3⭐️⭐️⭐️



✨ 2 timelines / 1920’s -present
✨‼️ suicide
✨sinister


✨ for my pov, the story was quite confusing. It has a 2 timelines which is from 1920’s to present. I think it’s just jumpy on where the story goes.
✨val is a crime reporter, as she had an experienced itself when her sister died in ‘suicide’ but she thinks it’s a foul play.
✨ book has a predicatable ending which is quite frustrating. As I love the story portrayed and I love Val’s character it doesn’t justify the ending .




✨ Thankyou #netgalley for the arc copy of this book for a honest review.


🫶🏼 shaye.reads

Reporter Val Ritter will stop at nothing to solve the murder of her sister. She is convinced that her good-for-nothing brother-in-law is somehow involved. However, the police are not very concerned that foul play is involved because an empty pill bottle was found at the scene, signaling suicide. But Val knows her sister better than that. In dual timelines, we meet a woman from the 1920's who died in almost the exact same place. Will solving the secrets of that murder help Val to uncover what happened to her sister?

I found these book to be a decent thriller. I did enjoy the current storyline much better than the 1920's storyline. I connected much more with Val than I did Bridget (1920). I thought the merging of the two storylines was a bit odd, but in the end I wasn't disappointed with this book. Overall, I would recommend this book for a quick easy read. I did listen to the audiobook and found the narrators to be great. 3.5 rounded up to 4 stars.

Special thank you to Netgalley, the author and the audiobook publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

When Val's sister is found dead in a hotel room, she can't let it rest as a simple suicide. She joins up a retired detective who is drawn to the case by its similarities to another murder in the same hotel that took place in 1921. A well-written and well-read book.

I had such a fun time with this audiobook!

I went into this story not knowing a ton about it other than it was a mystery so the various POV switches were a surprise but it was all handled spectacularly here!

Val is a crime journalist whose sister has just been found dead at a fancy hotel. The police are about to wrap it up as a suicide but Val is adamant that her sister Sylvia would never do that. After Val breaks down at the library in front of him, Terry, a retired detective, offers to help her pursue a few other avenues before the detectives officially close down the case.

I loved the backstory for our two main characters. Val and Terry both have some valid reasons for getting involved in solving this mystery which isn't always the case with mysteries. I loved Val's steadfast belief in her sister and her desire for the truth. Terry has his own secrets and reasons for helping Val but he does truly care for her quickly and is interested in helping her find the truth.

The 1921 POV of Bridget was spliced throughout Val and Terry's search for the truth in the present. Bridget is a newlywed to a man she thought she could grow to love - however, she makes some shocking realizations leading up to and then immediately after the wedding. Bridget is a young woman who is being thrust into marriage quicker than she would have liked. After her wedding, she is in her hotel suite when her new husband reveals his true nature. Bridget faces a nightmare of a future and her POV's really leave the reader hoping and wanting the best for her. I definitely didn't know where Murphy was going with Bridget's story, especially with the cliff hangers her sections tended to end on.

This audiobook has three narrators - two for the current period and the third for the 1921 time period. The present was handled exceptionally well and I always appreciate dual POV books with each POV having their own narrator. Val and Terry's personalities are brought out well with the narration style and KL Murphy's general writing skills. I could completely feel Val's frustration and disbelief towards the possibility of her sister committing suicide. Terry's past detective skills and habits came out full force in his chapters. They really embodied each of these characters well. Bridget's narrator conveyed Bridget's youth and initial naivety, then later terror.

Overall, I absolutely enjoyed this story and its various twists and I definitely recommend the audiobook for it!

Thank you SO much to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

I absolutely loved this!! Such great characters and a great storyline.

My full review is to follow in a few days.....

I found the beginning to be a bit confusing with the dual timelines though I did appreciate the 'announcing' before each chapter as to which timeline it was in. As I got used to the rhythm of back and forth stories, it wasn't as confusing but I couldn't really see how they connected. Bridget's story was heartbreaking and it's horrible to think it was considered ok for a man to beat his wife and have her committed to a mental institution if she did something with which he did not agree. Bridget's new husband was a monster but she had no real recourse in those times. It was particularly sad that her parents encouraged her to marry this man because of the financial benefit to them. The present-day story was interesting though I didn't find Val very sympathetic and I'm not sure why.
I was disappointed in the ending which seemed rushed like someone was in the background telling the author to 'wrap it up'. The paranormal aspect didn't make much sense to me since it hadn't been brought out before. I think it would have added to the story if more had been explained about it. The narration was excellent, and overall this was an entertaining book.

"Her Sister's Death" by KL Murphy is a gripping tale of secrets, lies, and the relentless pursuit of truth. When reporter Val Ritter's sister dies under suspicious circumstances, she embarks on a dangerous journey to uncover the dark secrets of a Baltimore hotel. I liked this book, listened to in on audiobook and really enjoyed the different narrators. However, I wish the tie-in at the end was done a little differently. I don't mind a bit of paranormal or woo woo, but for me it didn't make sense with the rest of the story probably because it was introduced so late in the story. Overall, I really liked this book.

This book had an interesting storyline, but fell flat for me. The 3 different POVs in dual timelines had me slightly confused. It was just a lot to keep up with. I think I went into this book expecting more. The ending felt rushed. The big twist came, and I didn’t think there was enough build up during the story for the ending to have been what it was. I just wanted and expected more.

Thank you NetGalley and CanCat Publishing for an ALC in exchange for my honest and voluntary review.

K.L. Murphy's book Her Sister's Death drew me in from the very beginning. The title was intriguing and I needed to know what happened. The narrators were spot on and made the listen very enjoyable. The book went back and forth between present day and flashback to another couple in the 1920's. As I was listening to the book, I did not really enjoy the 1920's flashbacks. I felt that it was nice necessary and a bit confusing. Given this, it DID tie together nicely by the end of the book. I felt there was too much back and forth to make the current day story enjoyable.

It took me a bit to get into this one, but SO GOOD! The older story line felt a bit hokey on audible, but it’s worth seeing through. Good overall. I may a bit biased since I happened to be in Baltimore while reading, which made it extra real and extra
eerie. But generally, worth the read and a solid mystery!

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this audio book.

I enjoyed the suspense with this one. The dual timelines weren't hard to follow at all, the pacing was good and the characters interesting. The narrator did a good job as well.

I received an advanced copy of the audiobook and I really enjoyed it. I thought the narrators really brought the characters to life and I liked how to dual timelines tied together in the end. It is a harrowing tale of an old hotel full of violence and death and two women’s lives that were turned upside down due to events inside those hotel walls. One woman is desperate to escape and another is desperate for answers.

I listened to this audio book while I was kinda in a book slump and it definitely got me interested and out of my slump. I don’t remember much of what happened but yea it was good.

I received this as an audiobook from NetGalley.
The plot was good and up my alley. But I had to force myself to finish this book. There was just something about it that felt like a chore vs a book I couldn't wait to have more of. I don't know or care if it's a series. It didn't hook me enough to want more

Very entertaining audio book! I listened to it in a couple of sittings. I was hooked! There are 2 story lines going at once, past and present. In the present, the main character goes on a journey to discover the truth about her sister’s death. In the past, Bridget is newly married in an abusive relationship. It’s tied together at the end with some paranormal aspects. Very well written! Highly recommend this mystery! 4 stars!

Sylvia Ritter, a mother of two, is found dead in a run-down hotel. Her sister Val, a journalist, strongly believes that it was not a suicide. With the assistance of Terry Martin, a former homicide detective who now runs a security firm, they set out to uncover the truth. The missing diary could hold the key to the mystery.

I found Val unsympathetic and overly posed. The search with Val & Terry remains superficial and lacks some action.
Although the story is mostly dialogue-driven, I kept listening because I wanted to know how the second timeline was connected to Sylvia's death.
In Val’s & Teddy’s timeline there is merely talk and investigation of what happened, at a later point camera footage is reviewed to see who might have been involved in Sylvia's murder.

The second timeline is set during the Prohibition era and provides insight into the life of Bridget, a naive young woman. Bridget has a good relationship with her sister Margaret and is engaged to Lawrence. Despite her parents' approval of Lawrence, Bridget harbours a deep-seated fear of him due to his past with his first wife, who was institutionalised.

The narration is a little slow, so I listened to the audiobook at 1.25x speed, which worked much better for me.

I regretted that the author did not elaborate further on 'the voices,’ in my opinion, the history of the Franklin Hotel could have been explored a bit further.

The author keeps the listener in suspense for a VERY long time.

It seems that the author wanted to show the consequences of choosing: if Bridget had chosen Joseph, her life would have turned out different. It is sad to realise that if Bridget had been able to switch between the timelines, she would never have been convicted. I found the second timeline the most gripping and compelling to listen to.

I despise a man who thinks he can beat his wife. I therefore find it somewhat difficult to digest that the men in this story face few real consequences for their abusive behaviour, and like I said, a shorter story with more twists would have resulted in a more balanced and engaging narrative.

A tad too long, but still interesting enough to keep listening and find out how the two timelines were connected. The narration voices are really good.

3.5 stars. Thank you Netgalley for the audiobook review copy.


====

I loved this listen. Narration was good, story was intriguing. I loved the different time periods and the "vibe" of the hotel. This was my first experience with this author and I will definitely seek out more!

This was a clever mystery that had me unable to focus on anything else until I finished it! The audio was fantastic and well paced.

Her Sister‘s Death is the first of K.L. Murphy’s books that I’ve read, but it won’t be the last. I was extremely impressed and surprised. I especially loved the mystery components and the interweaving of history with the present.

It is a well written story of a dedicated sibling who is determined to find the truth out about her sister‘s death. Working with a retired police detective with secrets of his own, the two venture on a dangerous and compelling sleuth mission.

The characters were empathetic and relatable, and as they dive deeper into the investigation, more clues are unraveled, adding to the mystery. All of it was wrapped up neatly and believably. I highly recommend this book.

Enjoyed this audio book from start to finish. Great character development and the storyline was interesting.
Loved the tldrink recipes in each chapter.
I definitely would read or listen to another book by this author. Highly recommend it!