THE SECOND SISTER

Perfect for fans of Rosamund Lupton’s Sister and Laura Lippman’s What the Dead Know, this new novel of sophisticated psychological suspense from Claire Kendal charts the fallout from thirty-year-old Miranda’s disappearance—and her younger sister’s quest to find her.

Almost a decade ago, Ella’s sister, Miranda, vanished—leaving behind a two-month-old son. Ella is now thirty, the same age as Miranda was when she was seemingly ripped out of existence. Luke, her nephew, wants to leave his grandparents and come to live with her. And with every passing year, Ella is looking more and more like her missing sister.

As the ten-year anniversary of the tragedy approaches, Ella becomes convinced that the man who took Miranda is watching her family. But for her, this is an opportunity—not a source of fear. She is more determined than ever to find out what happened, to find something that the overworked police force missed in their initial investigation. Then, new evidence appears; at least, Ella believes it to be new evidence. No one else will take her seriously.

Is Ella paranoid? She has spent a decade feeling like the best part of her was cut away, and she still fears that she is partly to blame for what happened to Miranda. Or, driven by a desire to find answers for her beloved nephew and still-grieving parents, is she the only one actually paying attention, able to see things that everyone else overlooked?

If she is to solve the mystery of Miranda’s disappearance, Ella must face some difficult questions. What’s the story behind Miranda’s abandoned wardrobe, full of designer bags and shoes that cost many times more than she made as a nurse? How was Miranda able to pay cash for her flat and her luxury car? What made Miranda write a will when she was still pregnant, asking that custody of her child be shared between Ella and her parents? And the hardest one of all: Who is Luke’s father? Finding the answers is the only hope Ella has of learning what happened to her sister.

Claire Kendal was born in America and educated in England, where she has spent all her adult life. Her first novel,The Book of You, was translated into more than twenty languages. Claire teaches English literature and creative writing, and lives in England’s South West region with her family.