Critic Oline Cogdill shared her review of Hank Phillippi Ryan’s forthcoming novel, Mother Daughter Sister Stranger. The review originally appeared in the South Florida Sun Sentinel. Ryan will appear for a virtual event for the Poisoned Pen on Friday, Sept. 11 at 4 PM MST, with the event available on Facebook and YouTube. With a release date of Sept. 1, you can pre-order a signed copy of Mother Daughter Sister Stranger through the Webstore, https://tinyurl.com/3apcxvuw.
Check out Cogdill’s review.
Book review: How well do we know family? ‘Mother Daughter Sister Stranger’ digs into our different roles
‘Mother Daughter Sister Stranger’ by Hank Phillippi Ryan; Minotaur; 352 pages; $29
The title of Hank Phillippi Ryan’s highly entertaining domestic thriller might seem a bit unwieldy. But “Mother Daughter Sister Stranger” sums up the various roles a person may assume during a lifetime and how those roles may change depending on relationships and time.
But nothing is unwieldy about Ryan’s tightly coiled plot, which focuses on the relationship between two sisters whose love for each other has surpassed tragedies, years and their changing roles in each other’s lives.
Eliza and Bea Ramsey were 17 and 20, respectively, when their parents were killed in a plane crash. Amazingly, the sisters survived being in the back seat of the private plane their father owned. Eliza now works in Boston for a literary agent, while Bea is a high-profile fashion influencer and mother of the bright, curious Piper.
The sisters’ close bond remains strong, as does their grief over the loss of their parents. Each year, they hold a Remembrance Day to mourn the anniversary. But on the 11th year, Bea fails to show up at Eliza’s Boston brownstone to join her sister and collect Piper, who was spending the week with Eliza.
“Mother Daughter Sister Stranger” focuses on Eliza’s search for Bea, her attempts to shield Piper from any ideas that the child may have been abandoned and to uncover any secrets about Bea that Eliza didn’t know.
Ryan’s engrossing plot centers on the sisters’ lives, their interactions with each other and others in their lives.
Although Bea is missing through most of the plot, Ryan keeps her personality and quirks present. The sisters have been surrounded by controlling people: Bea’s estranged husband, who seems unconcerned about their daughter or Bea’s status; Eliza’s boss; and their aunt, who acted as a substitute parent after their mother and father died. Now, long-buried family secrets tied to the fatal flight are tumbling out.