I am never disappointed by Lisa Scottoline, but this one just might be my favorite so far by her. I really enjoyed the way this story was told from the two different perspectives: before the murder and after the murder. It kept me guessing and I wasn't sure what the outcome was going to be. I order Scottoline's books for my coworkers at school and have some high school students that enjoy them as well. Another job well done!

I feel like I must have read a different book than a majority of the previous reviewers for I spent a bulk of my time thinking how poorly this book was written. Both the beginning and the ending were ridiculously and unrealistically compressed. Maggie gets a phone call early in the week that her estranged daughter (who thinks Maggie physically abused her as an infant) wants to meet her. The conversation is stilted and fake. They sound like 2 teenage girls who find out they both have crushes on the same One Direction singer (pick a boy band). They meet for dinner that Friday night. After dinner (on a Friday night) Maggie meets with Anna's therapist who completely agrees that Anna should move in with Maggie and her family immediately. What? No therapy sessions for the two of them? No scheduled visits and then weekends, etc? No slow acclimation and getting to know each other? This is not reality. And what about Anna thinking she was abused? Isn't the therapist worried about those thoughts? I could go on but you get the point. Later that same night, Maggie meets Anna's trust attorney. Now he doesn't really have much authority so that wasn't as ridiculous as the therapist. But what time is it at this point? And then the next day they skip home. Oh, wait, I forgot: Maggie called and let her husband know that Anna was coming home with her. Yep! No conversation. He hasn't met her. Totally realistic, right? The story goes on from there. You can read the summary to know how it all goes downhill. Downhill to the ending which was just as unbelievable, contrived, and magically time compressed as the beginning. It really makes me sad to give this 1 star. The previous book I read from Ms. Scottoline I gave 5 stars. I don't get it.

Great read...twists that I didn’t expect and it kept me glued.

3.5 stars! Thank you to Netgalley & St Martins press for this ARC, in exchange for my honest review. The story alternates chapters, Before Anna and After Anna! Anna is Maggie's teenage daughter, who she lost custody of as an infant and was estranged from until now. Anna's father dies in a plane crash and she calls Maggie out of the blue after no contact for all these years. Maggie is happily married to Noah and raising his son Caleb when their life is turned upside down with Anna's arrival. The "before" chapters talk about Noah & Maggie's life, relationship and how it is affected when Anna arrives. She is only moved in for 3 weeks when she is found murdered. The "after" chapters are all in the court room, after Noah is charged with her death.
This was definitely a 3 star book for me, I found it somewhat unbelievable and hokey at times - until the last 60 pages! It really picked up and made me think, okay now its finally getting good!

Maggie Ippoliti is happily married to doctor Noah Alderman and helping him to raise his son Caleb. Then, she gets the surprise of her life when her daughter Anna, from a previous marriage, contacts her. She travels to Anna’s elite boarding school for a visit and is even more pleasantly surprised when Anna expresses the desire to come live with her and go to a public school. Anna hasn’t seen her mom Maggie since she was a toddler, but the connection now between the two is instant. The book switches back and forth between what is going on in Maggie’s life and what is happening with Noah. Anna ends up dead not long after she comes to live with Maggie and Noah, and Noah is charged with the murder. The pace of the novel is fast and the dialogue and courtroom scenes are realistic. The twists are surprising, and you will find yourself asking, “What just happened here?” The clues are all there, if you read carefully. This is another well-written psychological thriller by a master of the genre!

Maggie has been married to Dr. Noah for several years and has settled into being wife and mom to Noah's son, Caleb. In the blink of an eye their lives are changed forever with a single phone call from Maggie's daughter Anna. A daughter she did not talk about due to losing custody after fighting post partum psychosis. Anna moves in and starts tearing the family apart until one night she is found dead on Noah's porch and all signs point to him. Can Maggie forgive Noah and move forward or will she believe Noah killed Anna in a fit of rage? Where does the truth lie?

After Anna had me guessing until the very end and I was still in shock as I turned the last page. These stand alone novels are my favorite of Lisa Scottoline's work but truthfully I don't think you can read a bad book by her.

This book made me think about what I would do in the situations Maggie found herself in for the past seventeen years. Could I have just walked away after the custody hearing no matter what my ex and his lawyers said? I would like to think I would have fought until my death to be apart of my child's life no matter my mental illness. Especially when I found myself better after taking time to heal. Could I open my home and life immediately after being away for 17 years with pretty much no questions asked? I find it surprising when spouses make decisions that change the entire family without discussing it with the other spouse. I am not saying don't take your daughter in but get to know who she is now verses what you remember her being at several months old. Would I believe everything my daughter said about my husband, the man I have been living with for several years? Could I forgive my husband for the transgressions he supposedly did against my daughter? Could I forgive him for murder?

Your heart will be racing faster than you can turn the pages in this emotionally packed novel. If you have a weak heart, take caution, but read the book. You will not regret it. I am already looking forward to her next stand alone novel.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from St. Martin's Press through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

A real page turner. Complete with everything you expect from Lisa Scottoline plus more. You really get invested with each character, I especially like the husband, even with his near lapse.

Interestingly, this was the second "After Anna" book I've read. FWIW, I liked this one better than the other one. I just didn't love it though.

I think ultimately, my issues with this book were with its structure. The book alternates between the Dad's perspective (via moments from his murder trial that run backwards in time) and the Mom's perspective (which occur in flashback, moving forward in chronological order). It's an interesting approach, but one that left me unsatisfied. When we get the Dad's perspective (as told to the court, with pains taken to present him in the best possible light) we, the reader, are then anxious to get to the alternating flashback to find out what "really" happened. However, the mom's flashbacks don't answer those questions because of course, her sections only offer HER perspective. To further complicate matters, her flashbacks don't even always correspond to the events discussed at the trial in the preceding chapter.

The final third of the book abandons this structure entirely in favor of alternating real-time updates between the two characters. In some ways, this was a great change. The story quickly picked up speed and I was instantly more invented, more interested in the outcome. At the same time though, I almost felt like it also became an entirely different book. Ultimately, the whole exercise bugged me and prevented me from fully connecting with the book. That was a shame, since it is a solid book, overall.

Thanks to the author and NetGalley for granting me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Lisa Scottoline just keeps getting better and better! This story made me dizzy it had so many twists and turns. I loved it and didn't want to put it down. The story was relevant and timely and so captivating.

Definitely worth the read. I have read a few Lisa Scottoline over the years and always think I should read more.

What would you do if your past and your present collided in ways you did not think possible? Who do you trust? Which would you choose if forced? The daughter from your past who was torn from you or the husband from your present who picked up the pieces? I LOVED the alternating point of views. It definitely added to all of the questions.

The ending has a scene that I find almost impossible in real life but if I say more I enter the spoiler realm and I don't want to do that. Aside from that one scene, definitely a really good book.

After Anna by Lisa Scottoline, it took me a few chapters to get into but once I got the hang of how they go between what happened and was happening before and what was happening and happened after it was a pretty fast, consistent read.
Lisa Scottoline has another good book under her belt! Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read this ARC book and give you my honest opinion.

I’ve read and enjoyed all of Ms. Scottoline’s previous books and this was another intriguing story.

This is a fast-paced story with Maggie and Noah marrying and enjoying Noah’s son, Caleb. They seem to have a very good life until Maggie receives a phone call from the daughter she hasn’t seen in 17 years. Maggie is ecstatic that Anna wants to leave her private school and move in with her and it all happens quickly. Maggie is willing to go along with whatever Anna wants, although sometimes hesitantly, while Noah wants the family to make decisions together, which causes chaos, hurt feelings, and increasing conflicts with everyone.

What initially seems to be a loving, blended family, turns into one issue after another, with allegations against Noah and he moves out of the family home.

The trial was interesting but you have to pay attention as the days are from the present going back to the beginning of the trial and are interspersed with the present and past of both Maggie and Noah. This format gives information a bit at a time and kept me flipping pages to find out more.

Ms. Scottoline has written a suspenseful story that kept me reading faster and faster. There were many twists and turns and while I suspected some scenes, the ending was a surprise. I was a little frantic over the various events happening to both Noah and Maggie, and not knowing if things would work out for them.

The ending seemed a little rushed with so much going on and with events ending quickly but it was another enjoyable read by Ms. Scottoline.

Thanks so much to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book. Ms. Scottoline is one of my favorite authors!

So much of this book is fantastic: the tension and suspense that Lisa Scottoline builds throughout, making you wonder if Noah is guilty, making you wonder if someone else is guilty, making you question Maggie and Annie and even little Caleb. She shows you that you should not trust what appears to be the truth. You should be ever vigilant, questioning, investigating, searching, not settling.

Scottoline moves back and forth between Maggie's and Noah's perspectives, and his scenes, in particular, are quite well crafted. Scottoline keeps you on the edge of your seat: will the jury find Noah guilty or not? If they don't, does that mean he's innocent? And if they do, does that mean he's guilty?

Maggie's scenes are a little less fulfilling, mostly because her characterization seems uneven. I get that Maggie is so desperate to connect with a child she hasn't seen in years that she pushes ahead without pause, but I'm left trying to figure out who she is.

The biggest problem with this book is its conclusion. It almost feels like a chapter or two are missing. Scottoline does such a terrific job of building her story and its suspense and then just sort of dispenses with the whole thing.

Let's face it: even at her weakest, Lisa Scottoline writes mysteries better than most authors at their strongest. I think this book is a good choice for book clubs because Scottoline gives you a whole lot to discuss.

I LOVED this book!! This was one of those unputdownable page turners with lots of twists and turns. I will be highly recommending this to all of my friends.

After Anna by Lisa Scottoline is a bit of a mix of a legal and domestic thriller. The story actually begins at what one would think would be the end of a book with Noah about to hear the verdict of his trial. The style then takes a before and after take on the murder of Anna with the point of view going between Noah and Maggie.

Noah had been a single father to his young son after the death of his first wife before he met Maggie. The two hit it off and were married with Maggie stepping right in as mother to Noah’s little boy and everything was almost perfect with the exception of Maggie having lost custody to her own daughter.

Years before Maggie had given birth to Anna with her previous husband but after suffering from postpartum psychosis her husband had filed for divorce and taken Maggie to court for custody. With Maggie’s diagnosis she had been declared an unfit mother and hadn’t been able to see her daughter for years.

When Maggie gets a call out of the blue from Anna she’s more than excited that the now seventeen year old Anna wants to be a part of her life. However the good news that Anna is reaching out is overshadowed by hearing Anna’s father and his current wife along with their children had died leaving Maggie to suggest Anna come to live with them.

The events after Anna had arrived in Noah and Maggie’s life had obviously spiraled out of control knowing from the very start that Noah was on trial. As readers are learning all about that time they are also following the murder trial. The tension builds the entire read and stays until the very last page.

For myself I had known Lisa Scottoline was a much loved author having seen great reviews for her work for quite a while now so I was excited to jump into this one and see for myself. Absolutely loving legal thrillers this one was right up my alley combining the legal side with the domestic drama and I found myself flying through the pages.

The writing was good and the story was intriguing however when finished my rating dropped a tad because there were still unanswered questions and I wasn’t quite convinced with the conclusion. In the end I’m rating my first attempt at Lisa Scottoline’s book at 3.5 stars with seeing a ton of potential for a truly amazing read but this one falling a tad short of that in my mind.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

This book was great!!!! Lisa Scottoline does it again! She just writes captivating stories!!

3.5 stars

I’d read a couple of Lisa Scottoline’s books before picking up ‘After Anna’. I’d read her first fiction book, ‘Everywhere That Mary Went’, and at least one of her non-fiction books, ‘Why My Third Husband Will Be a Dog: The Amazing Adventures of an Ordinary Woman’, which was a compilation of her newspaper columns written for the Philadelphia Inquirer. ‘After Anna’, is a standalone book in the mystery/thriller genre. It’s told in alternating storylines from the perspective of Maggie Ippoliti and her husband, Dr. Noah Alderman.

Maggie brings her long lost (and newly wealthy) 17 year-old daughter, Anna, home from a posh boarding school in Maine. She joins Maggie, Noah and Caleb who is Noah’s 10 year-old son from a prior marriage. Two weeks after moving into the family’s Philadelphia home, Anna is found strangled on Maggie’s newly estranged husband’s doorstep. Noah is accused of Anna’s murder. Noah tells his story in ‘After Anna’ segments, starting at the end of his murder trial and working backwards to the start of the trial. Maggie tells her story which starts with ‘Before Anna’ segments and works its way to the story’s current day.

There is courtroom drama, blended family drama, unreliable characters, and the mystery of what really happened to Anna. For me, the set-up of the story was too plodding. The real action didn’t kick in until about three-fourths of the way into the book. Maggie seemed like wimp who let her daughter walk all over her because she felt guilty about losing custody of, and contact with Anna due to postpartum psychosis shortly after Anna’s birth. Anna seemed over the top in her antics and stories. Maggie swallowed those stories hook, line, and sinker. I thought that Noah’s story was the real horror story. He was the victim of Anna’s machinations, and as soon as the legal system got involved, things really went downhill for him.

The story does end on the thrilling side. There were twists and turns in the last 25 percent or so of the book, and the pace picked up quite a bit. Admittedly, I did stay up too late last night reading it last night to find out the final resolution. But I think that the book could have been edited down to get the action more quickly. I got tired of Maggie’s self-pity and blindly taking everything that Anna said at face value.

I’m giving this 3.5 stars, rounding down to 3 stars since I can’t show the half-star rating in the current rating system.

Thank-you to NetGalley, St Martin’s Press, and the author, Lisa Scottoline for providing a free ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I received an advanced copy of this book from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Family is supposed to be your safe place, filled with people you can trust with your life - until your husband is on trial for murdering your daughter.

Maggie and Noah have a great life together. Noah is a widower who has a young son Caleb and Maggie adores him. The one sore point in her life is her daughter Anna who she has not seen since she was a baby. Maggie had suffered from postpartum psychosis and her ex-husband used that as an advantage to cut her out of Anna’s life completely.

One day Maggie receives a call from Anna unexpectedly. Anna says she wants to know what happened with her mother and wants them to have a relationship. Maggie is thrilled as is Noah.

Maggie goes to meet Anna and discovers that there was some information Anna had not shared with her but the situation leads to Anna coming to live with Maggie and Noah and it seems like a dream come true.

Until the dream becomes everyone’s worst nightmare. Only a few weeks after Anna has come to live with Maggie and Noah she is murdered and Noah finds himself the prime suspect in the case. All the evidence leads to Noah and Maggie is heartbroken.

This book is told from alternating points of view. Maggie before Anna and Noah after Anna. This was another great read from one of my favorite authors and I can’t wait to recommend it!

While Every Fifteen Minutes still remains my favorite of Scottoline’s novels I have enjoyed all of her work and am hoping for the day she comes to my Barnes and Noble store to do a book signing!

Another fantastic read from Lisa Scottoline. After Anna is every mothers worst nightmare. A rich husband originally from France has you declared unfit and takes your daughter out of the country. Then one day out of the blue she gets a phone call from Anna, she wants to see her at her private school up in Maine. She ends up bringing her home as she has no other family as Dad and his new family was killed in a plane crash. Nothing is as it seems and there is bickering and general not getting along. Anna does whatever she wants even though she is told that that's not the right decision. There is a lot of back and forth between Maggie and Noah now and then but it works. Loved the ending, was quite surprised.

The story was believable during the first part of the book when descrbed before Anna and after Anna. I didn't particularly like the story of the trial being told backwards. The outcome of the trial was obvious. After the verdict is when I felt that the story fell apart. It became unbelievable and rushed.