The Second Sister

July 17, 2017
Kendal follows her well-received debut, The Book of You, with a meandering novel of psychological suspense set in Bath, England. Ten years after Ella Brooke’s older sister, Miranda, left her infant son, Luke, with their parents and then vanished, presumed murdered, Ella is now the same age as Miranda was then and looks almost identical to her sister. Ella’s obsession with Miranda and preoccupation with having custody of 10-year-old Luke threaten to overwhelm her life and, at times, distance her from her parents. Luke longs to know about his mom and his father, whose identity has never been revealed. Ella believes that she has found evidence linking Miranda to serial killer Jason Thorne, sentenced to a psychiatric hospital, and she plans to visit Jason against her parents’ wishes. Aside from the precocious Luke, characters veer to the unappealing and one-dimensional. Ella’s grief over her sister and fondness for her nephew are understandable, but her stubbornness and strident nature make her unsympathetic. Agent: Euan Thorneycroft, A.M. Heath (U.K.).

August 15, 2017
A woman searches for the truth about her sister's long-ago disappearance when new evidence comes to light.Ten years ago, when Melanie "Ella" Brooke was 20, her 30-year-old sister, Miranda, disappeared, leaving Ella and their parents to care for her 10-week-old son, Luke, in Bath. There was speculation that murderer Jason Thorne could have had something to do with it, and he's now languishing in a high security psychiatric hospital. New evidence certainly points to Thorne: Miranda supposedly called him a month before she disappeared. Ella wants to speak to Thorne, hoping to gain some insight, but her parents don't approve, and neither does Ted, a policeman she's known since they were 4 and who was her first love. When the police return a box of her sister's things, Ella starts going through the contents, uncovering more questions about Miranda. How did Miranda, a nurse, afford a BMW and the purchase of an elegant flat, and why did she never reveal the identity of Luke's father? Meanwhile, the attentions of handsome psychiatrist Adam Holderness, who accompanies her when she visits Thorne, aren't unwelcome, but they're a distraction in Ella's single-minded pursuit of the truth. Ella, who narrates as if she's speaking to her sister, appears prickly at times, but her standoffish nature seems to have emerged from being a woman constantly in her more outgoing sister's shadow until she was forced to make her way in the world on her own. If there's any question about her empathy, it's put to rest in the way she interacts with the women, and men, who seek her help in escaping abusive relationships through her job as a self-defense trainer and especially in her fierce love for her nephew. Readers may have to suspend disbelief as the threads start to weave together with the help of more than a few coincidences, but Kendal's (The Book of You, 2014) considerable storytelling prowess saves the day. A tense, absorbing thriller that explores the complex bonds of sisterhood as seen through the eyes of a strong, capable woman who will stop at nothing in her very personal quest for answers.

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September 1, 2017
Nothing can loosen the bond of sisterhood. Ten years after 30-year-old Miranda Brooke disappearsleaving her infant son, Lukeher younger sister, Ella, still searches for her. Ella has fashioned her life around Miranda's unsolved case, working as a personal safety adviser and trainer for the charity founded by her family; even Ella's given name, Melanie, was commandeered by Miranda, who shortened it to Ella but kept the name Melanie for her exclusive use. Lukewhose father's identity Miranda never revealedis the love of Ella's life, as her relationship with a local police officer, which began when both were four years old, faded over the last decade. When police release a box of Miranda's belongings, Ella finds information in Miranda's address book that spurs her to search anew, even interviewing a serial killer in a psychiatric hospital. Ella's self-defense training and intuitive link with Miranda stand her in good stead when she misplaces her trust and finds herself in mortal danger. Kendal (The Book of You, 2014) displays insights and empathy that add depth to the mounting psychological suspense.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)