Lisa Scottoline has done it again, with the psychological thriller "After Anna".
The story is simultaneously told in both before and after narratives, effectively keeping readers on the edge of their seat at all times. The character development is masterful, I was so "sucked in" I couldn't put it down until I finished! HIGHLY recommend this to all who love a very well written psychological thriller.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of After Anna by Lisa Scottoline that I read and reviewed.
I had mixed feelings about this book overall but in the end I ended up enjoying it because the author took a turn I did not see coming and I was like "Oh wow what a way to end the book."
I found it interesting that the book was told in two perspectives looking back on what happened but you don't get to hear from Anna and I think that is what was hard for me to deal with.
Overall, this was an interesting book when you get use to the style and it does have a few twist that makes it even more exciting. I am giving After Anna four out of five stars.

There is a reason why Lisa Scottoline’s novels are so popular. They are fast paced, full of drama and holy crap moments. There’s always surprise, suspense, and questionable motives. “After Anna” promises to be topsy turvy ride from the beginning to the end and I highly recommend it!

Maggie and her new husband Noah have a great marriage and she loves his son, Caleb as if she were her own. Maggie’s only regret is that she doesn’t have a relationship with her daughter, Anna. Her ex was given sole custody years ago. But a sudden tragedy causes Maggie and Anna to be reunited and finally they can all be a real family.

Almost immediately the drama and tension within the household ensues. Guilt can be a powerful manipulator. Maggie is trying to make up for the years without her beloved daughter, all the while her 17-year-old is making wreaking havoc on the family dynamic refusing to follow the rules and then she makes stunning accusations against her stepfather.

Someone’s lying and the disruption within the household is causing friction, doubt and is driving a huge wedge between Noah & Maggie. How do you choose between family? When Anna is found dead and Noah is charged with the murder, the storyline seems so clear.

I received an advance review copy of this book from Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

After Anna by Lisa Scottoline is a mystery/suspense novel about an uncharacteristic murder in an unlikely scenario. Noah, a doctor, widower and single father, remarries the new love of his life Maggie, who has an estranged grown daughter, Anna, who suddenly turns up in their lives after her biological father is no longer in the picture. What turns from a blissful, uncomplicated life to a disquieting, and suddenly alarming situation when Noah is accused of Anna's murder. Will Maggie believe and support Noah of his innocence or is there more to the story?

This story was fantastic as are all of Lisa Scottoline's novels. I particularly enjoy reading books that switch back and forth between the character's differing perspectives weaving the pieces of the narrative together. It always builds the suspense and makes the unfolding of the mystery that much more gratifying when it's slowly revealed bit by tantalizing bit. A definite recommended read! I rate this novel 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing a copy of this novel in exchange for a fair review. https://moesbookblog.wordpress.com/

Reviewed: March 24, 2018. Novel Publish Date: April 10, 2018

Parenting a teenager is usually full of challenges, but the challenges are taken to a new level with a teen who has millions of dollars at her disposal, is extremely manipulative and an accomplished liar.

Maggie and Noah have no idea what they are getting into when they allow Maggie’s estranged daughter to move in with them and become a part of their family. Maggie, who hasn’t seen her daughter Anna since she was an infant, is full of guilt at not being there for Anna and is ready to step up and do her best as a mother.

Things quickly escalate into a horrible situation. Anna is murdered and all evidence points to Noah as the murderer. Noah is arrested and tried for the crime. The story moves back and forth between the trial and the time Anna was living with them before she was murdered.

I found the portion of the trial to be very tedious and it made the story drag, but the last quarter of the story more than made up for it. I found that this was a story that was on my mind long after I finished reading.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St.Martin’s Press for providing me with an advance copy.

After Anna by Lisa Scottoline is different from many of many of her previous books in that the time line jumps back and forth from before and after a murder of "Anna". The chapters alternatively deal with Anna's mother and father. At first it is difficult to get into the rhythm of the book but shortly afterwards this presentation works for what is intended.
I suggest you give this book your time and believe you will enjoy it. A tale well told.

I have read all of Ms. Scottoline’s books and this stand-alone was very good. It is full of suspense and engaging personalities. Recommended!

Love!!! Lisa Scottoline!! This time she has came up with one hell of a jawdropping plot twist. Wow, it's a good one.

While reading this book I was sensing an early irritation mode coming on shortly into the book. Little did I know that the irritation would hit nuclear proportions. Anna? Here's hoping Houston that Houston never gets hit by Hurricane Anna because that beatch is ferocious! We wouldn't stand a chance!

To sum this book up for me, I spent the first half of this book miffed at this Anna character and the last half with my mouth open, jaw dropped.

Excellent read that I thoroughly enjoyed!

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

It's always a wild ride with Scottoline! And After Anna is no exception.

The book is told Before Anna and After Anna. Maggie had a hard time after giving birth to Anna and had bad postpartum psychosis. While she was receiving help her husband divorced her and took the baby off to France. There has been no contact since. When out of the blue a girl calls and says she is her daughter and her father is dead now.

Maggie is ecstatic to get a second chance at motherhood with Anna. Which I'm assuming is why she is completely oblivious to the Danger! Danger! signs. Feeling her own guilt for not having been a part of Anna's life she overlooks things that the rest of saw coming a mile off.

The pace is fast and it is a page turner. Anna is about as unlikable and shady as one could be. It was obvious what was going on and it was difficult to not see the holes in this story. It isn't one I would read again, but the author is one I will always read. 

NetGalley/St.Martin'sPress  April 10, 2018

This book had me hooked from the first word. The book has two different time lines before and after. After is all about the trail of Noah who is accused of killing his stepdaughter Anna. Before however tells the story of what happened before the murder from his wife's point of view. While most books make it difficult to follow different time lines especially in a murder case this one made it easy for the reader. Everything was clearly spelled out when the time changed so I enjoyed that. The part that I liked the most was that you got to live out the case as it unfolded throughout the book. You got to see what happened and the you had the trial the next chapter to
point out anything that you might have missed or anything that was a little bit fishy. Its hard to explain the book without giving away the mystery behind it. I loved the way it was written, the characters were very easy to relate to and very enjoyable. After every chapter I had to see what was going to happen next see if my predictions were right. And when I was usually wrong I had to finish the next one to see if my new one was right. Great read and I'm glad I got the opportunity to read it. With all the twists and turns this was one of the best thrillers I've read in a long time. The ending will leave the reader shocked for a long time to come.

Don’t even have the words for this phenomenal book.. the twists and turns kept me riveted to this book. This book was no different than her other books, amazing. Don’t want to give away the story in case someone reads this that will have the book.

I didn’t love this book and the fault probably lies more with my prejudices than with Ms. Scottoline’s latest foray into crime/drama/thriller.

The strength of the book is the structure and timeline of what ultimately happens to Noah Alderman, the protagonist. The “Before” and “After” and the unraveling of events was well written and tells an important story involving trust, belief, credibility, manipulation, and coincidental circumstances. The chapters told in the courtroom are edgy and excellent. There was a very brief reference to “‘confirmation bias ’ as applied to law enforcement” which was stunning in its brevity but tantamount in its complicity.

The things I really didn’t like:

Manipulation – I dislike it in all its forms and this book is rife with it. Definitely my problem.

The dialog was simplistic and repetitive which struck a discordant note. Where was the important discussion of what was going on?

The behavior between the principal characters left me wondering about the dynamics in a relationship that purport to ascribe to trust and understanding.

The madcap “I’m gonna solve this” final portion of the book.

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

After Anna was brilliantly written by Lisa Scottoline. Maggie and Noah are a couple in love that have a family tragedy destroy their loving marriage and peaceful existence. After Anna tells the story of Maggie, a mom who has not had any contact with her daughter for 16 years and Noah, Maggie's husband, a respected doctor who is accused of murdering Maggie's only daughter. After Anna is full of twists and turns that one can not see coming, turning the pages faster as you root for Noah and hope that Maggie finally gets her happy ending.

Ok so this book is a complete twisty book. You think everything is fine then WHAM! you get knocked out of the world. You start out with a father, his son, & his new wife (previous wife passed away). Then you find out that the new wife has a daughter that she had to give up when the daughter was three years old into the custody of her father who promptly dropped her off at her grandparents & then to boarding schools. Well, fast forward in time till the girl is 17 and her father dies in a plane crash. So Anna (the daughter) contacts Maggie (her mother) to talk about coming and living with Noah (the father) and the son (Caleb). Maggie agrees and then once Anna is there everything starts going crazy. Anna is not acting like Maggie was told by Anna's therapist and previous schools. Anna makes accusations against Noah and then to put it frankly everything hits the fan when Anna is found dead at Noah's home.

The books flips back and forth between "before Anna" and "after Anna" so you do need to pay attention to know which time period you are reading. Even with the flipping between times, which normally annoys me, kept you on the edge of your seat trying to figure out what is going on. Who killed Anna? Is this really Anna? Or is it someone else? Or is someone trying to make Maggie think she is losing her mind? You do find out though by the time you do you are sitting there thinking there is not enough pages left in this book for it to close all the story lines, but then you let out a big WOOSH! and happy that they have been closed and you know what has happened.

If you like a thriller/mystery novel then I think you will enjoy reading this novel. I enjoyed it very much, so much I read the entire thing in one night (normally try to spread it out over two nights). This book, honestly, shocked me with the twists it made and that is not normal. So congrats to Lisa Scottoline, she pulled one on me.

Lisa Scottoline's new novel, AFTER ANNA, is exceptional in its grasp of parental love and angst. Maggie Ippoliti suffered the loss of parental custody when her daughter, Anna, was just a baby. Now, seventeen years later, and happily remarried to Noah Alderman and the step-mother of his son, Caleb, she welcomes the surprise return of her daughter. Maggie couldn't be happier,
however Life shortly turns into a nightmare when Anna is found dead, and Noah stands trial for her murder.

I didn't ever believe that Noah was guilty of the things he was accused of, by Anna and then by the prosecutor. The real suspense, written so well, comes in the alternating chapters of Noah's trial and incarceration and Maggie's life before and after the murder. LS leaves intriguing bread crumbs that I eagerly followed, not wanting it to end before I fell asleep. AFTER ANNA is a novel for lovers of mystery and suspense. The book also deals with the frightening aspect of teens who have been lured away from their families when they are at a vulnerable adolescent age.

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this ARC.

STRONGLY recommend! This was my first ever Lisa Scottoline book, believe it or not! Was so happy that I was immediately hooked because after my previous read I really needed something to suck me right in. AFTER ANNA did just that. I can't wait to browse Lisa's other books and hope to soon delve into another. I love how much time was spent in the courtroom - and that Scottoline did an amazing job of making everything easily understandable. I loved the plot, thought both points of view - Maggie (then) and Noah (now) were realistic. I thought Scottoline's most impressive talent that shone through in this book was Anna's character. Just knowing the way women can be - and adding the simplest of undertones, the reader feels passionately about this character. I don't want to say too much. I also was satisfied with how the story played out. My ONLY complaint was the prosecutor in Noah's case, Linda. This woman was not believable to me, but I have a feeling not every reader will feel the same as me.

I love the way Lisa Scottoline weaves a well-plotted story. When Maggie finds her long-lost daughter, it couldn't be more perfect...or could it? I identified with the character of Maggie and never stopped rooting for Noah. I enjoyed this book from beginning to end and would highly recommend it.

I loved this book. So well written. I found this book unputdownable!!

Dr. Noah Alderman and Maggie Ippolitti have a happy marriage. It's a good life raising Noah's son, but Maggie hopes the day will come when she is reunited with her daughter..... Then Maggie gets a phone call that will change their lives forever. Her daughter Anna wants to meet with her! They meet near Anna's boarding school a few days later and Maggie is given the chance to be a mother to her daughter again. Noah is supportive and welcomes Anna into their loving home.
At first having Anna in their home is wonderful, but soon there are problems. The problems mount until their happy family breaks apart.
But there is so much more under the surface.
You won't be able to put this book down until the surprising end. Lisa Scottolini is truly a master storyteller!

Scottoline has delivered again. Another book filled with exciting characters, and twists and turns that will keep you guessing till the last page,
!