Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Lisa Scottoline for the ARC to review. I have read a few Lisa Scottoline books. I liked the way the storyline was set up Before Anna/After Anna. We learn about Maggie and Anna in the Before Anna. How Maggie and Anna are separated and reunited. It seems Anna is spoiled, entitled and manipulative. We learn about the trial of Noah Alderman in the After Anna, as well as, Noah's short time in prison. I felt the story was very well done and the trial parts were riveting, however, when it came to the part in the storyline that Maggie is alerted that Anna may be alive (spoiler) I find it hard to believe that she would drag her step-son out in a storm. That she could put all of this together that quickly was also amazing. And how quickly Noah was release from prison was also quite unrealistic. I was a little disappointed.

Book Review: After Anna by Lisa Scottoline

I've heard a lot but haven't read Lisa Scottoline's books, and recently received an advance copy of her latest.

To say I wasn't disappointed would be an understatement; it was unputdownable, took me just over a day.

The protagonists are a mom precipitously reunited with her long-lost daughter from a prior marriage; a family whose idyllic suburban life is rattled and turned upside-down by the sudden intrusion of a new family member; a husband and father who's accused of sexual abuse and hauled to court for a capital crime; and the lost daughter, now an heiress rich beyond the family's wildest dreams.

The author's writing style piques our interest seamlessly between "before" and "after" Anna, through tedious deliberations in a courtroom drama setting, almost a bit protracted at times, with equal time devoted to the ecstatic joy of a mom and daughter catching up and savoring lost quality time.

Both elements fuse to a narrative which vividly builds up tension to an expectation of what can only be inevitable, then woven up marvelously to set up an ending which underscores the very definition of irony.

This review is based on an ARC (Advance Reading Copy), with many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Lisa Scottoline for the privilege.

The story begins in a police procedural type fashion. With the accused about to get a verdict and then tells you how we got to this point. The chapters alternate points of view. The main ones are Maggie and Noah’s. We get their observations and analysis based on before Anna and after Anna enters their lives.
It was a hard to believe story. I know Maggie wanted her daughter back in her life but why would she throw away the life she has now instead of trying to make it work for all of them. Most mothers would not ignore all the signs. She wouldn’t even listen to anyone else’s observations or conjectures.
I felt a lot of the prison action was contrived and not realistic. Most inmates cannot make demands and have them met immediately.
It took way too long to get to the meat of the matter. Three quarters of the way through the story, it becomes a lot more interesting. Unfortunately, it felt rushed and left us wanting more substance in wrapping it all up . I felt the author was in a hurry to end the story.

When Anna returns to her mother, Maggie's life, it is a big upheaval for the woman and her husband and stepson. Anna doesn't think she needs the rules from the woman who let her go. When Anna is murdered, Maggie's husband Noah is the accused and Maggie is determined to find the truth. Engrossing from beginning to End. Scottline just gets better and better!

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This is a very exciting story full of twists and turns. Lots of intrigue. Hard to put down. Scottoline has never let me down!!!

Omg! What a breath-holding book that kept me reading with intrigue and excitement. This book was gripping good all the way through. Not one boring part. Loved! Book provided by NetGalley.

After Anna by Lisa Scottoline is a highly recommended domestic thriller.

Maggie Ippoliti is overjoyed to receive a call from her daughter, Anna Desroches, since she hadn't seen or heard from her daughter since she was six months old. After Anna's birth Maggie was suffering from postpartum psychosis. Anna's father Florian Desroches divorced Maggie and immediately moved overseas, cutting Maggie off from all access to her daughter. Anna had also written to her mother saying she wanted nothing to do with her. Now Anna, 17, is attending high school at an exclusive boarding school in the States. Her father, his second wife, and their two children were all killed in a plane crash, leaving Anna alone. She is now reaching out to Maggie, trying to form a relationship and family. Maggie's husband, pediatric allergist Noah Alderman, is supportive and excited for Maggie. She has been a wonderful stepmother to his son, 10-year-old Caleb, who has apraxia.

After Anna opens with Noah on trial for Anna's murder and awaiting sentencing, so we know right from the start that this isn't going to be the story of a happy family reunion. The chapters alternate back and forth between when Maggie first received the phone call from Anna and to Noah's trial for murdering Anna. To complicate matters, Maggie's narrative is told in chronological order and move forward in time, while Noah's chapters are told in reverse order and move backward in time. It is also clear at the beginning that Anna is not to be trusted, but that Maggie is too ecstatic to allow any doubts to creep in to the burgeoning relationship.

The characters are well-developed. I will admit that at the outset Maggie's over-exuberant, excited and positive exclamations over Anna's sudden phone call and appearance turned me off. Sure, I get it, be happy, but don't lose all sense of caution and discernment. Her actions didn't seem plausible to me. Yes, encourage the relationship, but goodness, use your head, take it slow, and tell Anna you want a relationship with her, but you all need to take the time to get to know each other. Or, if Maggie couldn't do this, Noah should have encouraged her to take some caution.

Scottoline is an accomplished author, so she handles with aplomb the complications of her novel and the expected twists and turns leading up to the meeting of the two timelines and on to the conclusion. After Anna is an entertaining story with complications, cliffhangers, and courtroom drama. There are a few plot holes and the ending is a bit of a stretch, but it will entertain and hold your attention throughout.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of St. Martin's Press.
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3.5 stars
Maggie has happily settled into her life with her husband Noah and her stepson Caleb. Yet she still feels incomplete. She recognizes that what is missing from her life is a relationship with her daughter Anna. A relationship that was interrupted when Maggie lost custody of Anna while suffering from a case of postpartum psychosis. Despite Maggie's understanding of the disease, it is still a part of her past that she is ashamed of. No one besides her husband and best friend even know that Anna exists. All of this changes after Anna contacts Maggie after the unexpected loss of her father. Maggie, eager to rekindle their relationship, invites Anna to come live with her and her family. But tensions soon run high and Anna is soon found dead, murdered via manual strangulation. The prime suspect -- Maggie's husband, Noah.

<u>After Anna</u> is mainly told from both Maggie's perspective leading up to the murder and Noah's during his trial. At the beginning of the novel Noah's chapters read like a legal thriller and seem to have more energy. Maggie's narration is more focused on her mental state as she is pressed with having to choose between her husband and her long lost daughter. Scottoline's depiction allows the reader to feel Maggie's unease, her hesitation to stand by her husband. We understand that she is in part led by the guilt that her absence in her daughter's life has caused as well as her maternal need to protect her daughter, to prove to Anna that she can count on her to champion her cause. As the novel drew to its close, the pace quickened, twists and turns abounded yet I felt as if some of the events were a bit unrealistic serving to pull me from the book's emotional draw.

One of the best books I’ve read in a long time. Noah and Maggie are thrilled to hear from Maggie’s long lost daughter and Maggie plans to bring her home to live with them. Anna is murdered shortly thereafter and Noah is accused of her murder. The book is told from both Noah and Maggie’s point of view, Noah’s at the present and Maggie’s before the murder. While I normally don’t like books in this format, for this book it completely works and makes it more fascinating. It’s a riveting story and I couldn’t stop reading it. As a regular reader of Ms. Scottoline’s books I was waiting for the twist and when it came I audibly gasped! I highly recommend this book!

Lisa Scottoline is one of my favorite authors and she has again succeeded in writing another novel that gripped me, pulled me in, and captivated me throughout the night until I finished it. I could not stop reading, I was hungry for more, and couldn’t wait to see what would happen next and how it would end.

I loved the twists and turns, especially at the end, but I felt the ending was rushed and was more violent than I felt was necessary.

Overall, I recommend this book. It was an easy read and a fast read, and had a compelling storyline with just the right amount of legal speak.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance reader copy of After Anna!

Noah and Maggie are married and live together with his son Caleb. Maggie misses her daughter Anna whom she hasn't seen since she was a baby when Maggie's ex-husband received custody of her. Unexpectedly, Anna comes back into Maggie's life following Anna's father's death. Anna is a problem from the beginning. She is a 17-year-old who is used to making her own decisions and dislikes following Noah and Maggie's rules, but Maggie is so happy to have Anna back that she ignores much of her behavior. Anna is murdered, and Noah is arrested and tried for her murder. Maggie stands to lose not only her daughter but also her marriage and her husband. Maggie's search for the truth leads to a discovery that is more disturbing than she ever thought possible.

The book is suspenseful with lots of twists and turns. It is both a domestic drama and a legal thriller. The timeline of the book bounces between past and present, and the book is further divided into chapters told from Maggie's point of view and chapters from Noah's point of view. Overall, I thought the book had a solid plot and good character development. It definitely held my interest throughout, and I wanted to keep reading to find out what happened. The ending was unexpected and surprising. I have only read one other book by Lisa Scottoline, and I enjoyed both books. Anyone who likes legal thrillers will like this book. I recommend it.

It has been a long time since I read a book that I could scarcely bare to set down. I simply flew though the pages of After Anna to see what the next twist would be. The alternating viewpoints along with the backwards timeline of courtroom testimony proved to be effective ways to present the story. However, I felt everything wrapped up a little too quickly and easily to be realistic. Thanks to a copy from NetGalley, I have finally been introduced to Lisa Scottoline's fiction. I was already a fan of the humorous memoirs she co-authors with her daughter.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the advance e-copy of After Anna by Lisa Scottoline in exchange for an honest review. Although the author writes strong legal series, this standalone novel captures your attention from the beginning. Maggie and Noah have married, each for the second time. All appears well until Anna enters the picture. She is Maggie's teenage daughter, who was taken from her in infancy, by Maggie's then-husband who had her declared an unfit parent. When Anna's father dies suddenly, Maggie and Anna are reunited after years of estrangement. So far, so good. The rest you will need to read on your own. To tell you more would be a spoiler. This is a fast-paced, suspenseful novel that does not let up. Each chapter is headed either by Maggie or Noah, before or after Anna. This is a very effective style of writing because it sheds light on both sides of the story. Read this book and you will be astounded. Predictable it is not.

The good news about this novel is that the plot is great. There are plenty of twists and turns and hidden information. Noah is accused of murdering his teen aged stepdaughter. His wife, Maggie, had only reconnected with her daughter weeks before and taken her into their house. If I were to evaluate just the plot, the story outline, I'd give 5/5 stars. However, I did not like the way the plot was developed and the information revealed.

I had difficulty with the how the narrative was written. There are two viewpoints. Some scenes were those from Noah's viewpoint. The book opens with him on trial for murder. The narrative starts on the last day of the trial then generally works its way back in time to the beginning of the trial. Near the end, however, readers are bounced to the verdict of the trial and the time after. Alternating with the trial scenes are those from Maggie's viewpoint. These begin with the call from her estranged daughter and move forward in time. About the last 80 pages or so follow a chronological timeline in both viewpoints.

That way of developing the narrative was repetitive and often confusing. For example, chapter 41 has the trial testimony of what happened at the barbecue. But in the later chapter 44 is when Maggie's friend tells her it would be a good idea to have a barbecue. Another example is that on the trial day 6, Noah tells his lawyer, “I want to testify.” (Loc 700/4329) But later, on a chapter identified as trial day 5, we read of Noah testifying and being cross examined by the prosecuting attorney. (Loc 813/4329) Granted, I read an uncorrected advanced copy, but I think these examples reveal the difficulty of developing the narrative in this convoluted way.

So the good news is that this novel has a good story line that is a good mystery. It has drama and suspense and plenty of twists and turns. The bad news is that I would have liked the narrative to have been chronological. There would have been less repetition and juggling of plot revelation. And I would have had a better reading experience.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

I really wanted to like this book. Unfortunately it fell a little flat. The writing style, during the interaction between Anna and her mother, felt off. Can't say that this book was to my liking.

Wow, just wow. So many twists and turns, I had a hard time putting this book down. The story is told in two parts, before Anna and After Anna. Alternating chapters go through the court case of Dr Noah Alderman killing his stepdaughter, Anna and the other chapter leads us up to the death of Anna.

All through the book I did not like Anna, but could not pin point why, but then I knew at the end of the book. This book will keep you guessing- Did Noah really kill Anna, and if he didn't who did?? I highly recommend this domestic thriller book.

The before and after POV of this story was an interesting way to plot, but it would have been better if the after would have stayed in sequence. It jumped around too much for me. The story line was compelling, and it had a twist I didn't see coming. The characters were well written in that I had strong feelings about them. I loved to hate Anna, she was written so well that you just knew something about her was off. I didn't care for Maggie at all. I liked Noah for most of the book, he was believable and interesting. I enjoyed most of the story until the end. The ending felt rushed. As for the epilogue, I don't want to give too much away but I felt like Noah was spineless at the end and Maggie got off easy. The last few chapters kind of ruined the story for me.

In this latest installment of the Anna series,, Maggie is reunited with her long estranged daughter. Maggie is overjoyed that Anna is back in her life and defends her even when she starts to make accusations about her husband Noah testing their relationship. Anna's identity eventually comes into question leading Maggie to demand answers from the headmaster at Anna's school. The tension escalates as the plot twists and turns and the truth is revealed.

Thank you to NetGalley for ARC of this incredible book that kept me up way past my bedtime! After Anna had lots of twists and turns and I had to resist from peaking ahead to see what was going to happen! I highly enjoy books that either switch the voice between characters or include the past (which this one did) to come full circle in the plot. I honestly was not sure where this story was going, only that I could not put it down. The characters were all uniquely developed and very intriguing! This was a fantastic read and highly recommended as long as you don't mind losing a little sleep- because it's a hard one to put down!

An excellent read.

This book moves backwards and forwards. It starts with Noah waiting to hear his sentence in the murder trial of his step-daughter. It then flips to Maggie being contacted by her daughter that she lost custody of as an infant.

Noah realizes early that something is off with Anna. Maggie is overjoyed to have Anna in her life. when these 2 things collide, who does Maggie believe?

I enjoyed this book quite a bit. I've only read a couple of Lisa Scottoline's books but this book will have me reading more.