Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Secrets She Left Behind-Diane Chamberlain

Secrets She Left Behind
Diane Chamberlain
Mira, Jun 2009, $13.95
ISBN: 9780778326151

In Topsail Island, North Carolina Sara Weston has vanished without a trace; she left behind her seventeen year old son Keith. Worried about his mom, Keith is still recovering from his near death due to an arson fire at the church. He is also scared and angry that his nineteen year old half-sister Maggie Lockwood is being released from prison after serving one year for her role in the events that led to the fire.

Maggie is filled with remorse for her role in what happened to her half-brother. She vows to take whatever rage Keith dishes at her, though her younger teenage brother Andy, who suffers from Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder yet saved many lives from the blaze, threatens to intervene. As the three siblings struggle with life in general and with each other, they each wonder what happened to Sara.

This is more than just a direct sequel to BEFORE THE STORM as several of the major scenes are recreated with a different perspective; a technique used by Elizabeth George (see WITH NO ONE AS WITNESS and WHAT CAME BEFORE HE SHOT HER) and Jean Johnson (see THE CAT and THE STORM). The story line retains the fascination of the first book as readers see closely the sibling rivalries from rotating first person perspectives and Sara’s journal. Readers will wonder if the SECRETS SHE LEFT BEHIND will lead to answers as to what happened to Sara.

Harriet Klausner

No comments: