After Anna is a thrilling twisted ride! Lisa Scottline’s best book so far!

After Anna again shows Lisa Scottoline's abilities to produce compelling domestic dramas filled with rich, well-drawn characters.

Noah Alderman MD, his young son, Caleb, and his wife of two years, Maggie Ippolliti, have found happiness again and are so excited to be a family. They share a wonderful, enriching, fun life. When Maggie's 17-year old daughter (from her first marriage) Anna appears, wanting to live with them, life couldn't seem more complete. Maggie had been forced to give up Anna due to post-partum psychosis and Anna's father Florian, had taken her to France to live, leaving a hole in Maggie's heart and a dream that they would one day be reunited. Having Anna come to live with them thrilled and excited both Maggie and Noah.

But things turn bad quickly within the family and Anna is at the root of it all, with accusations that soon split the family apart. Only eighteen days after her welcome arrival, Anna is dead, and Noah is charged with her murder.

The book begins with the tenth day of Noah's trial, the day the verdict will be handed down. I love how the story is told: backwards, through the viewpoints of Maggie and Noah, alternating between chapters detailing life before Anna and after Anna. Kudos to Ms. Scottoline for employing this technique; it is very clever, adds to the suspense, and kept this reader turning pages to uncover more details about how the family came to be at the end point.

The trial is detailed and engrossing, as are the depictions of the family's life with Anna. Maggie's actions AFTER the verdict seem a bit hurried and the story twist a bit too pat. Nevertheless this is a very enjoyable read and rates a 3.5 stars from me!

Many thanks to NetGalley, Lisa Scottoline and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed here are strictly my own

This book grabs your attention from the beginning and doesn’t let go until the very end. It begins with Noah Alderman on trial for the murder of his stepdaughter Anna. The story is told from both Noah’s and Anna’s mother Maggie’s perspectives. Anna and Maggie reconnect when Anna is seventeen years old after Maggie had lost custody of Anna as an infant due to suffering from postpartum psychosis. Anna moves in with Maggie, Noah and Noah’s son Caleb and soon things begin to deteriorate. The family is fractured when Anna accuses Noah of sexual assault. Anna is murdered shortly after Noah moves out of the house and he is arrested and tried for her murder. Noah claims he didn’t sexually assault Anna and he’s innocent of her murder. Needing to find out what really happened to Anna will keep you turning pages until the answers are revealed.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC.

This book was wild. It took a little extra concentration with all the skipping around on the timeline, but was endlessly fascinating and horrifying. A always enjoy Lisa Scottoline books, and this was no exception.

Before, and even more so after, After Anna I am always blown away and thrilled to read a Lisa Scottoline novel. Yes her work tends to have a Lifetime feel to them, they still manage to be enticing. I'm usually hooked after reading a few pages in a way most novels in the women's lit' category are unable to do for me. The only time I watch the Lifetime or Hallmark channel, it's purely by accident or my favorite TV show ever, Monk is on.

Scottoline's After Anna follows the short time span in which a family, that was seemingly happy before her, is torn apart after her while revealing life before her. Or rather, the before Anna is life unfolding before Anna's death, and the trial that ensues after her murder.

Maggie is ecstatic when her long lost daughter reaches out to her and asks to move in with her and her husband, Noah. Noah and Maggie have a charming life together. Their marriage is quite new, but it's obvious they care for each other so when Maggie's daughter, Anna, asks to move in, Noah's supportive and all for it. He knows that Maggie wants nothing more than to have a second chance at being the mother her ex-husband stole from her 17 years earlier when her struggle with postpartum psychosis granted him custody. Unable to fight him for custody, Maggie moves on with her life.

From the beginning Anna bursts on the scene like a force of nature. Lucky for me, the reader, I know the after so I'm quite suspicious of Anna from the beginning. What we're privy to early on is that Noah is on trial for Anna's murder. What remains to be seen is why. Scottoline features dueling stories that present questions that beg to be answered. Will Noah be found guilty of Anna's murder? Did he really do it? What's really up with this girl Anna? In the wake of the "Me Too" movement, why do I find it so hard to believe anything she says?

Am I really that jerk that blames the victim?

I don't think so.

Ultimately, what I find is that Scottoline has managed, once again, to bait and hook me with a fast-moving murder mystery of a family on the brink of falling apart. And she does this every time. And I almost find that her chick-littish title is an over simplistic way of categorizing her works. Yes, her novels are emotionally driven and often feature a female lead. No there aren't the quintessential moments that focus on suspense... but then again... what's not suspenseful about a trial for your life?

Or a teenage stranger moving into your home?

Anyway it goes, After Anna was a great read. I didn't expect anything less from Scottoline. There's nothing disappointing here that would leave fans wanting.

Copy provided by St. Martin's press via Netgalley

Another fast-paced, fun read by Lisa Scottoline! Up until the very end, I had no idea what the solution to the mystery was. I stayed up until the wee hours last night finishing it because I just *had* to know.
As usual, her characters are thoroughly fleshed out and multidimensional, so I was easily caught up in the story and anxious to find out the truth about who was lying and why. The plot was clever, complex, but easy to follow, and the ending satisfying.
I can’t say too much without spoilers, but this is about loved ones, what they are capable of and how much they should be trusted.There is a man in prison, several missing girls, mysterious messages, and a mother who goes to extreme lengths to save her child.
This is one of those books that are great when life gets to be a bit too much and you want to escape reality for a few hours, but would also be great to take on vacation. You will be fully absorbed in it.

Note: I received an advance copy of the ebook from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this book. At first, I thought that I was reading the story backwards. Her movements in time were extraordinary; I was never confused even though it seemed like every chapter was a different time, a different location, or a different character. I loved the characters and I very much disliked Anna after she came to live with Noah and Maggie in the beginning of time. The characters bloomed in my mind even tho I didn't remember her describing them...but she surely did...because I would recognize each one of them had I met them on the street. I read a few comments from other reviewers who said that this is not her finest work. After Anna is my first Lisa Scottoline book, and I plan to go back and make her one of my favorite authors, because I just can't imagine what wonderful things she must have written. This is one of the most addicting books that I have read in a while. I couldn't put it down.

Another freestanding hit! Loved the story, the mystery kept me guessing. Scottoline always makes me care about her characters, and I did this time too.

Give me a novel by Lisa Scottoline any day of the week! I was not disappointed by this latest release.

Maggie and Noah are happily married. This is a second marriage for both. Noah is a successful doctor with a 10-year old boy, Caleb. Maggie has a seventeen-year old daughter, Anna. Maggie lost custody of Anna when she was an infant due to postpartum psychosis which is more severe than postpartum depression. Anna is in a boarding school when she finds out her father’s plane was in a fatal crash killing all on board. She contacts Maggie, her only family member and Maggie is over the moon that she and Anna can be together after all those years. Anna moves in and they are the idyllic family.

The happy family scenario is short lived and takes a tragic turn when Anna is found dead just days after moving in. Noah is on trial for the tragedy. I love courtroom drama and this is tense as we wait for the verdict. The narrative moves back and forth in time from Noah and Maggie. There are plenty of twists and turns in the end in rapid fire succession in a race to answer all those questions floating in my mind.

After Anna is a satisfying page turner that sparks empathy, sadness, anger, and finally happiness. Thank you, Lisa Scottoline, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy.

I have very mixed feelings about this book. I have been a fan of Lisa Scottoline for a long time and have almost always really enjoyed her books so I went into this book expecting to love it. I didn't love it but I didn't hate it either. It was really just kind of okay for me. I had a really hard time getting into this book and it actually took me an entire week to finish it which is a very long time for me to be reading a single book. Once I really got into the book a bit, I did find the story a bit more entertaining and was very curious how things would work out.

I feel like Scottoline took a bit of a risk with how this story is laid out and I am not sure that it paid off at least for me. The book is told through 2 points of view and 2 different time lines. Noah's point of view starts at the end his trial for the murder of Anna and works its way backwards through time. Maggie's point of view begins with Anna's first contact with her since she was a baby and progresses towards the events leading to the trial. These two points of view move in opposite directions until they eventually come together. I feel that one of the reasons that I had such a hard time getting into the book was that I already knew that Anna was going to be killed and Noah was going to stand trial for the murder. I didn't know how those things would happen but some of the desire to find out what would happen next was lost simply because of how the story was laid out.

Eventually the two points of view meet up and start to follow the same basic timeline which really worked better for me. Some of that is achieved through Noah's memories while he sits in the courtroom during his trial. I think that some of the best parts of the book were the times that we would see an event from both Noah and Maggie's point of view.

I love a good plot twist. But I like for plot twists to be believable. I want them to be at least somewhat realistic. This book started taking twists and turns all over the place and most of them seemed way over the top. Instead of surprise over the turn in the story, I felt shocked that the story had become so implausible. The last part of the book spun in a whole new direction that seemed more odd than anything.

Despite my issues, I do enjoy Scottoline's writing and found this book to be very readable and I did like the book. I think that a lot of readers will enjoy this one more than I did so I would encourage anyone drawn to the description to give the book a try. I do plan to read more from Lisa Scottoline in the future.

I received a digital review copy of this book from St. Martin's Press via NetGalley.

WOW OH WOW!!!
After Anna is completely AMAZING!! This is a MUST READ!! You will be hooked from the first page. This is about a family that is completely torn apart because of “lies” within the family. The mother gets a call from her estranged daughter, who she hasn’t seen since she was 6 months old. She (Anna) is now 17. She brings Anna home and life as they know it falls apart. The story is told through the trial of Noah....and Maggie’s view. Very very very good read with a twist ending!!!! You will not regret the time you spend reading this book. :)

After Anna by Lisa Scottoline. I've read past books by this author enjoyed them and this one didn't disappoint me. Everything you want from a thriller. A storyline that pulled me in from the first page. A ending I did not expect. Plenty of twists and turns. Lisa Scottoline knows how to give you a great storyline and book. Look forward to reading more by this author.

I have long been a fan of Lisa Scottoline’s legal thrillers, and generally consume them in two days or less. She knows how to craft a good page-turner and create compelling characters. After Anna was a departure for me, because I have not read her emotional thrillers and did not know what to expect. I was not disappointed. It, too, is a page-turner, and I could not put it down. A riveting mystery that unfolds around Maggie, who lost custody of her daughter 16 years ago and has not seen her since. After receiving an unexpected email from Anna, mother and daughter joyously reunite and Maggie brings her home to the serene family life she has created with her second husband, Noah. Things quickly go south when Anna is murdered and Noah is accused of the crime. That’s all I’m going to reveal about the plot, but the story has lots of plot twists and unexpected turns. It’s a great read, and I highly recommend it.

Traveling With T’s Thoughts:

Having really enjoyed some of Lisa Scottoline’s previous books (Every Fifteen Minutes and One Perfect Lie) when I saw After Anna on Netgalley- I had to hit request!

The premise of After Anna intrigued me quite a great deal. It sounded like a mystery that would be calling my name till I sat down to read it.

What I liked:

The cover. I love it. The colors. The rip in the cover. I really love it!

Maggie’s dilemma- she’s found love and has a happy life and now her daughter Anna wants to be in her life and that is all Maggie wants- that is the cherry on the sundae. To have this situation is almost enough to break Maggie.

The ending. SO good!



Bottom Line: After Anna has something for everyone and Lisa Scottoline fans should be thrilled!



*This book was sent to Traveling With T for review consideration. All thoughts and opinions are mine alone.*

**After Anna is an April #FuturisticFriday selection for Traveling With T.**

This is a real page-turner; great for readers who like a strong plot and for a story line to move along. Scottoline's writing is funny, too; her personality comes through, especially when writing about being Italian.

A story of love lost and found. Also a story of betrayal. Well written with believable characters. Several unique twists throughout the book. I was a little disappointed with the ending but not enough to detract from the rest of the book.

You know when you read everything an author writes how you start to anticipate how the story will go. You know the authors writing style and think you can tell where she is going to take you? Yea, well this is a Lisa Scottoline thriller but it will take you down paths that are not in your comfort zone and will make you question where you thought the story was going.

After Anna is a psychological thriller that touches on mental illness, losing your parental rights, rape, and lies. So many lies… There were times that I could feel the story was off, some of the things happening just didn’t add up. There were times that I wasn’t sure if the character was telling the truth or a lie. The story kept me on my toes, kept me guessing, and kept me wondering where I would end up.

This was not my favorite Lisa Scottoline book but it was a book that I continue to think about even a few days after I have finished. The story has stuck with me, I told my mom about it, recommended it to a friend at work, and am excited to see what other’s will think about it.

I recommend picking up your own copy.

Maggie and Noah were married and happy as they could be
After Anna arrived, chaos occurred as all will agree
Range Rovers, sexual allegations
Inappropriate pics on vacations
Within the court and out, there are two sides to the couple’s tale
Hopefully this one won’t end with Noah locked up in a jail
Ultimately who was Anna’s killer?
To find out read this excellent thriller
#FrugalFriday’s short review is being presented this week
In rhyme for National Poetry Month-I’m just a word geek!
Even if this poem’s gobbledygook
The author deserves 4 stars for the book!

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an advanced copy.

Clever and surprising tale of before Anna and after Anna. Kind of thought this was a boring story and eagerly anticipated the trial verdict. And then it become much more intriguing and interesting. All of my guesses were wrong.

I gave this book only 3 stars due to the constant back and forth. Before Anna, After Anna. That part of the story was very tedious. I knew based on Ms. Scottoline's prior books that there had to be something worth waiting for. It didn't occur until almost the very end. I think the story could have been more entertaining if told straight through. I have a sister who we have to tell her if a book will grab her right from the beginning, sad to say I will have to tell her this is not her cup of tea!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.