Title: The Sister-in-Law by Pamela Crane
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
Genre: Contemporary, Domestic Mystery
Length: 368 pages
Book Rating: B+
Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through Edelweiss
Summary:
From the USA Today bestselling author of Little Deadly Secrets comes a gripping story about the frailty of family and a battle of wills between a wife and a sister-in-law, bent on revenge.
She stole my husband. So I’d steal her life.
The Wife
Lane won Candace’s heart over chocolate martinis and karaoke. But weeks into their whirlwind marriage, Candace realized Lane came with burdensome baggage in the form of his possessive live-in sister and her eerily watchful six-year-old son. Lane had a secret that seemed to hold him hostage, and Candace would do anything to uncover it.
The Sister-in-Law
Harper was the kind of woman who cooked homemade meals and dusted under the furniture. It was the least she could do for her brother after her husband’s mysterious death, and Lane took her and her kids in. Then Candace showed up like a tornado passing through, threatening and destructive. But Harper had other plans for her new “sister,” plans Lane could never find out about.
The Husband
All Lane had ever wanted was a white-picket-fence life. The wife. The two-point-five kids. The happy little family. Everything seemed to be falling into place with Candace … until Harper’s jealous streak got in the way, again. But choosing between his sister and wife would be costly … and knowing Harper, the price would be blood.
Review:
The Sister-in-Law by Pamela Crane is a page-turning domestic mystery with a deliciously twisty storyline.
Harper Paris arrives home to discover her husband Ben has committed suicide. Her first phone call is to her brother Lane Flynn who makes it appears as though his brother-in-law was murdered. Much to Harper’s dismay, the investigation is not exactly open and shut and she does not have access to their accounts. In financially dire straits, she and her two children move in with Lane and his (surprise!) new bride, Candace. Neither of the women can stand one another, Harper’s kids are an emotional mess and everyone is keeping secrets. Lane is caught in the middle but he works such long hours that Candace and Harper are left alone to simmer in their increasing dislike for each other.
Candace is happy for the first time in her life. She loves Lane and she is determined to kick her new sister-in-law, Harper’s strange six-year-old son Jackson and demanding eleven-year-old daughter Elise to the curb. Candace is also resentful that her new mother-in-law Monica does not make any effort to hide her disdain for her. Candace is a bit of a slob and lacks domestic skills, but she does make Lane very happy. Will she and Harper find common ground? Or will Candace win the battle of wills between her and her sister-in-law?
Harper has no intention of allowing Candace come between her and her brother. She is increasingly frustrated by her sister-in-law’s laziness and she knows Candace is not good enough for Lane. Harper is also unsettled about Jackson’s night terrors and his inability of express his emotions. She is tired of the fighting between her children and the lack of progress on Ben’s case. Harper is working on forgiving her husband about something she discovered about him right before his death. She is keeping a few secrets that she would rather no one uncover. Instead of focusing on her own problems, Harper is determined to find out the truth about her new sister-in-law and rescue her brother from his wife’s nefarious clutches.
The Sister-in-Law is an engrossing mystery with a delightfully twist-filled storyline. The characters are intriguing and sometimes not easy to like. The plot is fast-paced with unexpected turns that ratchet the tension to a fever pitch. With a dramatic showdown between Candace and Harper, Pamela Crane brings this mesmerizing domestic mystery to an absolutely shocking conclusion. I greatly enjoyed and highly recommend this brilliant mystery to fans of the genre.
