This was a good story, but it could have been so much better. The plot was suspenseful with an ending that was hard to figure out and kept me reading.
The characters however, were not well developed and appeared rather flat. Their responses and relationships with each other didn’t ring true and often didn’t make much sense. Their responses often seemed almost cliche. I think I rolled my eyes more than once. I also didn’t really care about them the way I needed to to find this book exceptional.
There was a lack of consistency in the story that left me disappointed. The action would be moving along well and it would stall out by switching to a much less dramatic point. I appreciated the way the author told the story with shifting timelines, but it was often too quick to jump back and forth, disrupting the direction.
I did find the story to be good in spite of this. I think it will have a fair appeal to many readers. I just wish the characters had more depth and seemed more realistic.
My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this title.

RATING: 4 STARS
​(I received an ARC from the NETGALLEY​)​
(Review Not on Blog)

I am a huge fan of Lisa Scottoline and I will read any novel by her! (She writes nonfiction - humourous essays with her daughter as well. I have not read them yet, but I might give one a try). I really enjoy her law series (Rosato & Associates and Rosato & DiNunzio) but her standalone novels have been a bit of a hit or miss so far. The last two ([book:Most Wanted|25773504] and [book:One Perfect Lie|29939066]) were not my favourites. Maybe I have too high expectations for Scottoline. I tried to go into this one with no expectations...ha!...that rarely happens...so a bit lower expectations. 20 pages in I was hooked and flying through the pages. I was invested in the story and the characters even though I wasn't sure if I liked most of them.

I like books where there are two sides and somewhere in there is the truth. I was really conflicted with Noah but thought Maggie was such a a great mom. When Maggie's estranged daughter, Anna, returns home and accuses her husband of sexual advances. Maggie does what every mother should, she believes her and tries to protect her. Yet, this is a man she has loved and raised his son with. I, as a woman, applauded Maggie, but as a reader, I knew that Anna wasn't entirely truthful. Noah, I couldn't get a handle on. Scottoline writes Maggie with such compassion and handles the story line well. Although, at times it does edge towards implausible, but it's fiction so I can buy it. I would recommend this as a easy beach read.

Once again Scottoline wrote another great book with a great twist at the end. I never saw this twist at all. its a must read.

Maggie Ippoloiti's daughter, Anna, who has been under her father's care since early toddlerhood, reaches out to Maggie after the death of her father. Ecstatic, Maggie brings Anna into her life with husband ,Noah, and stepson, Caleb. Alternating between present day, where Noah is on trial for Anna's murder, and a year earlier, we gradually start to figure out what has happened. While not my favorite Scottolini novel, even so it is a solid and taut thriller.

I don’t often do book reviews, but I was given an advanced readers’ copy Of this,one from the publisher, St. Martin’s Press, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.
I had previously only read Lisa Scottoline’s Rosato Series books, but I had enjoyed them a great deal, so I was looking forward to reading this stand alone novel. The concept was interesting, and I found the basic setup to be believable for the most part. I did think the characters needed to be fleshed out a bit more, so that they were more realistic in their responses to the situations. I can’t really explain that further without giving spoilers, but it becomes pretty evident as you read the book.
My primary complaint with the book was the format. Most of the chapters went alternated back and forth between the wife, Maggie, “before Anna,” and the husband, Noah, “after Anna.” However, they were fairly short chapters, and this quickly became tedious for me. In fact, I think this is probably the reason why the characters came across as relatively one dimensional. The short chapters didn’t give them room to develop.
There was a good twist at the end, and that was what kept me reading, and wanting to finish the book. That is also what raised my rating to three stars.
#AfterAnna
#NetGalley

St. Martin's Press and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of After Anna. I was under no obligation to review this book and my opinion is freely given.

After Anna is the story of a family torn apart when accusations lead to circumstances beyond their control. When a crime against one is leveled against another, will the entire family be destroyed?

Told from the middle, to the beginning, to the end, and back again, After Anna keeps readers off balance with shifting timelines and different perspectives. When Maggie's estranged daughter Anna comes to live with her mother, stepfather, and stepbrother, problems almost instantly ensue for the family. This is the most realistic part of the story, with the rest of the plot having uncharacteristic issues for the veteran author. I understand that After Anna is a work of fiction, but some of the plot is a quite a stretch. Many of the elements of the conclusion that involve Noah simply would not happen that way, as the wheels of justice do not turn that quickly. The ringleader's decision with regards to PG does not ring true, for reasons that would be obvious to readers. Anna's lawyer would never take the situation at face value and would have demanded proof. After Anna is a fast paced thriller, but the little issues with the plot make me hesitant to recommend it to other readers.

Anna was separated from her mom, Maggie, early in life because Maggie suffered from a serious for of postpartum depression. Anna'so father, Florian, "raised" her. By this it means he paid expensive boarding schools to tend to Anna while he spent his time with his new wife and their kids.

Out of the blue Anna contacts Maggie asking if they can reconnect. Maggie eagerly agrees as she wants nothing more than to be involved in Anna's life. Anna ends up moving in with Maggie and her husband Noah and his son Caleb. From there Maggie tries to get to know her daughter and to make up all the time she missed with her. Anna ends up not being what she portrays to Maggie and that's when the story gets interesting.

It is a story of one families desire to reconnect and the dire circumstances that resulted "After Anna."

I always enjoy Lisa Scottoline’s books and this was a good read also. The topic was off putting to me, but I started reading and didn’t stop. Although it wasn’t a favorite of mine, I enjoyed it.

This is only the 2nd book by Lisa Scottoline that I have read, and it was just as good as the first! In this one, there are twists and turns, not allowing you to guess who the real bad guy is until the end! The characters were created well and really fit into the storyline as well. I thought that each was relevant in the storyline. Of course, the book was written really well and I enjoyed it. I did not find it predictable or anything like that. I enjoyed it and recommend it

This is only the second book I have read by this author even though I know she is very popular ... and I can see why. Her writing is suspenseful and really holds the reader's interest. The structure of this particular book is odd and takes some getting used to. Each chapter changes both the POV character and the timeline. You start out with Noah, who is currently on trial for the murder of his step-daughter, Anna. The next chapter is told from the point of view of his wife Maggie and starts several weeks before the murder. From there the two timelines gradually start moving backward and/or forward to eventually meet at a central event: the murder.. While it did take some getting used to, this format was actually quite interesting once I got the hang of it.

Despite the fact the novel was enjoyable, it certainly wasn't perfect. The ending felt rushed and wrapped up a little too neatly. Plus, some characters forgave other characters way too fast to feel realistic.

This was a great story about a mother looking for a daughter she lost custody of and hoping for the perfect family. The turn of events at the end was an excellent ending!

I have always enjoyed her Rosato & Dinunzio series, but this is her second stand alone, that I could barely get through. The storyline could have been an interesting concept, but the writing and background were very weak. It had a couple of twists that were good, but not enough to save the book. This will be my last stand alone Lisa Scottoline.

This is an interesting book. It is a story of Maggie whose daughter Anna was taken from her by her ex-husband while she was hospitalized with postpartum psychosis and Noah her current husband.

Maggie’s daughter who is now 17 calls her on Easter Sunday and asks to see her. Maggie travels from Pennsylvania to Anna’s school in Maine for the meeting and Anna tells her she is unhappy and would like to come live with her. Maggie is beyond excited to connect with Anna and takes her home with her at which point things start to go wrong. Anna quickly begins pitting Maggie against Noah. Maggie sides with her daughter and Noah can’t quite put his finger on what’s wrong but knows something is definitely off.

The story is written with every other chapter Noah’s after voice and Maggie’s before voice. Noah is on trial for murdering Anna. The ending is unexpected. Maggie receives a call from Anna’s old school that sets her off on a journey of discovery. Up to this point, Maggie has been easily manipulated but now she is all out determined and won’t take no for an answer.

I felt myself siding with Noah who seemed to have more depth as a character. So the happily ever after at the end was a stretch.

It’s a good read just read it with an open mind.

After Anna by Lisa Scottoline is a 2018 St. Martin’s Press publication.

Riveting courtroom drama, taut suspense, and emotional family drama-

When Maggie’s estranged seventeen- year old daughter, Anna, calls out of the blue, hoping to reconnect, Maggie is over the moon. As it turns out, Anna’s father has died, making Anna a very wealthy young woman, but she is utterly alone in the world. Maggie, of course, immediately invites Anna to move in with her and her new husband, Noah, and his son. Maggie would finally have the complete family she had always longed for.

But, things go awry almost immediately when Anna and Noah clash, exposing large cracks in the veneer of Maggies's perfect family. But, as tense as things have become between Maggie and Noah, as strained as their marriage has become, Maggie never could have imagined a day when her husband would stand trial for the murder of her only child. Did Noah cross a line with Anna? Did he murder her?

Lisa Scottoline is usually pretty solid, and I enjoy most of her books. But, I really found myself caught up on this one, more so than usual, probably because of the courtroom drama. I haven’t read any clever courtoom scenes, like this one, in so long I felt like I’d found an oasis in a desert. The trial was absolutely fantastic!!

The family drama is interwoven within all the legalese, as Noah recalls the events that led up to his arrest for Anna’s murder.

Although, it didn’t take long for me to figure out what was going on, at least to some extent, I still suspected anyone and everyone along the way of being complicit or involved in some way, which of course, is exactly the way I like it. However, the story almost careened too far off course, in the second half, putting all that carefully crafted momentum at risk. I had to suspend belief a little more than I would like to, but, at the end of the day, I think things evened out enough to give the book a strong finish.

The suspense is taut, not just from a criminal aspect, but from an emotional one, as well.

Relationships are always complex, and this book explores the ways a seemingly perfect marriage and family has vulnerabilities, and be hacked into just like with technology. One has to be on guard at all times for potential malware. Personality traits and certain tendencies can work for us or against us when we are thrown into bizarre, unimaginable circumstances.

Once everything was said and done, I think a few of these characters were much stronger after having faced this type of adversity. Prioritizing what is really important in life is something we can all strive for, but hopefully we won’t have to face such catastrophic challenges before we see the need to keep things in perspective.

Although the story has a few weak spots, one will have to overlook, because the legal aspects were so strong, because I cared about the characters, and because I loved the ending, and the message I gained from this story, I feel this is a strong and entertaining effort from LS.

Thank you for the ARC. The end was the part that had me hooked. I love the twists and turns. Very fast paced thriller.

Very engrossing and gripping read. Really, really liked this book. Thank you publisher and netgalley for this arc in exchange of an honest review.

Legal/ Domestic Thriller. The shifting between the court case and life before the crime was a great way to set out this novel. Unfortunately i could not get past how stilted the mother and Anna were. Exclamations of 'oh my' 'oh no' over slight upsets and the slightest show of emotion and the mother's reactions to everything were just a little cheesy. I can understand wanting to go above and beyond for the daughter who hasn't been in your life, but jeez calm down a little. That grated at me a bit as did the fact everything was wrapped up within two minutes at the end with little explanation after everything else dragged on at the start!

Thank you to the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a suspenseful thriller that has you a little unsure where the story is headed. Noah is going to prison for murder and he swears he is innocent. His wife is unsure what to think but she continues to press police to dig deeper. Varies back and forth between Noah and his wife, Maggie narrating the story. Ms. Scottoline is a prolific author and writes very good suspense and intrigue. This one delves into some bleak areas including sex slavery and adoption. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

After Anna, hits books stores, April 10th

* I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Maggie Alderman had always desired a connection between her estranged daughter and herself. The opportunity to reconnect with her daughter, Anna arises after the death of Anna's father. Anna moves into Maggie and Noah's home (Maggie's husband) and things take a downward turn rather quickly.

Anna is manipulative and in an effort to keep her daughter happy, Maggie gives in. The household is at odds with one another and then --- Anna is murdered. Noah is the prime suspect, he is arrested and put on trial. Noah is a prominent and well liked doctor in the community and the crime surprises all especially as the details are revealed during the course of the trail. Noah holds strongly to his innocence and refuses to budge. He would rather be found guilty than plead guilty for a crime he didn't commit.

After Anna is told in the alternating voices of Maggie and Noah. They switch back and forth between the present and the past. The twists and turns keep you up later than you anticipate but then ... you reach the conclusion and it's just all too far fetched. Like something you'd see on a cheesy lifetime movie. It's all a bit to unrealistic for me but I found that I didn't really mind because overall I enjoyed the book and was entertained.

My favorite part of the novel was the courtroom drama, my least favorite the twist ...

Maggie, Noah, and their son, Caleb, live a comfortable, happy life, but this is a do-over for Maggie. Her first marriage ended in divorce, and, worse, she lost custody of her daughter, Anna, after suffering from postpartum depression. When the phone rings 17 years later, and the caller claims to be Anna, Maggie can hardly believe it. A second chance at a life with her daughter is all she’s ever dreamed about. Noah and Caleb are ecstatic, too, and try to help ease the transition for Anna, but something goes terribly wrong. Anna begins making accusations toward Noah, and Maggie doesn’t know what to believe, but she will never desert her daughter a second time. As the family tries to come to grips with what’s really going on, Noah faces another test—one that might be his undoing.

Once again, Scottoline (Keep Quiet) has written a gripping stand-alone psychological thriller; fans of domestic suspense will snap this one up.