The Silent Sister

The Silent Sister by Diane Chamberlain

Bystanders gawk as rescuers retrieve the yellow kayak from the icy waters of the Potomac. They whisper in hushed tones. It's tragic that a young seventeen-year-old girl like Lisa MacPherson would take her own life by drowning in frigid waters, but then again, she was an accused murderer. Surely the demons and guilt that haunted her each and every day, finally caused her to reach the breaking point. Yes, Lisa MacPherson just couldn't live with herself anymore, they say.

Her body is never found.

Riley never really knew her older sister, Lisa, the musical prodigy. After the tragedy, their parents moved the family to North Carolina to start over and escape abhorrent memories. Now a grown woman, Riley has returned home to settle the affairs of her father, Frank's, estate. Nearby lives her brother, Danny, an Iraq War veteran, who constantly battles depression associated with PTDS. He lives on land near the trailer park his father owned for years, contented to be left alone. He does not welcome his sister's return.

Riley cherishes fond memories of her childhood, and barely remembers the dark days surrounding Lisa's suicide. Danny, on the other hand, lives in a constant state of repressed anger and bitterness. But why? They had the same parents, after all. As Riley begins to sift through her father's belongings and valuable collections, she comes to a startling revelation. Her life has been nothing but a fabrication of lies and deceit, orchestrated by a man she called her father.

As the chapters unfold, you'll meet a litany of complex and riveting characters, all essential to the engrossing plot. Jeannie Lyons, a dear friend of Riley's mother, brazenly takes charge in helping Riley disperse of Frank's possessions. Riley is shocked and mystified to learn that Jeannie and her father were more than just friends. Tom Kyle was supposedly a good friend of Frank's, receiving unexplained monthly pay-offs for years. What is he hiding? And Verniece, Tom's wife, is insistent that Riley is not Frank's biological child. Reeling from her new found discoveries, Riley fears there is no one she can trust. Yet there is one thing of which she is certain.  Lisa is alive.

Veteran writer Diane Chamberlain writes an absorbing novel, guaranteed to keep you guessing. Full of twists and turns, it's equally entertaining in both book and audio formats, and a novel I highly recommend.

There's nothing like a good mystery to fill a relaxing fall evening, and this one delivers.