This was a wonderful mystery full of great characters and twists that kept it exciting from beginning to end!

Many thanks to Lisa Scottoline, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for allowing me to read After Anna. Lisa Scottoline has long been one of my favorite authors and this book is another well written thriller. I stayed up much later than I wanted to read “just one more chapter “. Great pacing and chapter endings kept me going until I just couldn’t keep my eyes open anymore. Part of Scottoline’s appeal for me is always the development of her characters. I loved Maggie, Noah, Caleb, and even Kathy. I love the way the story was told through both Maggie’s and Noah’s perspectives. I have to admit I did figure out a small part of the meandering paths this story took, but most of the paths took me to places I hadn’t imagined. A highly enjoyable read!

I didn’t figure out how to download or read this book here, but I have since read it elsewhere. I adore Lisa Scottoline but this wasn’t my favorite. The last 1/4 of the book was great albeit outlandish

If you've followed me for any period of time, you know I have really enjoyed everything I've read by Lisa Scottoline, so when I saw her book, After Anna, available for review through my association as a book blogger with NetGalley, I grabbed the opportunity and hit "request".  The premise of the story itself really had its grip on me and continued to call my name until I put down all the other books in front of it for reading. 

After Anna is told alternating perspectives (which seems to be a current trend in the books I've been reading).  One perspective is told during Noah’s court hearing and the other is told showing everything that lead up until the current situation. Readers start out reading about Noah who is in court fighting for his innocence after being accused of killing his stepdaughter, Anna.  Noah is not only accused of murder, he's accused of molesting her too.  The accusations don't seem to add up - they don't sound like the Noah everyone knows to be - he's a doctor, he was a widower before remarrying and he's raising his son, Caleb.  He is now happily married to Maggie, who has recently begun to reconnect with her daughter after losing custody of her when she was a baby.

Then there's Maggie - happily married to Noah and loves her stepson while at the same time sad because she hasn't seen her daughter since she lost custody.  Back when Anna was a baby, Maggie had postpartum depression and her ex-husband was able to get custody and take Anna away, never to be seen by Maggie again until now. When Maggie's father dies, Anna comes back into her life and Maggie is thrilled.  She never thought she would see the day when they could be together again Maggie brings Anna home to live with her and her new family, but things don't go as Maggie imagined.

Maggie is put in a spot between her daughter and her husband; Anna and Noah just don't seem to get along. Anna doesn't want to follow the rules and in fact, Anna claims Noah is coming on to her and that forces Maggie to move out and take Anna's side. And this is only the beginning of the downhill slide to Maggie's world. Things will never be the same for anyone again.

I found myself unable to put down my ebook, turning pages for "just one more page" until the book. I never expected the ending and didn't see it coming. Lisa Scottoline gave us yet another great novel with amazing characters and a storyline that will grab you right from the start through and including the surprising ending that will stay with you long after you finish After Anna!

I was provided with a complimentary electronic advanced reader copy of this book from St. Martin's Press through NetGalley in exchange for my post.  I was not required to post a positive review, but have chosen to do so because I loved the story!

After Anna by Lisa Scottoline
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I started reading Lisa Scottoline with a paperback ARC copy of ANYWHERE THAT MARY WENT, Rosato & Associates #1 back in 1993. When I was offered a copy of her newest stand alone title AFTER ANNA, I was thrilled.

FIRST SENTENCE: "Noah Alderman watched the jurors as they filed into the courtroom with their verdict, which would either set him free or convict him of first-degree murder."

THE STORY: Maggie's teenaged daughter Anna wants to be reunited with her mother. The joy of this event is complicated by Anna's access to vast sums of money left to her by her father.

Maggie is now happily married to Noah, a pediatric doctor. Noah tries to enforce some family rules. Then the lies begin. But who is the liar?

Maggie and Noah's stories are told in alternating chapters. Both a domestic and legal thriller, the pacing picks up speed towards the end with twists and turns the reader won't see coming.

WHAT I THOUGHT: I get tired of stories that go back and forth but Lisa Scottoline makes it an important component of this story. Just when I thought it wasn't going anywhere, the roller coaster changed direction and raced to the end of the book.

BOTTOM LINE: You can trust Lisa Scottoline to deliver a good story. Recommended for a great summer read and beyond.

Hardcover: 400 pages
Publisher: St Martin's Press (April 10, 2018)
ISBN-10: 125009965X
ISBN-13: 978-1250099655

DISCLAIMER: I received a free e-copy of After Anna by Lisa Scottoline from NetGalley/St. Martin's Press for my honest review.

LISA SCOTTOLINE is the New York Times bestselling and Edgar Award-winning author of the Rosato & DiNunzio series, as well as One Perfect Lie, Most Wanted, and many others. She has 30 million copies of her books in print in the United States, she has been published in thirty-five countries, and her thrillers have been optioned for television and film. Lisa also writes a weekly column with her daughter, Francesca Serritella, for The Philadelphia Inquirer, and those critically acclaimed stories have been adapted into a series of memoirs, the first of which is entitled Why My Third Husband Will Be a Dog. She lives in the Philadelphia area.

I devoured this book in less than 24 hours. It's a mixture of mystery, suspense and a courtroom drama. I just loved it! The narrative is told Before Anna and After Anna. Anna is Maggie's daughter, she lost custody of her 17 years ago due to mental illness. Maggie has dreamed of reuniting with her daughter one day and she gets her chance when Anna's father dies in a plane crash.
Anna arrives to live with Maggie, her new Husband and her step-son. That's when the trouble starts. This book is full of twists and turns and kept me guessing until the end.
If you like courtroom/legal thrillers and domestic thrillers don't miss this one..

Murder Most Foul
There's a fair amount of tragedy in this tale of a mother reuniting with her daughter, but the twists, both in presentation and in plot, will keep you on your toes. The layout is unusual, alternating from traditional narrative in order of occurrence for events leading up to the trial and then the ten-day trial itself, which starts at the end, working backward day by day. When the two timelines intersect, things get *really* interesting! Some topical and disturbing themes are integral to the story but might constitute spoilers so suffice it to say the sum is more than the parts.

Loved this book . Great read. Did not see how it was going to end. Enjoyed the suspense!!
Favorite author!

While the initial pace of the book was really slow, boy did the ending make up for it! This one was just so full of plot twists and unexpected story shifts that I had a blast. I read a lot of Thrillers and am usually able to guess the ending but somehow After Anna kept me guessing until the very end and I loved that! Throughout the book, the sense that something is horribly wrong never leaves you and truly creeps you out. 4 stars from me!

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.

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.

I really liked the way this novel played out. I will definitely read more of her books and would recommend to others.

Lisa Scottoline has another winner in After Anna. It is full of page turning suspend and plot twists. The characters are all written perfectly, and the story is a huge rollercoaster of emotions.

Devised in "before" and "after" Anna comes into the lives of a happy family and completely destroys their trust in one another. Anna is reunited with her biological mother who lost custody of her as an infant due to post-partum depression, and immediately starts sowing seeds of doubt and discord between her mother and stepfather. Their lives are turned up side down with Anna's increasingly serious accusations. But no one could be prepared for the final accusation that leaves her stepfather on trial for murder. Will the mystery of Anna's strange influence unravel in time to save him?

After Anna is another great mystery/thriller novel that I've read this year. I was not exactly a fan of this genre but when I have read this book, it is one of the reasons why I included mystery and thriller to my list. What I like about it is that it will make readers make wild guesses about what's happening. From beginning till the end, readers will never be disappointed because of a lot of unexpected twists were put in the story, especially in the ending. Thanks to St. Martin's Press because I was given the chance to read this amazing book by Lisa Scottoline.

A he said/she said story going back and forth between a current murder trial and the events leading up to it. This book is full of twists and turns and will keep you guessing what actually happened right up to the end.

Great book! So many twists and turns! From the beginning you don't know who to trust. The scariest thing is that this storyline could happen to anybody. Anywhere!

What should have been the happiest time in a mother's life turns into a nightmare - not once, but TWICE for Maggie. First, she loses custody of her infant daughter Anna because she suffers from postpartum psychosis and her ex-husband is a controlling jerk, and then when 17-year-old Anna miraculously comes back into Maggie's life - exactly what she'd always wanted - she's murdered not long after. Not only that but Maggie's husband Noah is accused first of sexual misconduct and then arrested and charged with Anna's murder.

Whoa! I couldn't stop reading this book. Noah insisted he wasn't guilty, and things didn't really make sense, but WHAT exactly happened here? I needed to find out - and absolutely did not guess the ending.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for my copy. I enjoyed it very much.

While I was hooked in by the plot, I just couldn't believe how quickly things moved in the book. The main story seemed to take place over a matter of weeks. The introduction of at least one character didn't make sense to me because nothing came from said introduction. The last quarter of the book dealing with the story lines of both Maggie and Noah were nonsensical. The conclusion was too pat. I just didn't buy it.

Scottoline does not disappoint - always a twist . The reader cares about the characters even though at times can be frustrated by their actions. I read straight through to the end, wanting to see if things would work out for this family.. And even though the ending was a bit unbelievable at times, Scottoline made it work. I eagerly await her next book.

I found it a little difficult to get through. Wasn’t as much of a page turner as I thought it would be. It seemed to drag a bit & left me wondering when the end would come. The bright side was the twist at the end. This was my first time reading this author. I won’t give up yet.