Tuesday 4 August 2015

Review: The Night Sister by Jennifer McMahon

The latest novel from New York Times best-selling author Jennifer McMahon is an atmospheric, gripping, and suspenseful tale that probes the bond between sisters and the peril of keeping secrets.

Once the thriving attraction of rural Vermont, the Tower Motel now stands in disrepair, alive only in the memories of Amy, Piper, and Piper's kid sister, Margot. The three played there as girls until the day that their games uncovered something dark and twisted in the motel's past, something that ruined their friendship forever.

Now adult, Piper and Margot have tried to forget what they found that fateful summer, but their lives are upended when Piper receives a panicked midnight call from Margot, with news of a horrific crime for which Amy stands accused. Suddenly, Margot and Piper are forced to relive the time that they found the suitcase that once belonged to Silvie Slater, the aunt that Amy claimed had run away to Hollywood to live out her dream of becoming Hitchcock's next blonde bombshell leading lady. As Margot and Piper investigate, a cleverly woven plot unfolds—revealing the story of Sylvie and Rose, two other sisters who lived at the motel during its 1950s heyday. Each believed the other to be something truly monstrous, but only one carries the secret that would haunt the generations to come.


Hardcover, 336 pages
Expected publication: August 4th 2015 by Doubleday 
Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Kristine's Thoughts:

** I received an advanced readers copy of this book directly from Random House Canada as part of their blogger program in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!**

I don't like to re-tell a story and ruin it for the next reader. In this case, I really can't say too much about certain aspects of the story without revealing too much. This is definitely one of those times when the less you know about the book before hand the better. I chose this book because of the author and didn't even read the synopsis prior to reading it and I was pleasantly rewarded because of it.

Within the first few pages an entire family is brutally murdered. The reader does not know the who, what, where, when, why or how but there is enough to make you want to know. There is enough within those first few pages to hook you and have you racing through the rest to find out what happened.

The story revolved around the Tower Motel and the family that owned and resided there. Not only did it tell the present day story when the murders occurred but it also told the story of two different generations at the Motel in an effort to make sense of what happened. Anybody who has ever read my thoughts on other books know that I am a huge fan of this style. I loved reading about Rose and Sylvie in the 50's then Amy, Piper, Margot and Jason in the 80's and again in the present day. An intricate story was woven and an eerie picture was painted that led me down the creepy and surprising path to its shocking conclusion. Needless to say, I was glued to the pages.

Although my sister and co-blogger has read other books by this author, this was the first one for me. I thoroughly enjoyed everything about it. The plot was engaging and interesting, the story flowed smoothly and the mystery kept me guessing. I loved every minute that I spent curled up with this book. It was unique and refreshing and I will definitely be reading more from her.





About the Author
Jennifer McMahon is the New York Times bestselling author of seven suspense novels, including The Winter People, The One I Left Behind, and Promise Not to Tell. She lives in Vermont with her partner, Drea, and their daughter, Zella.



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