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Happy Sunday, book friends! Today I have a review of The Other Sister by Sarah Zettel to be published by Grand Central on August 28, 2018. I think “sister” books might be the next new thing replacing “neighbors” and “liars?!” I read another book recently where two sisters collaborated in a murder plot, but luckily the two had a significantly different feel so I could easily keep them straight. 

My Thoughts:

Geraldine and Marie are sisters, but it’s Geraldine who is known as the troubled sister, the “bad sister.” She left town years ago after the death of their mother. Marie is the opposite of Geraldine, and the “good sister.” She is loving and kind and a wonderful mother. 

Their father, Martin, is a snaky patriarch who controls the entire extended family. The description of him screams villain! 

Geraldine returns to town shrouded in mystery. Everyone questions just why she is there. 

The sisters who have previously had very little in common suddenly are united in a murderous plot against their father… to obtain justice, but for what? 

The Other Sister alternates between Marie and Geraldine as narrators. I questioned each of them in their reliability throughout. The Other Sister is very much a slow burn, a slow churning and unraveling of the cloud of secrets that has enveloped this family for years. To me, this is a domestic noir more than a thriller, and I enjoyed the author’s engaging writing style and the dark, creepy tone of the book. I look forward to Sarah Zettel’s next book! 

Thank you Grand Central Publishing for the ARC. All opinions are my own. 

Synopsis:

Two sisters. One murder plan.

Geraldine Monroe is the bad sister. Reckless and troubled, she ran away shortly after the mysterious death of their mother twenty years ago.

Marie, on the other hand, has always been the good sister. She is the obedient daughter and a loving mother to her son.

Now Geraldine has come home, for good it seems, and no one–not the aunts or uncles or cousins–really knows why. The most suspicious of all is Martin Monroe, the father who rules the extended family and their small town with a poisonous combination of money and coldheartedness. But even he doesn’t realize what the truth is: that the sisters have become allies in a plot to kill him.

Bound by blood and a need to right the past, Geraldine and Marie set their plan in motion. When old secrets and new fears clash, everyone is pushed to the breaking point . . . and the sisters will learn that they can’t trust anyone, not even each other.

Have you read The Other Sister, or do you plan to? Have you read any other books about villainous sisters? Happy Reading! ~ Jennifer THR