Thank you NetGalley for the free copy of this book in return my honest review.
I wanted so much to love this book and honestly only the last quarter changed my rating from 2 to 3 stars. I just couldn’t get past the dialogue between Anna and Maggie as it was so forced and at times childish. What mother continually says wow or great in response to their child almost all the time during a conversation?
Now the last part of the book was very well written and fast paced. I loved the twists and turns.
Am I being too critical? I hope you judge for yourself.

This story is given by two different view points. One from Maggie, beginning from a phone call from her long estranged daughter, Anna. The other from her husband, Noah working backward from the day of his sentencing for Anna's murder.. what has happened to Anna, and, why, keep reading to find out the surprising truth.

This is told from two POV with an easy flow. Before is Maggie and after is Noah. Theirs is a great marriage and they are raising Noah’s son. Out of the blue, Anna Maggie’s daughter who she lost as an infant reappear. That’s great. Right? Maybe things aren’t so great and the ending will leave you wondering.. sometimes things are better left alone.

I received this book from netgalley as an ARC. I'm so glad I got to read it! Some other books by this author I had a harder time getting into it. This was a great thriller with twists and suspense! I loved the two perspectives from the different time periods. It worked really well and was very understandable! I really got a feel for the characters and could understand all of their perspectives. I did feel like they overplayed the son having apraxia. They made him appear much younger than 11 years old. I highly recommend this book!

I have a collection of Lisa Scottoline books! Her writing ability has yet to disappoint! I love the action packed, fast pace that her books deliver! This one was written in true Lisa fashion. I highly recommend for a fun, fast beach read!

This was an interesting book. It has a non-linear structure for most of the story. We start out with Noah about to hear the verdict in his first-degree murder trial. Then alternating chapters flip back and forth between Noah at the trial (with many flashbacks as his mind wanders during testimony), after Anna's death, and his wife Maggie living her life before Anna's death. After the verdict comes in, we jump to many months later where we eventually learn the truth.

Usually, I wouldn't be drawn to a story told in this rather convoluted fashion, but Scottoline is a good writer who carries the structure off fairly well. I wanted to know the truth of what happened to Anna, and I kept on reading.

SPOILER AHEAD

IF the reader was not supposed to know whether Noah was guilty or not, though, then it's a failure. It was very obvious that Anna was running a scam. Maybe it was supposed to be obvious, and that's fine. But even so, Anna becomes a bit of a caricature, and I wondered how Maggie could be SO blind, even though she's of course trying to make everything work with the daughter she's newly reunited with. Still.

Also, the ending felt too over the top to me. The cops "advising" her not to join them on the raid but allowing her to ride with them? Right. The idea that a few months later they're all now a happy family, with no real damage to the marriage, etc., felt like a cop-out.

So. I enjoyed the plot and liked stretching beyond my comfort zone to read a non-linear mystery. But I felt like a little more subtlety and reality was needed in the characterization and resolution.

A review copy was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

After Anna is above and beyond Lisa Scottoline's expected top notch writing. She develops her characters with such mastery, you get to know each so well. I found myself instructing some to "Godness sakes, use your brain!" , and others I would praise. If you haven't read Lisa, this would be an excellent starter. If you have enjoyed her before, what are you waiting for? But it now, read it tonight, and thank me tomorrow!

In “After Anna” by Lisa Scottoline we meet Noah Alderman, a pediatric allergist and widower, who has remarried Maggie. Together they are taking care of Noah’s son and are happily content with their lives. But when Maggie reconnects with the daughter she was forced to give up as a baby life as they knew it quickly disappears. Anna is a beautiful 17 year old who has been on her own for as long as she can remember and has a hard time following house rules. Red flags are abundant during the first few weeks that Anna is back but feeling like an unfit mother Maggie ignores them. But when Anna turns up dead and Noah is accused of her murder, Maggie must face not only the loss of her only daughter, but the realization that her husband is a murderer. But Noah has always pleaded his innocence and deep down Maggie knows she is missing something. But will the truth lead her to discover something worse than she could have ever imagined.

I received a copy of this book through Net Galley and this is my honest review.

I have mixed feelings about this book. It moved slowly at times through the first 3/4 of the book, especially with the courtroom scenes. Then, all of a sudden it picks up quickly with a new development and rushes to its conclusion. I had high hopes for this and I was a little disappointed in its pacing. I appreciate receiving a copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a courtroom drama with the story before and after the murder of a long lost daughter of Maggie named Anna by Maggie's husband Noah. The book was going at a pretty good pace until things got a bit strange. It was a fast paced story with many twists and turns, however I thought the book went too far and a bit unbelievable at times. Overall a good exciting read by a very good author thank you for the opportunity to review this book

Every time you pick up one of Lisa Scottoline's books, you can be guaranteed a strong character driven suspenseful story and After Anna is certainly another hit in that growing collection.

After Anna begins with Dr. Noah Alderman on trial for the murder of his step-daughter Anna Desroches. Noah adamantly denies having anything to do with her death, but does he have something to hide? The story interestingly unfolds in alternating chapters detailing the trial and then reflecting back on Anna's arrival into the lives of Dr. Alderman and his wife Maggie Ippolitti.

Maggie has held out hope that one day she would be reunited with her daughter Anna Desroches, having not seen or been a part of her life since Anna's birth. Maggie eagerly welcomes Anna into her home and is over the moon to have her daughter back. Things aren't quite as sunny on Dr. Alderman's side of things and he sees a side to Anna that Maggie doesn't. Too quickly, things escalate and Dr. Alderman finds himself on trial for Anna's murder. Is Dr. Alderman truly a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde kind of guy or is he being wrongly accused? Who is to blame for Anna's untimely death? Watch for many twists and unexpected turns in this novel!

I very much enjoyed the quick pacing and the way it was told in alternating chapters. It made the narrative flow very smoothly and uniquely. The ending was suspenseful and surprising. As always, Lisa Scottoline remains at the top of my list of favorite "go to" authors when I'm looking for a great read.

I received After Anna courtesy of St. Martin's Press through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

**Warning!!! Spoilers below!!**

I was so excited to read Lisa Scottoline's latest novel, but alas, I was disappointed. I felt that the characters were not developed, the plot was all over the place, and I found myself almost chuckling at the end at how ridiculous the story was. But let's start with a recap.

Maggie and Noah are happily married, living with Noah's son from a prior marriage. Maggie is content with her life, but there is a large piece missing. Seventeen years ago, Maggie had given birth to a daughter from a previous marriage. Maggie had struggled with post-partum psychosis, and her daughter, Anna, had went to live with her ex-husband. Maggie has had no contact at all with her daughter. Flash forward to the present. Maggie's ex-husband dies in an accident, and Anna reaches out to Maggie. Maggie comes to her rescue that week, and decides to bring Anna home to live with her.

Within two weeks, Anna is found murdered.

What happened, you might wonder? Well, in the course of roughly ten days, Anna accuses Noah of coming on to her and files a report against him. Maggie kicks Noah out of the house (again, this all happens within ten days), and now Anna shows up dead on Noah's front porch. Noah finds the body, and naturally is arrested.

This all just happened too fast for me. It just seemed ridiculous that Maggie would kick Noah out. They had a super strong marriage, and yet she trusts this random girl whom she has NEVER laid eyes on??

Noah is now on trial, and is found guilty towards the end of the novel. He is shipped off to prison. Here is where it just REALLY becomes silly. Maggie is contacted by Anna's old school. It turns out that the girl Maggie thought was Anna was really an impostor. Which begs the question......Who actually died? And why? Maggie is now on a desperate hunt to locate the real Anna, and see if she is still alive. While doing so, she uncovers a sex-trafficking ring that the real Anna may be a part of. (Insert eye roll here).

Honestly, this story was just ridiculous. The plot was exaggerated and more comical than suspenseful. The characters were not well-developed. The last quarter of the novel seemed completely farcical. I typically enjoy Lisa Scottoline, and while I would never consider her a top-notch writer, I usually recommend her books. This was definitely not the case with After Anna. On a positive note, it was a quick and easy read, so it might be okay for a beach read or a trip, but overall, I was not impressed in the slightest.

I was intrigued by the premise of this novel. Two people in a second marriage. Noah has a young son from his first marriage that lives with them and Maggie's teenage daughter, Anna, was taken from her life when she was just a baby by her millionaire ex-husband. Out of the blue, Maggie hears from Anna whom she hasn't seen or spoken to since Anna was a baby. Anna, all of the sudden, wants to come live with Maggie. Things are not as they seem as Anna moves in with Maggie and Noah. Anna accuses Noah of abusing her and she then ends up dead. Noah is put on trail for her murder. Maggie is devastated at having lost Anna all over again and doesn't know what to believe about Noah. The format of the novel is quite different - alternating points of view and time frames in each chapter. Lots of major plot twists happen in the last few chapters. The unforeseeable plot twists make for some excitement in the end but those last few chapters felt rushed to me and many of the events were unrealistic and unbelievable thus diminishing my intrigue. It is an ok read perhaps a fun beach read!

Great mystery/thriller. I am a fan of Scottoline and she did not disappoint with this one. There were many twists, turns, and surprises. The novel kept me guessing until the end. Thank you St. Martins Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book.

Anna has never really known her mom. After her father passes away she decides to reconnect and see if she can redefine family and maybe join a new one. Maggie her mother has since remarried and is living the good life with her doctor husband, Noah, and his son from his first marriage Caleb. They welcome Anna in their home and life After Anna is very different.

Something that felt unique and original in this book was how the chapters were formatted. It alternated between the trial, but went mostly backwards throughout the trial and the other chapters focused on the time "before Anna." I liked how the trial unfolded and the reader finds out about what led to the trial; it was really interesting and made it hard for me to put this one down.

Lisa Scottoline has quite the backlist and I have by no means read any part of it and after loving this one, I am definitely interested in curling up with a few of her books. I loved the flow of her writing and the mix of story with procedural trial, it was just such a full story. What other stand alone's of Lisa Scottoline should I read first?

Dr. Noah Alderman, and wife Maggie Ippolitti have a solid marriage. Noah's son makes them a family of three quite happily. Now Maggie's estranged daughter Anna is re-entering her life; in the space of a weekend, they become a family of four. Troubles begin immediately. Anna and Noah do not see eye-to-eye, and Anna begins alleging sexually charged events. In an age of #metoo, ("ripped from the headlines") Maggie is forced to consider her husband may not be who she thought he was. Anna keeps escalating things -- even forcing Noah out of his home--until she is murdered. Noah is immediately a suspect, and as he looks at the changes in his life, he just wants to know WHY? Why did this young woman set him up and single-handedly destroy him?

On trial for his life, Noah is placed in situations he cannot navigate truthfully without penalty. Will he spend the rest of his life in prison? Will he get the death penalty? Will Maggie take care of his son? Will anyone believe how manipulative and calculated Anna was, since he is resolutely told not to blame the victim? Does the truth really matter to the lawyers, jury, and judge? The story is told in a steadily unfolding narrative, then speeds up with shocking revelations as it draws closer to an ending. Well worth the read!

This book was just pretty ridiculous. The characters, the storyline, all of it. I pushed through, but it took me quite a while. The idea is a good one, I think, but it was executed all wrong, and left me feeling exasperated the whole time.

3 stars

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

Widower Doctor Noah Alderman married Maggie. Together with his son from his first marriage, they've built a happy life. That happiness is shattered when Maggie's long-lost 17 year old daughter Anna moves in with them. Head strong and troubled, Anna turns the house upside down, ruining the happy family's life. Things get worse when Anna is murdered and Noah is charged with the crime. Maggie's is left reeling and searches for answers.

This book started out fine and I really wanted to like it, but as the story continued, I found myself really disliking Maggie. She was irrational, impulsive and didn't seem to have a brain in her head. I was very annoyed at her incompetence and found myself skimming over huge sections that dealt with her spinning out of control. The book is told out of order and while can be effective in some books, didn't really work here. The writing was ok, but the "twist" of the book was fairly obvious and predictable shortly into the book.

This is one of those stories where you either love it or you hate it, and I hated it. There were too many loose ends, unbelievable plot twists, and way too many over explanations.

n AFTER ANNA Maggie has a good life – a happy second marriage, a step son, and to top it all off, she reconnects with Anna, her daughter she hasn’t seen for several years because of her ex. When Anna moves in, everything quickly takes a turn for the worse and Maggie is torn between her daughter and her husband. It’s an interesting enough story until you get to the ending, which felt rushed and let me with more questions than answers. For that reason, it was just an okay read for me. My thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. #AfterAnna#NetGalley