Thank you NetGalley for granting me a opportunity to read and review this book!
Let me start by saying that I love Lisa Scottoline's books. She has only gotten better and this book proves it. It does follow the new trend of chapter flashbacks that so many books seem to be doing nowadays BUT it is not hard to follow. Many times I've read books with chapter flashbacks and I have to keep going back because I get completely lost! Not i this book. It will keep you on your toes!

I've enjoyed some of Lisa Scottoline's books. And this one started off strong. But I found that it really unraveled about two thirds of the way in.

The book starts with two alternating points of view and two separate timelines. One timeline moves backwards, and starts with the conclusion of Noah's trial who is found guilty of murdering his stepdaughter Anna. The second timeline starts earlier, moving forward, and is told from Noah's wife Maggie's perspective. Two thirds in, the timeline switches and Noah is in jail and Maggie gets a clue that Noah may not be guilty after all. At that point, I felt that the story turned on a dime. There was one reveal that I had anticipated, but the rest felt grotesque and farcical. Noah's experience in jail seemed over the top. Maggie's new found power's of detection were beyond unrealistic, and the outcome didn't really fit with the rest of the story.

I don't say this lightly, but in the end I felt that Scottoline trivialized some pretty important issues. This is unfortunate because I have often found that Scottoline does a good job of dealing with tough issues.

I'm still giving it three stars because I liked the first part, and I especially liked the backward moving depiction of Noah's trial. It was really well done. I just wish Scottoline had found something different to do with the denouement.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read an advance copy.

Dark, Twisted, and Suspenseful!

Lisa Scottoline is a great storyteller, and this one did not disappoint. A very unique storyline with twists and turns you won't see coming. Perfect read for the fans of legal thrillers. Highly recommend!

Thanks to Netgalley for my copy. 3.5*

This is a domestic and psychological thriller which was an average read for me. It is told in the before/after which is a style I enjoy. The story had some suspenseful twists but the ending was totally implausible. There is very little probability that the court system would work so quickly and efficiently.

Maggie hasn’t seen her child since her divorce from her first husband. Her fist husband had Maggie declared unfit to be a mother. When she gets a call from her daughter, Anna, Maggie can’t believe it. She is so happy that she is going to meet her daughter who is now 16 years old. She gets a phone call that Anna’s father and his wife have died in an airplane crash. Maggie worries how she will break the news to Anna. When she meets Anna, Anna tells her that her father is dead which surprises Maggie. Maggie discovers how much wealth that Anna has. Maggie talks to the attorney handling Anna’s trust fund. She also talks to the counselor who was counseling her. Anna goes home with Maggie and meets Maggie’s husband and son. At first all appears to be fine but then little quirky things happen with Maggie’s husband. Maggie’s husband ends up moving from home to an apartment. Anna is happy he’s gone, why? Suddenly, Anna is dead. Who killed her? Why? What does Maggie do?

After Anna is a tense thriller and mystery with complex characters. The author has several twists and turns in her novel which I didn’t expect. It is compelling and upsetting at times. I enjoyed the book as I never knew what to expect. It’s a great read!

Lisa Scottoline has done it again That is not a surprise she can tell a story! I had to go order this book for my Mom and Sister I don’t want them to miss out on one of the best books I’ve read this month

I have always been a fan of Lisa Scottoline and this was another hit. I really enjoyed the family dynamics and the situations that Maggie found herself dealing with. It really makes you think about how you would have reacted to certain circumstances, where your loyalties lie. I also liked the way it was written, going from past to present. Thanks to NetGalley for the privilege to read and review this book.

This is one of the first books I have read by this author and she sure kept my interest, I had the ending figured out in my mind or so I thought. I will be looking for more titles by this author. Definitely a recommended read: it will only take you a day or two to finish because once you start you won’t be able to put it down until you reach the very end of this thriller!

I enjoyed this even though I have to say I found all the characters unlikable. It was a bit slow for the first half but then really picked up. The end was good but maybe wrapped up a little too quickly and easily. Still, a nice mystery to read if you don't mind suspending disbelief quite a bit.

If you’re okay with cheesy dialog, this will be a great beach-read for you. There are some nice plot twists. Most are predictable, but they are what kept me plugging along. Noah and his son Caleb are great characters, but Noah’s wife Maggie is difficult to like. She’s whiny and gullible, and since she’s a character we’re supposed to sympathize with, those traits are very frustrating. Consider yourself warned.

I received an arc copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for my honest opinion of it. I could not finish this book. I normally really like this author but the back and forth of the characters was just not written well.

I received an early copy of this from #Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I just recently started reading Lisa Scottoline. I enjoy her books as they seem to have just enough action to keep things exciting and fairly well thought out plots. This book started out really strong. I had a hard time putting it down. I thought the end got a little far-fetched in parts. I still enjoyed it overall. Probably about a 3.5 for me.

Well that went different than expected. 👀.
............

I had to really think about this one before I put my thoughts on paper. This book had many of my favorites.
Short chapters
Alternating pov's
Courtroom scenes
Quality "what the actual heck" moments
Reading marathon intrigue

I enjoyed it. It was a pleasant book. The writing was well done. The timeliness of the issues were well thought out. The characters were not likeable...but I don't think they needed to be. I am giving it a solid 3 1/2 ⭐️.
My main argument was I had quite a few questions when I closed the book. Sometimes I enjoy that...in this case, I did not. That is the only thing that kept this a four star read.

I have not read Lisa Scottoline before and I am now encouraged to read some more. I love her style of writing. She grabs you and keeps you guessing which is a plus for me. If you enjoy a slow burn to fast paced thriller you should try After Anna.

After Anna fits comfortably into the on-trend female-centric psychological suspense genre. I devoured this book in two days. Lisa Scottoline doesn't disappoint. Another page turner that is set to be a best seller!

A unique perspective on storytelling leads to a greater emphasis on plot and suspense - and that is a good thing. What could be a routine murder trial and a mother and daughter reunion gets all amped up, thanks to the authors wonderful style. Who did it? Who is she really? What is the sinister sub-plot that lies just below the surface? It makes the ordinary extraordinary. Just read it already!

What a disappointment! I really hated this book and can't imagine why I kept reading to the end. The first 75% of the book was ever so boring. Little action and only moderately interesting characters. Then instantly everything changes. The action moves forward, bam, bam....everything is resolved. The ending really is abrupt compared to the rest of the book. Can't say enough. Don't waste your time. This is not a typical Scottoline book. But funny thing.....there are lots of 5 star reviews. I see these and think I must be living in a different world.
2 stars because I did finish it.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an eARC of this book.

This book had me guessing what was next the whole time. It had a lot of interesting content. Maggie and Noah are living normal lives with Caleb who is Noah's son from his first marriage. He met Maggie after his wife passed away. Maggie has been estranged from her only child Anna since she was an infant because of Post partum psychosis . Her first husband would not allow any contact or information on her daughter. After her daughter Anna contact her things change a great deal in their household. . With every chapter you find a new issue , so much is covered in this book greed, sex trafficking , prison life, tons of subject matter . I hope if you pick this book up you enjoy it as much as I have.

Lisa Scottoline, along with Alafair Burke is one of my go-to authors for legal thrillers. They're a genre that once felt like they were everywhere (though that was perhaps in the days of John Grisham and Scott Turow - and the movies based on their novels). They seem to be less prevalent now, which makes me appreciate them more than I perhaps once did. (Although the book I read after this - Closer Than You Know by Brad Parks - was also a legal procedural!) 

After Anna, Scottoline's latest is less about the legal process in many ways, though part of the plot does unfold in a courtroom. It's more a novel of suspense with the majority of the story being told through the memories of a man on trial for murdering his step-daughter.

Noah and Maggie are great characters and the people we meet 'before Anna' are happy and devoted parents to Noah's son Caleb. 

We're fairly quickly brought up to date on Maggie's relationship (or lack of) with Anna, which involved her former husband moving overseas after Maggie's diagnosis of postpartum psychosis (when Anna was 6mths old). At the time Maggie realised she needed help and sought it, but she discovers her ex filled his daughter's head with stories of her mother harming her, encouraging no contact between the pair. 

Seventeen years later Maggie admits to stalking her daughter on social media as much as possible and even though Anna's been shunted off (back) to boarding school in the US, Maggie's respected Anna's decision to have nothing to do with her.

Which is why she's ecstatic to get a call out of the blue. Maggie's unaware her ex-husband and his new wife have been killed, and she's soon able to convince Anna that the stories her father told her about her were just lies. 

Now, with a hefty trust fund awaiting her, Anna's decision to leave boarding school and move in with her mother (and Noah) immediately is kinda strange, but Maggie doesn't care and she, Noah and Caleb do their best to welcome her into their family. 

It's rather shocking then to discover that Noah is accused of killing Anna less than a month later... however the cracks start to appear pretty quickly. 

Most of the story is told through Noah's eyes. Kinda in reverse - on the stand and through his memories of events 'after Anna' moved in. Because we're in his head we know he's trying to protect Maggie and although he claims to be innocent of the murder, he feels guilty. About something. 

Readers are privy to Anna's seemingly duplicitous behaviour.... although we really only have Noah's word on that. 

The blurb implies Maggie doubts her husband's guilt and wants to get to the bottom of the crime, however sadly Maggie seems to shut Noah out of her life. The fact he'd be capable of killing Anna goes against all of her instincts but there seems to be no other alternative. And.... after all, Anna made a number of allegations against Noah before her death. 

It's actually not until the end that Maggie has doubts and things change pretty quickly. For me the final twist was one too far. I liked the premise but the 'why' seemed a bit far-fetched and a little unrealistic. 

It probably brought my rating of the book down a little, but I still enjoyed it nonetheless. 

3.5 stars

What would you do if one day your biggest dream came true? Then you had to choose between that dream or the family you had?? That's the dilemma Maggie faces in After Anna. When she gets her daughter back after over 17 years the relationship between Anna and her husband Noah causes an explosive rift that tears apart the family but somethings aren't quite what they seem.

Lisa Scottoline is one of my favorite authors and as soon as her new titles get announced I hurry and request it from the library. Once again Lisa delivers a suspenseful nightmare of a drama that could literally happen to anyone you know. With each chapter, I just needed to know more and needed answers. You will definitely want to clear out your day before you sit down for this because you won't want to put it down.

"You can't believe people when they look you in the eyes. You gotta look behind them. See what they're standing in front of. What they're hiding."

Maggie Ippoliti Alderson is married to a widower, Dr. Noah, and she's ectastic when she gets a call from her long absent 17-year-old daughter, Anna Desroches. Maggie had lost custody of the infant Anna due to post-partum psychosis. She hasn't seen Anna in all that time. Anna wants them to meet and soon it is arranged that she will come live with Maggie, Noah and Noah's son, Caleb. Anna's wealthy father has died, and she wants to make up for lost time. Maggie and Noah help Anna move in and everything is finally as Maggie has dreamed -- until it all starts to go wrong. The next thing they know, Anna is dead and Noah is on trial for her murder.

The narrative starts at trial and goes backward in time with present day interspersed. Courtroom action, family disintegration, emotional pain and bewilderment as the happy family implodes. But it's not over, yet...NO SPOILERS

With an unusual twist that almost completely defies belief, the story concludes in a very unexpected way given all the events that transpired. The denouement took the book in a completely different direction to what was anticipated. Not sure I bought it, but I was definitely glued to the pages. Some of what transpired was hard for me to buy, but I did enjoy the action, the drama and the writing even it didn't ring plausible. I love a good legal thriller and all the legalese, but this ended up more being a bit off of that path. I'll continue to read books by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the e-book ARC to read and review.