After Anna by Lisa Scottoline ~ A Review #MondayBlogs

by Donna Huber

If you only read one book this summer, After Anna should be it. It is such a good read; I didn't want to put it down.
Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

April 2018; St. Martin's Press; 978-1250099655
audio, ebook, print (400 pages); thriller

I have listened to a couple of Lisa Scottoline's books from her Rosato & DiNunzio and have always enjoyed her writing and her characters. After Anna is my first stand-alone novel by her, but Scottoline is quickly becoming one of my go-to thriller and suspense authors.

After Anna is split along two timelines: the 'before Anna' that is told from Maggie's POV and 'after Anna" that is from Noah's POV during his trial. This is a familiar format, but Scottoline still did an excellent job of building tension as the two timelines got closer together. I will say though that the trial became a little tedious towards the point of convergence, but that might be because I was impatient to know if Noah was really guilty.

I will say from the opening chapter, I didn't think Noah was guilty. But then I spent the next two-thirds of the book trying to figure out is he really not guilty or did Scottoline just create a really sympathetic character (in a very short period of time)? When I thought it might be the latter, then I felt bad because it meant I didn't believe the victim to be telling the truth and all the societal pressure that goes with not believing the victim.

Up to about the last quarter of the book, After Anna is your typical thriller that I thought would end with the jury's verdict. At that point, it was an enjoyable story. But then Scottoline threw the biggest curveball; a twist that shot the book from good to great.

If I had a complaint, it was after spending so much time with Maggie and Noah in turmoil that the ending came too quickly after the twist reveal. I don't want to give too much away so I won't say more than that. I just wanted a bit more time with the characters.

After Anna is really a great thriller that touched on some timely issues. If you are looking for a story to lose yourself in this summer, pick up this book.

Buy After Anna at Amazon

Donna Huber is an avid reader and natural encourager. She is the founder of Girl Who Reads and the author of how-to marketing book Secrets to a Successful Blog Tour. 

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