who knows your every move, sometimes even seemingly before you do. Someone who taunts you and terrifies you, who makes you suspicious of everyone you meet. This is what happens to Lizzy when she starts receiving odd notes at home and at work. The police are no help at all and so it falls to Lizzy herself to figure out who wishes her harm. Could it be her sister, Emma? Her boyfriend, Joe? Her neighbours? Her boss/landlord? The cat?!

THE SILENT SISTER | Kirkus Reviews

I would like to thank Bookouture & NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and fair review. This is not a thriller in the conventional sense. It is about a girl Riley who lives in North Carolina. She had a sister who committed suicide at an early age and that facy has always haunted her. Until one day she discovers that sister never did in fact commit suicide. It was a story her family made up for her. This sister, Lisa, is very much alive. Bryan had suggested I have a memorial service for him, but I wouldn't have known who to invite. If he had any friends, I didn't know about them. Unlike most people in New Bern, my father hadn't belonged to a church or any community organization, and I was certain my brother wouldn't show up at a service for him. His relationship with our father had been very different from mine. I hadn't even been able to find Danny when I got to New Bern after Daddy's death. His cop friend Harry Washington told me he'd gone to Danny's trailer to give him the news, and I guess Danny just took off. He'd left his car parked next to the trailer, and Bryan and I hiked through the forest looking for him, but Danny knew those woods better than anyone. He had his hiding places. Now, though, he had no idea I was in town, so this time I'd surprise him. I'd plead with him to help me with the house. I knew better than to hope he'd say yes.

This is a fast paced, tense thriller. There are so many red herrings, I just could not work out where this story was going. This story touches on mental health issues. I liked what I thought was the final twist at the end of this story, then there was another good one in the epilogue. Another fantastic book by the author. Anyone who believes in true love or is simply willing to accept it as the premise of a winding tale will find this debut an emotional, satisfying read.

The Silent Sister by Shalini Boland | Goodreads The Silent Sister by Shalini Boland | Goodreads

A violent surfacing of adolescence (which has little in common with Tarkington's earlier, broadly comic, Seventeen) has a compulsive impact. Lizzy lives in a cottage with her boyfriend and one day she finds a letter in her home that she's unsure of where it came from. No one else should have access to their place and before long Lizzy finds more disturbing notes.

I carried my duffel bag upstairs, where a wide hallway opened to four rooms. The first was my father's bedroom with its quilt-covered queen-sized bed. The second room had been Danny's, and although he hadn't slept in our house since leaving at eighteen— escaping, he would call it--it would always be "Danny's room" to me. The third room was mine, though in the years since I'd lived in the house, the room had developed an austere air about it. I'd cleaned out my personal possessions bit by bit after college. The memorabilia from my high school and college years—pictures of old boyfriends, yearbooks, CDs, that sort of thing—were in a box in the storage unit of my Durham apartment waiting for the day I got around to sorting through them. This book was one that I had not heard of. A friend gave it to me. She thought it would be my kind of book and it was. Riley has spent her whole life believing that her older sister Lisa died tragically as a teenager. But now she's starting to uncover the truth: her life has been built on a foundation of lies, told by everyone she loved. Lisa is alive. Alive and living under a new identity. But why exactly was she on the run all those years ago, and what secrets are being kept now? The Silent Sister is a fast moving suspenseful thriller.Even though I was able to guess the suspect the epilogue caught me completely by surprise and would definitely look forward to reading more by Shalini Boland

The Silent Sister - Diane Chamberlain

I plan to try another 'written' book by Diane Chamberlain. I had only read one: a huge surprise-- to win "Necessary Lies", as a Goodreads give-a-way years go .... and the book blew my mind it was so great. I learned a lot & loved it. We didn't get to know any of the characters in any real depth. It was all quite superficial. Lizzie irritated me no end. Spineless and mercurial are two words that come to mind. Selfish and immature are two more. No, I didn't like Lizzie. Or Joe. But that doesn't impact on my enjoyment of the book. I have detested the characters in some of the books I have liked the most. I always enjoy Ms. Chamberlain's books, and this was no exception. THE SILENT SISTER is an intriguing read with a ​perfec​t ​​title and a storyline filled with riveting ​incidents that were divulged. After Lisa successfully fakes her suicide, Riley learns that Lisa eventually ended up killing herself for real.This is the first book that I have read by Shalini Boland, so I am not sure if she always does this but I felt that if you really pay attention, you could solve the case of WHO is leaving notes to our protagonist, Lizzy. And, that is NOT a bad thing...that CAN be fun! Riley is killed in the car accident and never gets to tell her brother Danny the truth about Lisa's crime. Lisa continues to remain silent about all of it.