In a way a missing person is often a sentence worse than death. It has no finality and it promises a lifetime of uncertainty. It’s one thing knowing the fate of a loved one, even if the details are inhumane and almost impossible to bear. It’s quite another to spend minutes, days or years imagining the worst, whilst simultaneously hoping for the best.

This is the situation the reader finds Ella in. She is quite simply obsessed with the disappearance of her older sister Miranda. Vanished without a trace and leaving behind a young child. Was she overwhelmed with life or did someone take her?

Ella is absolutely obsessed with finding out what happened to her sister. She knows in her gut that Miranda would never just abandon her son. It has an impact on her health, her life, her relationships and everyone around her.

The scenes between Ella and Thorne are especially tense and nightmarish. The serial killer is only too happy to help Ella with her investigation. Of course, there is always a price to pay when a manipulative psycho is involved.

Kendal writes a gripping story, although it does occasionally wander into some unbelievable sub-plots and perhaps superfluous red herrings. It was still a good read, because the disappearance and the truth were delivered in a captivating way.
*Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my copy of The Second Sister.*

A thoroughly enjoyable, pacy thriller.. Ella's sister, Miranda, disappeared 10 years ago, leaving Ella and her parents to raise her 10-week old baby boy. Ella and her mum have also dedicated their lives to promoting safety for women via self-defence lessons, counselling and help for victims of domestic abuse. Ella is desperate to find out what happened to her sister and a chance meeting with the handsome psychiatrist Adam Holderness provides much needed help to gain access to serial killer Jason Thorne, living in the secure mental hospital where Adam is a psychiatrist. Rumour has it that Miranda was one of Thorne's victims and Ella visits intending to find out once and for all what happened to her sister. Those scenes were very chilling and put me in mind of Silence of the Lambs as Thorne toyed with Ella like a cat with a mouse, forcing her to play his mind games before finally pouncing. There are dead-ends and red herrings a plenty in this smart thriller. Highly recommended.

Gripping, Twisty, Creepy, An excellent book to read as quickly as possible

Ticks every box! Oh i do love a good mystery and this one delivers everything i need, from plenty of clues to red herrings to inspirational heroines.

I just loved The second sister I was hooked from the first few pages.
The book focuses on Ella and her missing sister who disappeared 10 years ago.
Great twists and turns throughout. I loved this book.

I enjoyed this book very much, however it had so many similarities to another one that I had read before that I had to remind myself which one I was reading. A good story with a few implausible details, but they can be overlooked as the essence the story if good.

This is a well thought out story, with a very dramatic climax. I was a bit confused at the conversations in Ella's head at first, but soon understood what they meant. It is one of the few books written in the first person that I have read that I could see why the author used it, but generally I think it makes the story a wee bit jerky, a little bit unreal.
There is a lot of emotional tension within the story, and several of the characters have a secret they are hiding. In places it is a hard story to read, bringing tears to the eyes. I think that the story felt very real, that if a family member was to go missing, and you can find out nothing about where they have gone or what has happened to them, then the different methods used by Ella and her parents to cope with the situation is how families would react.
This is a powerful story, well worth reading.

Wow, The Second Sister is a twisted tale indeed in the very best way possible.

I loved “The Book of You” (and I still have my promotional Book of Liz from way back) so I was very keen to read this and turns out for good reason because it was absolutely beautifully addictive, really rather clever and often very very creepy. What’s not to love?

Ella as a character was top notch, driven, unforgiving yet extremely likable, you follow her along through good decisions and bad and can barely look away – some of the most chilling scenes come when she faces down the man she believes took her sister – but that is just the tip of a very deep iceberg.

Family relationships are explored, a strong theme of the affects of loss run through the storyline, what I loved most of all was its multi-layered strands that allowed things to be unpredictable (at least for me until about 3/4 of the way through) To be honest by about half way I didn’t really care about whodunnit, if indeed anyone did, but I wanted Ella to find her closure, to be able to move on. For me that’s the sign of a great crime book.

Claire Kendal takes us down a dark and dangerous road to the truth, every step on that road is an obfuscated one, keeping things off kilter and making for a completely gorgeous read and a finale that left me clutching my hair.

Overall very very good indeed. Loved it. Highly Recommended.

**Review also on Goodreads and Amazon**

Thank you net galley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Ella is trying to move on 10 years after her sister, Miranda, disappeared. She is trying to help her parents raise her nephew and solve the mystery of her disappearance.

Claire weaves lots of little twists into this tale and just as you think you have worked it out its a big nope!!!

Sometimes I read a book that totally hooks me in although I can't honestly explain why....well this was one of those books. Great read

he chilling new psychological thriller by Claire Kendal, author of the bestselling novel, THE BOOK OF YOU, which was selected for Richard and Judy in 2015. Perfect for fans of THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN and DISCLAIMER. Ten years ago, Ella’s sister Miranda vanished without trace. Now thirty, the same age as Miranda when she disappeared, Ella has grown to look dangerously like the missing woman. Ella becomes convinced that the man who took Miranda is watching her family. To Ella, this is an opportunity as much as a prospect of fear. It makes her more determined than ever to find out what happened to the beautiful and mysterious Miranda. Because who better than a sister to see what the police overlooked and to understand the missing woman? Especially as the perpetrator leaves new evidence that only Ella takes seriously. Is Ella paranoid, or intensely intuitive? She idolised her older sister, but now she will need to face some difficult truths. How was Miranda, a nurse, able to pay cash for her flat and her luxury car? What made her write a will when she was still pregnant, asking that custody of her child be shared between Ella and her parents? The price of learning Miranda’s fate will be far higher than Ella imagines…

A really good psychological thriller the author has created an amazingly strong character in Ella, determined to find out the truth to what really happened ten years ago to her sister Miranda. The novel manages to grip you and ends up being one of those not want to put down type of novels as you really want to know how things end. A good gripping read, well constructed and written.

The Second Sister may contain a number of implausible plot points but that doesn't take away from my enjoyment of it. I found this book gripping, tense and curiously fascinating.

When Ella, the younger sister to Miranda (a woman who disappeared 10 years ago), carries on chatting with her sister in her head you may think she's a bit mad. After a while it feels completely normal as if Miranda is a real, flesh and blood character interacting with Ella. I completely got it and liked the dynamic between them. It seemed to bring Ella out of her shell and empowered her.

There's quite a lot that transpires from beginning to end and I relished the journey. I am so glad to have found Claire Kendal I will certainly keep my eyes open for her future works!

A well-paced story, setting the scene for an unpredictable finale. Easy to read, difficult to put down.

I confess I'm not too keen on the format in first person as if Ella is talking to her missing sister Miranda. I also think the theme is becoming overdone. The characters were all odd balls - their strange dialogue and interaction made me think they were all a bit cuckoo. An interesting end.

Though it dragged a bit in the middle, it picked up again by the end so would recommend...

I received this copy from the publisher in return for my independent honest review.
This book is a psychological thriller at its best. The narrator, Ella Brooke has found new evidence regarding her sister's disappearance ten years previously. Miranda her elder sister just vanished leaving behind her baby boy to be cared for by her parents and Ella.
The suspect was never found, however there are tenuous links to a serial killer whom Ella visits to try to find answers and unearth the truth.
The characterisations in this were excellent. Ella is someone I liked even though at times I worried about some of her decisions. I suppose if one is desperate to find their lost sister sensibility doesn't always take first priority!
Jason Thorne, the serial killer is an unnerving character who adds to the sixpence of this book. Full of twists, turns and false leads that keep you guessing until the end, with an unexpected conclusion.
This is a fast paced emotional read.

What happened to Ella’s older sister Miranda? A young nurse, a single mother – her disappearance leaves many questions unanswered. The obvious one is she alive or dead; who is the father of Luke, her son; how could she afford to buy a flat, a car; how could she afford her designer clothes? Ten years later, Ella is still seeking answers; she is still conversing with her older, sister; still troubled by all the unanswered questions.

Claire Kendal has constructed an exciting plot with fascinating characters. Why is Ella’s old friend, Sophie such a difficult personality; should we trust Ella’s lover; is the good doctor ‘good’; is the baddie insane; why is her mother so uncompromising? Finally, is Ella overshadowed by Miranda – is she forfeiting her life to the mysteries surrounding Miranda?

Lots of questions which contribute to a truly chilling thriller. The cast of characters/suspects is superb.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for providing an ARC via my Kindle in return for an honest review.

I received an advanced copy of this, and I am so glad I did. At the beginning of the book I did think I wasn't enjoying it much, but it's not a typical type that I go for. I can truly say that after a few pages I did get into the story and I didn't put it down until the end! I really enjoyed this, and I enjoying guessing and getting it wrong too. And for once I liked the ending! Would recommend this to anyone!

Thank you so, so much NetGalley and the Publisher for providing me with an ARC of this novel in exchange of my honest review.

I absolutely loved this book. The author's style is refreshing, beautiful, well crafted and immersed me in the story from the very first sentence. The characters are all well built and interesting and I specially love how everyone has it's flaws, as normal people do. No evil villains for the sake of evil nor perfect victims and protagonists just so we can fall for them.

I also really like how our protagonist is strong on her own. And, I know it's not a popular opinion but I love books written in second person, so this was perfect for me.

The plot is consistent and told in just the right pace.

I absolutely recommend this novel. It was a fantastic read and I immediately started Claire Kendal's other book, The Book of You right after reading the last page.

I loved The Book of You and even though it had quite a harrowing storyline I was unable to read my eyes away from the horrors that were unfolding before me. So I was really keen to read Claire Kendals second book but would it live up to my expectations compared to her previous well written and researched psychological thriller? Well, it was never in doubt really was it?! Although I think I actually loved it more! It certainly pulled me in very quickly with its killer plot lines, peppered with some intriguing twists and one of the scariest prison visit scenes I have ever read!

There do seem to be a lot of “sister” books around at the moment. Using the relationship between siblings as a starting point for a psychological thriller seems to be growing in popularity but this felt very different right from the start for me. The sisterly dynamics were more intriguing here as, although Miranda wasn’t actually there with Ella, we were still able to feel their strong connection through the techniques used by the author as she explored the sister’s relationships with their parents and with Luke. And Ella still had conversations with her missing sister in her head which seemed to guide her towards most of the decisions she made.

Ella and her parents have been bringing up 10 year old Luke since Miranda, his mother and Ella’s sister, disappeared when Luke was just a baby. Although someone was convicted of similar murders, the police have never found her body but new evidence discovered in her belongings is now pointing towards a connection, although the police don’t seem very interested in pursuing it. But as Matilda still lives on in Ella’s head, as well as every time she looks in the mirror, so she decides to investigate further herself despite a warning from her friend Ted who is a local police officer.

I loved how I got a real feel for the character of Miranda throughout. Her voice came through so clearly due to Ella keeping her relationship with her sister alive with her memories and imagined conversations. Although 10 years have passed, her grief at losing her sister was still raw, crushing her and affecting her decisions. I found her narrative utterly heart breaking at times especially when Ella was with Luke, her nephew. I would probably have to say at this point that this isn’t a fast paced read but that didn’t stop me from becoming absolutely bewitched by the beautifully crafted characters and totally engrossed in the tension filled plot from page one.

And right from that first page the I had a strong sense of foreboding about what had happened to Miranda and what might also happen to Ella if she wasn’t careful! This is definitely one of those books where you want to scream at the characters for making ill advised and rash desicions that are obviously going to make things a hell of a lot worse for themselves! Well, obvious to the reader of course but seemingly not to Ella!

The Second Sister is creepy, claustrophobic and utterly compelling as the tension builds towards its twisty, terrifying climax. Highly recommended by me.