I did enjoy this book but it does have a couple of things I found a little annoying. Firstly, it goes back and forth between two time periods which made it a bit hard to follow at times. My only other quibble is that it was a little far-fetched. Ella's sister, Miranda disappeared, but 10 years later Ella manages to find clues that the police weren't able to at the time of her disappearance.

Other than that it was well-written and I am glad I read it, it just wasn't quite as good as Claire Kendalls previous book, 'The Book of You' which I enjoyed.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

A fabulous book. One I couldn't put down. It’s fast-paced, cleverly constructed and genuinely thrilling. Although I found the 2nd person narrative took a bit of getting used to at first it did reinforce the closeness between the two sisters making it believable that Ella (Melanie) would still talk to Miranda and hear Miranda’s voice. A common criticism of thrillers is that they go soggy in the middle but with this book the opposite is true. The action ramps up with the introduction of a new character who is compelling in a Hannibal Lecter way and it all leads to an explosive climax

This book follows Ella and her quest to find out what happened to her sister Miranda, who disappeared ten years ago. Ella and her parents are raising Miranda’s son Luke between them and struggling at times to agree on what is best for him. Ella finds her self digging deeper and deeper into Miranda’s life in search of answers, but is she prepared for what the will find?

I loved this book from start to finish. I found myself very invested in Ella’s plight and I couldn’t wait to find out what had happened to Miranda. There were a good few plot twists thrown in, some of which I guessed and some I didn’t. Overall I found this book a thrilling ride and would happily recommend it to anyone who enjoys thrillers and/or mysteries.

Thanks to netgalley for the opportunity to have read this great new novel. Ella's sister went missing 10 years ago, and she has always wondered what has happened to dear old sis. Miranda's son is asking questions now about his mother's disappearance and the new investigation and search for answers set the tone of the rest of the book for me. It was a gripping read, and worth the effort. Recommended!

This book is more than a thriller, its about love, betrayal and obsession.Melanie or “Ella” as she likes to be know, is unable to live her life without knowing what happened to her sister Miranda when she disappeared 10 years ago. There are lots of little twists and turn, and I could really feel Ella’s anxiety and desperation for answers. I found myself racing through the story so that I may discover the truth myself. It was a good read, and while the answers were not what I had expected I felt satisfied with the ending.

Nope, couldn't get in to this book. Dull. Uninspiring.

The Second Sister
Wanting to solve the mystery of her older sister Ellas’s disappearance, 10 years before, Melanie decides to try to find out the truth, certain that Jason Thorne, a sadistic serial killer was responsible, she blames the police for missing vital clues.
Melanie and her parents are also looking after Luke, Ella’s son between them, trying to find some normality, and dealing with the aftermath and uncertainty of Ella’s disappearance.
Needing to finally discover what really happened to Melanie and determined to find out, Melanie knows in her heart that Ella would never have abandoned her son. Melanie investigates deeper into the mystery; she visits the man she thinks is responsible, now imprisoned in a mental institution, and under the care of a charming doctor, Adam Holderness.
The plot is very well thought out, full of suspense and scary in places, you are drawn in little by little, until you can’t put the book down, wanting to know the outcome.
You really identify with the family who are trying to make sense of their lives in the aftermath of Ella’s disappearance. I really enjoyed the pace of this novel, starting off slowly building the story up, the characters seem real and I was hooked into the story pretty quickly.
I would definitely recommend this book to lovers of psychological thrillers.

Super! Twists and turns, great characters, couldn't put it down.

Its OK< but i feel like i've read it all before. It got off to a slow start, and was pretty far fetched which is OK if the characters and writing arte really strong. a goodish read, but nto a brilliant one

Wasn't entirely badly written, but as I have been reading a lot of thrillers this summer, it felt lacklustre to me and didn't stand out from other novels. A quick read.

I felt like the story needlessly dragged on to the point where I was getting a little bored. I really like Claire Kendall's first book 'The Book of You' so I was looking forward to another great read. To me, the middle of the story could have been shortened.

A lot of characters have been thrown in to provide a whodunnit situation, making the wrap up a nice surprise for me. It's a little sad that Ella had to play detective in the bid to try to find out what exactly happened to her sister. A job that should have been done by police.

Excellent book. Great main characters and a real page turner. I loved the plot and would recommend this book.

This is not my normal genre of fiction. Hence my comment that I wouldn't buy it for a friend. However, it was well written with twists and turns. The two sisters Miranda and Melanie were clearly very close and then one goes missing. The younger sister never stops looking for her sister, despite the police never finding the abductor/killer or the body. Melanie takes self defense classes (which in the end prove very useful) she felt that her sister may have been attacked 10 years previously. The answer is finally found by Melanie, because of her courage and determination. The story line was a little slow about half way through, but the finish was fast and furious. If you like murder mysteries , then you will enjoy this read.

It has been a good while since I read a psychological thriller and I couldn't wait to jump back into the genre. There is something about this genre which I can't help but love. Maybe it is that the standout books from the genre always leave you with some deeper insight into yourself, especially your own dark side, or maybe it's that I just like scaring myself. But for whatever it's worth, I keep returning to psychological thrillers as a kind of palate cleanser after a row of non-fiction and literary fiction books.. For my return, I chose The Second Sister by Claire Kendal because nothing says 'this book is going to mess you up' like family and disappearances. Thanks to Harper Collins and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

As I said, family and psychological thrillers are the perfect mix. Nothing sets up both drama and redemption better than the tight-knit circle of family. Usually the families shown in psychological thrillers are intensely fractured and toxic, which is why I loved that The Second Sister went the other way. Although Ella's family is not perfect and there are fights, tears and betrayals, there is also that deep love and concern that many other novels miss. Because of the relatively warm atmosphere this creates, the darker aspects of the novel feel extra dark. Psychological thrillers are often overly dramatic when it comes to plots. Psychopaths hide behind every corner and protagonists have iron strong wills that nothing can stop. Although Kendal fully joins in with the drama of her chosen genre, the slow burn approach of her novel allows it all to feel a little bit less over-the-top.

The Second Sister only really spans a period of three weeks, in which years of secrets, lies and fears unravel, but Kendal takes her time, setting up the core relationships and the family dynamic before really letting her mystery run wild. As such, the reader can't help but become quite invested in Ella, and in her nephew Luca who is utterly adorable. By giving herself this space at the beginning of the book Kendal also makes it seem more plausible that Ella would have an insight into her sister's disappearance that the police could never have, while also making us realise the changes in Ella as she gets sucked deeper and deeper into her own investigation. Ella's voice in The Second Sister is very strong and I found her very likeable. She is caring and passionate, and has trained herself to be alert and watchful since her Miranda vanished. You want her to succeed in finding answers, as much for her sake as your own. The characters around her vary from clearly untrustworthy to slightly untrustworthy, everyone seemingly having hidden motives that stop Ella along her mission for justice.

Claire Kendal really knows how to drop you in a scary situation and make it seem as real as possible. By putting you directly into Ella's head Kendal is able to mine each situation for all it's got. Some of the scenes in the book are incredibly visceral, described down to the minutest detail until you almost want to stop reading. There are a lot of twists and turns in this book and I found myself suspecting everyone towards the end of the book. Once you think Ella is safe, Kendal puts another spanner in the works and throws the reader for a loop. She is also very good at setting up story lines early on and then letting them come to fruition later on. This should be expected from a thriller novel, but I find it's surprisingly rare to see it done well. Kendal does a good job at tying up loose ends towards the end of the book, but there is one story line in particular I still find unbelievable. Although I can't go into it without spoiling the book, it seemed like a far fetched idea that didn't sit well in a book that otherwise tries to be as realistic as psychological thrillers allow. As said, their plots are always slightly ridiculous and over-dramatic, but this one aspect involving a rather mysterious yet important man just felt overwrought. Overall, however, The Second Sister is incredibly thrilling and I couldn't put it down.

I really enjoyed The Second Sister and it completely had me in its thrall. Elle is a great protagonist, one of my favourites of the genre so far. Kendal will have you constantly wondering who you can trust and what is going to happen next. You might anticipate some of the surprises, but how she presents them will still delight. I'd recommend this to fans of psychological thrillers.

Fabulous book, I really enjoyed reading this and am so greatful that netgalley gave me the opportunity. I have already recommended this book to friends

I've just finished The Second Sister by Claire Kendal and it was a gripping read. It tells the story of Elle (Melanie), who lost her sister, Miranda mysteriously. The whole novel focuses on her finding the answers of what happened to Miranda and working out who X is.

The term "X" isn't ever used in the book itself. I'm just using it cause I don't want to spoil anything about the culprit.

Thank you to NetGalley for granting me access to The Second Sister. It was a good read with several twists and turns.

NOTE: This book is an adult read, I think or at least a 16+ read. Also there's talk of crime, corruption and abuse as well as a supposed murder in The Second Sister so if you're sensitive to any of that, maybe stay away from this novel.

I read this book for the "Read a book about a totally different character than you" part of the Booktubathon. Ella isn't anything like me in the fact that she's lost her sister as I don't have a sister. She's also more high strung than what I am, I think because of her life experiences.

3 Stars!

Spoilers below...

Elle's mum, dad and Miranda's son feature in the story as side characters throughout. There's also an ex boyfriend of Ella's as well as an enemy or hers that feature. The main story follows Elle wanting to find out what happened to Melanie for herself and her family.

"I need to know. Even if it's the worst thing, I need to"

is how Luke, Ella's nephew, Miranda's son begs his Auntie Ella to find out what happened to his mother. When I read this I thought, would a 10 year old really beg his aunt for answers about his mother, her sister? I'm not sure I would have done at that age but I haven't experienced it so I don't know. This was therefore a little unbelievable to me.

"I stare into Luke's clear blue eyes, which are exactly like yours"

This shows how similar Luke and his mum were. There are other comparisons throughout the novel. This made me keep thinking what Miranda actually looked like. We never see her as a present character in the novel. Just in flash backs and comparisons to other characters but these flashbacks happen periodically so we never forget Miranda.

"It's a confirmation that she no longer matters to them"

Ella tells her dad when she's upset about the lack of evidence the police have uncovered about what happened to Miranda. This is why she feels that she must go looking herself, even if it is against everyone's wishes.

Ella and her mother don't see eye to eye a lot of the time. For example her mother wants Luke to stay with her and her husband, Ella's dad. She doesn't want ella to have anything to do with him.

"You're father and I are going to have to consider whether it's still appropriate for him to visit you"

This is because Ella is taking risks in trying to find out what happened to Miranda. Luke wants her to search for answers but his guardians (Ella's parents) don't. This is believable as they just want to protect him. It's a little mean to totally block Ella out, though.

Another significant point to note is that we don't know who Luke's father is at the beginning. Ella finds out, as do we in the middle of the book but even this is questioned until right at the end.

There's a mystery surrounding who the criminal that hurt Miranda actually is. I don't want to spoil it here, at all because that would take away the surprise element that I enjoyed but X is present for part of the novel. He's pretending to be nice to Ella to get to know her.

"I'm worried about you Ella...as me" is how X worms his way into Ella's affections. This is after Ella goes to interview Miranda's supposed killer. The "..." is there because I didn't want to reveal what was written in the gap as that kind of gives away the supposed killer's identity. We, as the reader are meant to be really doubtful of the evil character or X. We're meant to question everyone that Ella comes into contact with throughout, even her friends. This is why the first person narrative works so well, as we are Ella. We experience everything through her, her bravery, her stupidity, her fear. We see it all in her character's mind's eye.

"You're like your sister" is the contray to what the title of this book means, I think. The title The Second Sister kind of says that Ella isn't as important as Melanie, at least to me. Ella's dad says this and her mum agrees. Ella, herself thinks differently though and knows that her and Miranda weren't as alike as people thought. They looked similar but their characters were completely different.
Also, Ella's dad uses present tense, instead of past meaning that he hasn't completely let go of Miranda yet. Maybe he thinks at about a fifth of the way through the story, where this quote is, that Miranda is still alive? Ella's mum is like this too. I believe "The Second Sister" just means that Ella is more the forgotten sister. Until now, when the novel takes place, she hasn't really had her time to shine.

"You used to call me Snow White"

Ella refers to "You" a lot when she remembers and to help her through difficult situations. It's like it's a calming method. "You" is Miranda. Ella feels as if she can talk through any situation with this imaginary sister. She does this a lot in the novel.

There's a creepy section where Ella goes a special hospital to see Thorne, the person locked up for Miranda's disappearance. We're unsure of what to think as the reader, here.

"Wish I had you alone in this bed Ella" Thorne's response after he's been tranquillised for capturing Ella in the mental facility.

"Vomit rushes out of me". This is Ella's reaction to the above statement. This part of the novel wasn't easy to read. I've never experienced anything like what Ella went through but it made me sure that I never want to be put in that position either.

What did I like about The Second Sister?
* I liked the small cast of characters. It was easier to follow the story than it would have been with a large character count.
* I found the story easy to follow. There weren't any events that didn't make sense.
* I liked the use of "You" in the story. Not a lot of characters refer to other characters in just this way. They use the name of the other character, especially if it's a family member like Miranda is to Ella.

What didn't I like about The Second Sister?
* I didn't like that the events were just focused around the crime of who hurt Miranda. I would have liked to have had other threads. I think these would have given the story more life.
* I didn't like that it took so much time for X to be revealed. It would have been better if they had been revealed before the end. Then we could have had more chapters with how the characters were doing after the main events of book.

I enjoyed "The Second Sister". It could have had perhaps more elements to the story to flesh it out a little more but it was an interesting look into something that I'd never experienced. But I did like the use of "You", especially. I thought it worked well in this sort of book. It's not clear straight away who "You" is. That's why I'm giving the book 3 stars.

Does this book sound interesting to you? If it does will you pick it up?

This was an ok thriller it's quite long and I did lose a bit of interest in the middle. Miranda has been missing for 10 years, she disappeared when her baby son Luke was only a couple of months old. Her sister Ella and her parents have been extremely focussed on searching for her. Luke has asked Ella to find his mother. She and her parent's share joint custody of him. Ella finds some new clues about Miranda's final days and searches on to find answers.

It is ten years since Ella's sister Miranda disappeared without trace, leaving her young baby behind. Chilling new evidence links Miranda to the horrifying Jason Thorne, now in prison for murdering several women. Is it possible that Miranda knew him?

At thirty, Miranda’s age when she vanished, Ella looks uncannily like the sister she idolized. What holds Ella together is her love for her sister’s child and her work as a self-defence expert helping victims. Haunted by the possibility that Thorne took Miranda, and driven by her nephew’s longing to know about his mother, Ella will do whatever it takes to uncover the truth – no matter how dangerous…

I thought this was AWESOME! I do love a good thriller and this was a brilliant rollercoaster of one. I didn't know whether I was coming or going with all the hints and red herrings along the way. There is so much going on in this story - from the 10 year old disappearance of Miranda, to the mystery of Luke's father; Jason Thorne and all the strange things happening to Ella. The dramatic conclusion was very fulfilling, though I picked up on some unanswered happenings which I hope might be followed up in some way - who knows! A really clever book you simply must read.

A gripping a fast reading book full of clever plot twists that kept me guessing until the end. A great 'detective' book with a non policing protagonist. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will keep an eye out for more by Claire Kendal

This is a holiday read - enjoyable enough but I found the relationship between Ellie and Ted not particularly well scoped out and therefore difficult to identify with. The nice part about the story was the relationship between a Ellie and her nephew. The final hundred pages were the best in the book and great to see a woman dealing with her protagonist using her physical and emotional resources!