Bestselling, award-winning author, Lisa Scottoline has released a unique thriller (very different from her bestselling Rosato & DiNunzio series), After Anna. Noah, who is a widower with a young son, has met Maggie; they have married and are gloriously happy – everything seems to be perfect. Maggie gave up a child many years ago, and has a chance for delayed motherhood with her 17 year old daughter, Anna. With Anna living in their home, things change, and the marital bliss disappears. Anna is murdered, and Noah is accused and tried for the murder.

Scottolini is a fabulous storyteller, and is known for her ability to build suspense and keep readers on edge. In this novel, the accusations against Noah are uncomfortable, and may put off some readers. Anna is a troublemaker and accuses Noah of sexual crimes against her. Nevertheless, Scottoline develops her characters so that they seem real and are very believable. Things are not as they appear in several places in the novel, and many of the scenarios are unexpected. Readers won’t know what to think, and won’t find out until the very end what the reality is.

All told, this novel will appeal to readers who love building suspense; Scottolini’s excellent writing skills will insure that no one will be disappointed and will be enthralled with the scenarios and especially the unexpected twists and turns leading to the surprise ending which comes at the very end. Scottolini fans will not want to miss this novel. Thriller fans should not miss it either.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

A fairly riveting read in the now popular domestic thriller category. Noah has found a second love in Maggie. When the daughter she gave up contacts her, they welcome Anna into their lives with some serious consequences. I thought the non sequential/interspersing the trial style was good at first, but wanted to get more information at once, since some of the leaps of faith seemed kind of big.

A very enjoyable read. Gripping and suspenseful I always find Kristin Hannah's books to be great reads!

I really enjoyed this book, but the ending was upbrupt and out of left field. I will likely try this author again though.

Excerpt from Review: "Years ago, while perusing the shelves at the local Waldenbooks, I came upon a crime/mystery novel by Lisa Scottoline, found I liked the description and bought it. I breezed through the novel and decided to buy another. I ended up reading quite a few novels by this author, but somehow got away from her books thanks to G-POP.net and the need to add more variety in my reading materials for the folks who have taken interest in my reviews. Recently, I was offered an opportunity to read a new novel from Lisa Scottoline called After Anna. Having enjoyed her other works, I jumped at the chance...I was totally engrossed in the lives of Noah and Maggie and I needed to know just what had happened that landed Noah on trial for murder…and that twist! I’m so glad that I got the opportunity to read a Lisa Scottoline novel after all these years of absence on my part – After Anna reminded me just how much I was missing."

Very good story with good writing. Full of twist and turns that have you guessing at the outcome. As the mysteries are solved, you will never guess the outcome.

Wow, this book really blew me away. It's my favorite Lisa Scottoline read yet! If you like intense domestic drama and a story that is filled with twists and turns and an unexpected ending, definitely give After Anna a try.

3 stars

Maggie’s ex-husband won full custody of their daughter, Anna, when she was just a baby. He moves overseas, and Maggie is not given the opportunity to know Anna. Now Anna is 17 and in boarding school back in the States. She contacts Maggie, and so begins the drama.

I enjoy books by Lisa Scottoline, but this one fell a bit flat for me. Yes, it was well written, but I couldn’t get into any of the characters, especially Maggie. Holy moly that woman is annoying. I found myself wanting to grab her shoulders and shake her so, so many times. She comes across as whiny and self-conscious and needy at the same time, all the time. It really detracted from the story and the mystery of it all for me.

I get that someone who wanted to know her daughter but hadn’t had the chance to for the past 16 years would be overjoyed to hear from said estranged daughter. I get that. But to invite a 17-year-old stranger (essentially) to live with you after one meeting? Ummm…no. And Maggie seems to assume she knows Anna, which causes her to repeatedly not believe her husband when he says anything against Anna. Woman! You know and trust your husband! You do not know this kid from Adam! Be a little more cautious!

The story is told from different characters’ perspectives, and it does move along nicely until the last quarter or so. Then, all of a sudden, the ending is revealed and the book is tied up into a neat little package and some random things thrown in earlier are never addressed again and reading this sentence gives you a good idea of how it felt to read the end of the book. The end.

I’m on the fence about whether to recommend this book to other readers. It has the makings of a good story, but it just wasn’t executed here to my satisfaction.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved the beginning of thus novel. I would have given it 5 stars, but the ending felt a bit like it jumped the shark. Too many twists. I grew up in Montco, so I appreciated all the references. I recommend this to any thriller fans. This was my first book from this author, but I'm now hooked and want to try her others.

What a twisty ride! I was immediately taken in by the storyline. The characters were believable, and flawed. Lisa Scottoline is able to draw you in with her characters vulnerability and true to life conflicts.

Two timelines and two points of view didn't bother me too much, but still, this feels a bit jumbly. What's so frustrating is I can't quite tell you why I'm not satisfied with this read, but I'm just not. The twists were a bit predictable, the courtroom a bit slow, the ending really quick.

My copy came from Net Galley. My thoughts and opinions are my own. This review is left of my own free volition.

The middle was slow; the last 100 pages were what made the book, but not sure why she threw in the very last part when there was no prepping the reader for it which ending up making it feel like a rushed afterthought. Then again, psychological thrillers tend to throw in bits and parts at the end to give the reader that final sense of closure.

Maggie Ippolitti and Noah Alderman appear to have the perfect life. Having met years after Maggie had given up custody of her daughter to her ex-husband, while she was battling postpartum psychosis, they have built a life with Noah’s son, only to have it shattered when seventeen year old Anna reappears and send the family into a spiraling turmoil.

A second chance is what Maggie wanted, unfortunately Noah is the brunt of this effort and when Anna accuses Noah of the unthinkable, Maggie runs to Anna’s defense only to find out that all things are not what they appear and as Noah is fighting for his life, it is only then that Maggie puts the pieces together and with the help of the local police, puts an end to their misery and able to knit their lives back together.

Told in alternating voices and timelines, the reader can, in a way, see where this is going since Lisa Scottoline loves a happy-ending, but getting there is the challenge. The book holds your interest for the first third, slows to a snail’s pace in the middle, and then the last 100 pages burst with the energy that was missing.

The novel describes the lives of Maggie and Noah before and after Anna came to their life.

Maggie who suffered from post-partum psychosis lost the custody of her daughter - Anna - 6 months after giving birth to her. When Maggie’s ex-husband and Anna’s father die in a plane crash, Anna reaches out to Maggie and within days moves in with her, Noah and his son.

The teenager shows two different faces to her mother and step-father, and soon everything ends in a huge disaster.

I really enjoyed the first 60% of the book, however the closer to the end, the less I liked it, and only ended up finishing it to find out who was guilty and who wasn’t. I didn’t like how Maggie’s character changed from a shy and confused woman with no self-esteem into a wonder woman / save the world mother overnight.

The ending of this story was also very unrealistic and I felt like I was watching a bad action movie with poor cast in it.
There is definitely a room for improvement and the novel had the potential to be better than it was.

Holy twists. This book takes you on an emotional roller coaster and then throws in some double loop plot twists. The plot moves fast and the intricate relationships keep you in the dark to the true horrors that lie ahead. This was a great read!

Lisa Scottoline is one of my favorites, being from Philly myself! An exciting mystery-thriller with a twist. Not part of her Benny Rosato series - a stand alone novel.

After Anna by Lisa Scottoline was quite a crazy read with many twists and turns. I felt pulled right along with Maggie between her long estranged daughter, Anna, and her loving husband, Noah. This is the story of a mom reconnecting with her daughter after being wrongfully separated when the daughter was a baby. But, my gosh, the story comes at you swinging and you do not know who and what to believe. The backstory on each character was well laid out and I felt a part of what was going on in this dysfunctional family. While reading, do not get too comfortable thinking you know what is going on, because the minute you do that, the rug will be pulled out from under you and you will wonder "what just happened?"

Lisa Scottoline is my new favorite go-to author as of last year. When I read this book's teaser on Facebook, I just had to get my hands on it. Thank goodness for #netgalley. They offered me an e-book of #After Anna in exchange for an honest review.

Maggie develops portpartum depression after having her daughter, Anna. She goes into therapy for her depression. During this time, her husband divorces her and goes to the courts for custody of Anna.

Maggie remarries and is deeply with her new husband and his son.
Imagine Maggie's surprise, when out of the blue and Seventeen years later, she receives a call from her daughter Anna. She brings Anna into her life and cannot wait to reconnect with her. They have alot of living to catch up on.

Things are going so well with this newly knit family. A few weeks later, it appears that Anna is trying to break up Maggie and Noah's family. Noah tries to persuade Maggie that Anna is manipulative and abusive. Maggie is so enthralled with her daughter that she is beginning to think Noah is jealous of her step-daughter.

This book is a roller coaster of a ride. When I thought I have everything figured out, another situation occured. This is a stand-alone book and I loved every minute of it.

NO STARS
Started 8.7.2018
Stopped 8.9.2018 at 20%.
DID NOT FINISH

By this point [20%] I had most of this book figured out and because of the pace of the book, the narrators, and the HUGE gaping holes in the story [and really? are we supposed to believe that Maggie and the daughter she hadn't seen since infancy bonded just like that, even with the daughter thinking that she had been abused by Maggie with no problems at all? P L E A SE!! Give us readers some credit; no one is going to believe that. Ever.] I decided to DNF this. I did decide to listen to the last 5 chapters and I am glad that I did not waste my time listening to this whole book. What a convoluted, crazy, mess of a book - so much of the ending made absolutely NO sense whatever. Meh. .

3.5 stars for page turning goodness, but thrillers just aren't my favorite genre. There were great courtroom drama scenes, and it's a family drama with the whodunnit suspense.

Maggie loved her baby, Anna, but postpartum depression made her unsafe as her caregiver. So her first husband divorced her and took full custody....leaving Maggie yearning for a reunion. Remarried to a doctor, Noah, who has a son as well, Maggie learns that her first husband has been killed, along with his entire family, except for Anna, who is in an exclusive boarding school. Maggie decides this is the time to go to Anna and to be the mother to her that she has always wanted to be. The young woman she finds seems to to yearn for real family connection, largely ignored by her father. She quickly agrees to return home with Maggie to live with her family. And as a result of her father's death, she is set to become incredibly wealthy and has a healthy expense account that out pays her step-father's means. Not long after settling in her new home, Anna begins accusing Noah of pursuing her and making passes, touching her inappropriately. Maggie can't believe it......but she has to side with her daughter, doesn't she? And when Anna shows up dead at Noah's rented home after being kicked out, she's as sure as the jury is that he is guilty. As Noah asserts his innocence and fights for his life in prison, Maggie finds out some disturbing information that leads her back to the boarding school and the hope that Anna may not be dead after all.
As always, a fantastic read with great twists and surprises.