Thursday, July 30, 2015

The Secret Sister - Brenda Novak

The Secret Sister
Brenda Novak
Mira, Jul 28 2015, $14.95
ISBN: 9780778317807

Paralleling her ugly divorce, Maisey Lazarow’s brother Keith attempted suicide.  Thus believing her sibling needs her (and deep down in her soul, she knows she needs him too), Maisey returns home to a place she loathes, Fairham, South Carolina.  Her mother, self-anointed city Queen Josephine, fails to meet and greet her; which Maisey is happy with after a decade old riff.

Maisey avoids her ‘royal” mom by renting a different home rather than moving back into the family place.  Next door is Rafe Romero, who she fell in love with as a teen and still finds him extremely attractive.  When Maisey finds old photos of a familiar looking girl; memories begin to surface.  Though she adheres to the belief her only sibling is Keith, Maisey and her brother have vague memories of a forgotten sister.

The Secret Sister is a suspenseful family drama starring a fully-developed cast.   The well-written romantic subplot between Maisey and Rafe (and his matchmaking preadolescent daughter) intrudes on the mesmerizing mystery; as the search for the missing Secret Sister grips the audience from the first revelation to the climatic resolution.


Harriet Klausner

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