The Half Sister – Sandie Jones
Genre: Psychological Thriller & Mystery
Published: June 2020, Pan
Swathi’s Rating: 4/5
About the Book
The Half Sister is the compelling, twisty novel from Sandie Jones, the author of The Other Woman, perfect for fans of Sally Hepworth’s The Mother-in-Law and Michelle Frances’ The Daughter.
Her arrival will ruin everything
Kate and Lauren. Sisters who are always there for each other. But as they gather for their weekly Sunday lunch, a knock on the door changes everything.
The new arrival, Jess, claims to be their half-sister, but that would mean the unthinkable . . . That she’s the secret daughter of their beloved, recently deceased father Harry. Their mother Rose is devastated and Kate and Lauren refuse to believe Jess’s lies.
But as the fall-out starts it’s clear that each is hiding secrets and that perhaps this family isn’t as perfect as they appear.
Where there was truth, now there are lies and only one thing is certain, their half-sister’s arrival has ruined everything . . .
AmazonSwathi’s Thoughts
I have always been a fan of domestic thrillers that are fast paced and binge worthy, not too dark, just the perfect distraction from the present. So when I heard about a new book coming from one of my favourite crime authors, I dove right in without even reading the blurb. Turns out, Sandie Jones does not disappoint her fans.
‘The Half Sister’ was definitely one of its genre, but it’s a slow burn, family drama and takes it’s own time to get into the suspense part from where it is impossible to put it down. I read it in a few hours, and it was very entertaining. The book is perfect for those who love complicated, dysfunctional family where you cannot trust any of the characters in play and a suspense creeping all the way through the pages, waiting to be revealed at last!
The Half Sister is about a family, whose fate is about to be changed when an unexpected stranger enters their life, only to shatter their beliefs and faith in each other forever. One fine day when sisters Kate and Lauren are having their customary weekend lunch at their mother’s place, a young woman called Jess knocks at the door, claiming to be their later father’s other daughter. What follows is how each of the sisters take the news and try to unravel the truth about Jess and their father.
Narrated from Kate and Lauren’s PoVs we get to know more about each of the sisters. Both of them are in a difficult marriage. One who is still recovering her dad’s death and one who is ready to accept her late dad’s infidelity. Oh, they are also jealous of each other’s lives and there is always a hidden competition between the two, which I am sure is common between siblings. Right?
Highly recommended psychological domestic thriller that I completely enjoyed. If you are fan of Sandie Jones books, you’ll find her trademark storytelling style here and love the pace of the book. Many thanks to Ellis Keene from Pan Macmillan for having me on the official blog tour. All opinions are solely mine.
Meet the Author
Sandie Jones has worked as a freelance journalist for over twenty years, and has written for publications including the Sunday Times, Woman’s Weekly and the Daily Mail. She lives in London with her husband and three children.