This is the second book I have read by Lisa Scottoline and I like the way her stories flow. Maggie had been forced to give up her daughter years before, but has now found happiness with Noah and his son Caleb. Then out of the blue she gets the call she has always hoped for and is able to reunite with her daughter Anna. She realises that there will have to be some adjustments to their family life, but is shocked when Anna reveals something so unexpected. Maggie is torn between the joy of having her daughter back and also trying to keep her marriage together. The story does involve more people about 2/3rds through and seems to lose a bit of momentum, but it still held my interest until the end.

Nobody cuts deeper than family...

Dysfunctional, blended, and imperfect families always intrigue me. "After Anna" by Lisa Scottoline was fascinating, fast-paced, and full of twists and turns. I've previously read a handful of novels by Lisa Scottoline, but this ranks up in my top two.

Alternating between the point of view of Noah and Maggie felt reminiscent of a Jodi Picoult novel. I went from feeling joy and happiness to disappointment and agitation. There were more than a few moments when I wanted to shake a character and say, "are you kidding me?" That said, the dynamic between members of the family felt authentic.

I love a solid novel with well developed characters and a plot that keeps me engaged, guessing, and wanting to read late into the night. "After Anna" has all those elements. A fantastic read that kept me second guessing my suspicions right up until the end.

*An e-Arc was provided to me by NetGalley and St. Martin's Press in exchange for an honest review*

After Anna is written in a bit of a different format than I’m used to reading. The story, which revolves around the arrival of Anna into Noah and Maggie’s family, is told in both “before” and “after”. Readers get Maggie’s side of the story in the “before” and Noah’s side in the “after” through courtroom proceedings. I especially found the courtroom proceedings different as they started at day 10 and went backward. Once I got into the rhythm of the story I found I rather enjoyed the way it was told.

Noah and Maggie seem to have a perfect marriage. That is until Anna arrives. Anna is Maggie’s daughter from a previous marriage. Maggie lost custody of her daughter when she was an infant and is more than happy to reunite with her. She lets Anna move into their home and that’s when the problems start. Noah seems to be Anna’s main target and the accusations start almost immediately. Maggie comes across as more than willing to believe everything her daughter tells her. A daughter she really doesn’t know. Even though I could understand her happiness and willingness to please Anna it bothered me that Maggie was so trusting of someone she really didn’t know. Noah seemed more rational when it came to Anna. He wanted to set rules and not treat Anna like the extremely rich teenager she was. Because of this, I found I liked Noah the best and was rooting for him to be found innocent.

I found the courtroom scenes to be extremely interesting. The prosecutor was cut-throat and at the top of her game and the defense attorney tried his best to help his client even though at times his client seemed to have a mind of his own and didn’t follow direction. The glimpses of the jurors made the scenes seem authentic and easy to believe.

The story was a five-star read until I reached the 75% mark. After that, it just became a bit far-fetched and unbelievable. I like twists and turns in thrillers but I want them to fit the story and I feel like the twist to this story didn’t really fit. Even though going into the story we know that Anna is going to be murdered I still enjoyed the story and trying to figure out how it was going to happen and if Noah did it or not. I liked the story (for the most part) and the way it was told and I think it’s a solid four-star read.

Fans of the author will enjoy this book as will those who love thrillers and courtroom drama. After Anna is a book that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley and was not obligated to write a review. All opinions are mine.

3.5

Maggie is married to Noah Alderman family and stepmon to his son Caleb. During her first marriage and subsequent divorce, she lost custody of her baby daughter Anna due to postpartum psychosis. Seventeen years later, she gets an unexpected phone call from Anna who wants to connect with her Mom. Eventually Anna moves in with the Alderman family. Within months, Anna is found dead and Noah is charged with her murder.

This story is told in alternating chapters. After Anna chapters are told during Noah's murder trial and give us his perspective on what happened after Anna moved in. Before Anna chapters are told from Maggie's perspective, starting with her first meeting with Anna and following how the family fell apart after her arrival.

Whew - what a story! It was interesting to see how Noah and Maggie looked at the same situations but saw them differently. Of course Maggie is so excited to have her daughter back she can't see the forest for the trees. And while Noah wants everything to go well with his new step-daughter, it doesn't take long for him to start to realize something is amiss.

This was a well crafted page turner. I liked the surprise at the end and the way the author played it out.

I received this from St. Martin's Press via Netgalley.

Lisa Scottoline's After Anna is a page-turner from the very beginning. A classic he-said-she-said narrative which changes perspectives, over the course of the novel, keeps the reader wondering what really happened until the end. The only drawbacks were the quick resolution and the narrative is mostly taken from the courtroom testimony. I would like to have seen more of a flashback to what actually happened. However, I found the plot to be solid, the characters are believable, and overall, it is a good mystery.

Dr Noah Alderman has been a widow with a son to raise alone. He meets Maggie and falls in love. They marry and are a happy family. Maggie has her secret of a first marriage with a daughter her husband took when she was a baby. Maggie gets a call that her now 17 year old daughter wants to see her. She goes to Maine to see her and brings her home. Anna's father has died and she has millions coming in a trust when she is 18. Anna starts accusing Noah of inappropriate behavior with her. He moves out of the house to straighten it all out. Then Anna is found dead on his door step by him and he goes on trial for her murder. He did not do it but it looks like he did. Can this be any worse? Read this fascinating story to see.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for my review. Maggie Ippolittl had her daughter, Anna during her first marriage to a wealthy tech entrepreneur. Shortly after giving birth, she developed a very severe case of postpartum depression. It was while she was seeking treatment, that her husband took Anna away from Maggie to France, and started a smear campaign that has kept Maggie and Anna apart basically since she was a baby.

Flash forward to the present, and Maggie has remarried, this time to a widower Noah. Noah has a young child from his first marriage. They have a terrific life together, so when Anna take the chance to reach out to Maggie
they are all thrilled with the prospect that she might become an addition to their family.
In a very quick turn of events, Anna comes to live with Maggie and Noah, and that is when things take a sinister change.

I have read quite a few of Lisa Scottoline's books, and I always enjoy them because they are fast paced and timely novels. What I really liked about this novel was how she framed the narratives as "Before Anna" and "After Anna." It was an effective way to let the story unfold. The only thing that I didn't like about this story was the ending. The story was building tension and I was rapidly flipping through the pages, and then some events at the end just seemed unrealistic and hastily thrown together. It is still a very strong book and it worth reading.

What.a.ride! 🙌🏼 After Anna is a heart racing, riveting, on the edge of your seat thriller that had me guessing and contained a twist I never saw coming! This is the story of Maggie and Noah, a happily married couple. Maggie gets a phone call from her 17 year old daughter Anna, who she has been estranged from for many years. Anna is brought into their family but dies in a shocking murder shortly after they are reunited. Noah is arrested for the murder but claims his innocence. The book is told in two timelines- Maggie before Anna and Noah during the trial. Noah's story begins at the moment the jury reaches a verdict and goes backwards through the trial. These two stories converge and reaches a pulse racing climax. This book had me guessing who the killer was throughout the whole book and I never saw the truth coming. Another great story by Lisa Scottoline! Thank you @stmartinspress for this advance reader in exchange for my honest review.

Here is a review by Jennifer: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2359793474

Deception and manipulation are rife in this novel. It is an illustration of how hope can triumph over logic and good sense. The beginning and middle of the book, especially the scenes in the courtroom, are gripping and well written, but I found it a little difficult to buy into the unexpected twist towards the end of the novel. An enjoyable read, but not the best of Lisa Scottoline. Thanks to St. Martin's Press and Net Galley for the ARC.

Like all other Lisa Scottoline novels I have read, After Anna left me guessing what was going to happen to the very end. The story begins with the verdict of Noah's murder trial getting ready to be read, and then flashes back over the course of several months leading up to the end of the trial in which Noah is being accused of murdering his step-daughter that was estranged from his wife, Maggie, for the majority of Anna's life. Scottoline's story telling is brilliant and had me finishing this murder mystery in one sitting.

Lisa Scottoline never fails to deliver suspenseful stories with jaw-dropping plot twists. After Anna is not only no exception, but may well be her most nuanced, tautly constructed, and nuanced work to date. And yes, some developments in the story are shocking -- readers will not see them coming. This tale about Dr. Noah Alderman and Maggie Ippolitti is told not only by alternating narrators but in contrasting chronological order, an extremely difficult approach that Scottoline masters seamlessly. Noah and Maggie are happily raising Noah's young son from his prior marriage. But one thing is missing from their life -- Maggie's daughter, Anna. Maggie lost custody of Anna to Anna's father years ago and has not seen her since she was a baby. When Anna reaches out following the death of her wealth father, Maggie is overjoyed to have another chance to parent the daughter she has desperately missed. Noah is completely supportive, but Anna, now 17, disrupts their quiet, ordered life. When she is murdered shortly after coming to live with them, Maggie is torn apart -- could her loving husband really have murdered her daughter? Maggie has to find answers as Noah stands trial, fighting for his life. Maggie''s discoveries propel her dangerous and disturbing quest to learn the truth about her daughter's life, death, and the man she married. The action never slows. Rather, it builds at a relentless pace, with Scottoline inserting revelations at expertly-timed intervals, until the astonishing conclusion!

Once again, Lisa Scottoline has written a story that captivated me from the first page. In this suspense/thriller story, we have two timelines and two narrators: Maggie and Noah, mother and step-father and Before Anna and After Anna. Maggie lost custody of her 6 month old daughter when she suffered from post-partum psychosis. As her daughter Anna, got older, she wrote to her mother and said she did not want to see her. Maggie moved on with her life, getting remarried and doting on her step-son. When she received a call out of the blue from Anna asking to get together, Maggie is thrilled. Noah supports her in trying to have a relationship with Anna. Fast forward to Anna being found dead on Noah's front porch shortly after she comes to live with them. The story is told in reverse from Noah waiting for a verdict to when Anna first came to live with them. The ending was quite a shocker and a twist that I certainly did not expect.

The characters were well done. I really enjoyed Caleb, Noah's son and I was concerned and worried for him throughout the story. Maggie wanted a relationship with her daughter so badly after losing her when she was young that she may have been blinded by Anna's actions. Noah was a great day and husband who thought more about the lives of hes wife and son than his own, that he risked his own life in the trial. Overall, a very character driven story that I very much enjoyed.

An interesting premise - widower with small son meets and marries woman with daughter who has been estranged from her mother for years, but comes to live with them. Chaos ensues, Accusations are made, no one believes him, not even his wife who sides with her daughter who really is a stranger to her. After going through all the twists and turns of this book, the ending is a total letdown.

Lisa’s books are always bingeworthy! She certainly knows how to throw in a curveball or two in her writing. Didn’t know what to expect and finally I stopped trying to guess the ending and just kept reading!

If you love thrillers and emotional roller coasters, don't skip reading this book. As usual Lisa does not disappoint.

Lisa Scottoline's After Anna is a great thriller! Noah is a single dad to Caleb after his wife dies. Then Noah meets Maggie, they get married, and everyone is happy...until Anna arrives. Anna is Maggie's 17 year old daughter that she hasn't seen since Anna was a baby. Maggie had postpartum psychosis after Anna was born and her ex-husband used that as an excuse to take Anna away. Anna calls Maggie out of the blue one day from her boarding school and wants to see her mother. Maggie goes to visit her and ends up bringing her home to live with her happy family. Just a few weeks later, Anna is dead and Noah is arrested for her murder.

Noah's story is told backwards from just before the verdict is read and alternating chapters tell Maggie's story forward from that first call from Anna. The story goes back and forth until the two collide. Is Noah innocent or guilty? Who is telling the truth? Shocking twists make this a hard to put down story. Clear your calendar and grab this book!

This book started fast and kept going until the very end! I loved the characters and Maggie was my favorite. I enjoyed the chapters being told by Maggie and Noah and separating before Anna and After Anna, since you get the entire story that way. It was very suspenseful and I completely didn't see the ending coming! I received an advanced readers copy from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press. All opinions are my own.

This was disappointing -- my least favorite of all Lisa Scottoline's novels. I was unable to connect with any of the characters. They seemed shallow to me, without complexities. I have tried to finish it for three weeks, going back to after I finished each of another 10 or so books. Finally made it to the end. I really missed the dialogue I have come to expect from Scottoline -- this all seemed stilted to me. As I say, I was disappointed.

This is a great new read from author Lisa Scottoline. Timely theme for today's reader's including young adults.
Great little twist at the end.