Blood Sisters

November 20, 2017
Two young women inextricably linked by a catastrophic car crash—and secrets one will never forget and the other may never remember—drive this engrossing, if ultimately unconvincing, psychological suspense novel from British author Corry (My Husband’s Wife). Chapters shift perspective between that of London art teacher Alison Baker and the institutionalized Kitty James, and from the present back to 2001—when everything changed for both of them, trapping the former in a prison of guilt and the latter in a brain-damaged body unable to communicate the thoughts she still experiences clearly. Ironically, it’s cash-strapped Alison’s dangerous decision to take a part-time job teaching inmates at a men’s prison not far from where she grew up that just may offer her a more lasting release than her habitual self-cutting—if it doesn’t destroy her first. Though readers may suss out the relationship between Alison and Kitty well before Corry makes it explicit, she maintains momentum with several startling late plot twists—a number of which, unfortunately, are far-fetched. Agent: Kate Horndern, Kate Horndern Literary Agency (U.K.).

This mystery poses classic questions: Do secrets stay buried? Can a person ever be free of the past? Narrators Jayne Entwistle and Fiona Hardingham portray Allison Baker and Kitty James. Allison is a 30-something artist who has recently taken a job at a prison. Kitty is a young woman who is institutionalized and unable to communicate. Listeners learn that 15 years earlier, a tragic car accident killed a young girl and irrevocably changed three lives. This psychological suspense alternates between 2001 and 2016 as listeners learn what happened and what impact it has on the present. The plot unfolds slowly, which is frustrating, but the second half of the audiobook more than makes up for it as the truth comes to light. K.S.M. � AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine