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After Anna
After Anna
After Anna
Ebook477 pages6 hours

After Anna

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

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Riveting and disquieting, After Anna is a groundbreaking domestic thriller, as well as a novel of emotional justice and legal intrigue. New York Times bestselling author Lisa Scottoline keeps readers on their toes until the final shocking page.

Nobody cuts deeper than family...

Dr. Noah Alderman, a widower and single father, has remarried a wonderful woman, Maggie Ippolitti, and for the first time in a long time, he and his young son are happy. Despite her longing for the daughter she hasn’t seen since she was a baby, Maggie is happy too, and she’s even more overjoyed when she unexpectedly gets another chance to be a mother to the child she thought she'd lost forever, her only daughter Anna.

Maggie and Noah know that having Anna around will change their lives, but they would never have guessed that everything would go wrong, and so quickly. Anna turns out to be a gorgeous seventeen-year-old who balks at living under their rules, though Maggie, ecstatic to have her daughter back, ignores the red flags that hint at the trouble brewing in a once-perfect marriage and home.

Events take a heartbreaking turn when Anna is murdered and Noah is accused and tried for the heinous crime. Maggie must face not only the devastation of losing her daughter, but the realization that Anna's murder may have been at the hands of a husband she loves. In the wake of this tragedy, new information drives Maggie to search for the truth, leading her to discover something darker than she could have ever imagined.


Praise for Lisa Scottoline:

"A deliciously distracting thriller...Scottoline illuminat[es] the landing strip of revelations and truths in a deliciously slow and intense way." —The Washington Post on After Anna

"Scottoline keeps the pace relentless as she drops a looming threat into the heart of an idyllic suburban community, causing readers to hold their breath in anticipation." —Booklist on One Perfect Lie

"Readers can be assured that the author nails the high school milieu, from athletic rivalries to sexting...they're in for one thrilling ride." —Kirkus on One Perfect Lie

"Entertaining...This fast-paced read culminates in a daring chase that would play well on the big screen." —Publishers Weekly

LanguageEnglish
Release dateApr 10, 2018
ISBN9781250099679
Author

Lisa Scottoline

Lisa Scottoline was a trial lawyer before turning to writing full-time. She won the prestigious Edgar Award for her second legal thriller, ‘Final Appeal’, and her first thriller, ‘Everywhere That Mary Went’, was nominated for the same high honour. Her books have been translated into more than twenty languages. She lives with her family in Philadelphia.

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Reviews for After Anna

Rating: 3.7695472839506174 out of 5 stars
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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Parenting a teenager is usually full of challenges, but the challenges are taken to a new level with a teen who has millions of dollars at her disposal, is extremely manipulative and an accomplished liar.Maggie and Noah have no idea what they are getting into when they allow Maggie’s estranged daughter to move in with them and become a part of their family. Maggie, who hasn’t seen her daughter Anna since she was an infant, is full of guilt at not being there for Anna and is ready to step up and do her best as a mother.Things quickly escalate into a horrible situation. Anna is murdered and all evidence points to Noah as the murderer. Noah is arrested and tried for the crime. The story moves back and forth between the trial and the time Anna was living with them before she was murdered.I found the portion of the trial to be very tedious and it made the story drag, but the last quarter of the story more than made up for it. I found that this was a story that was on my mind long after I finished reading. Many thanks to NetGalley and St.Martin’s Press for providing me with an advance copy.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Maggie Ippoliti, married to widower Dr. Noah Alderman, stepmother to his young son, seems to have a near perfect life. What is missing is the daughter she was forced to give up as a result of severe post-partum psychosis, seventeen years ago. Her daughter, Anna, reaches out after the death of Maggie's ex-husband, and comes to live with the Aldermans in suburban Philadelphia. Anna is a disruptive force on the formerly stable Alderman household, and her murder lands Noah in jail, and sends Maggie on a search for the truth. Lots of twists and turns in this enjoyable thriller.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    Interesting plot structure and courtroom scenes. However, for me, some things seemed implausible.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Good story. The ending was very rushed and typical. Was hoping for a bit of a stronger finish!
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This was a good story, but it could have been so much better. The plot was suspenseful with an ending that was hard to figure out and kept me reading. The characters however, were not well developed and appeared rather flat. Their responses and relationships with each other didn’t ring true and often didn’t make much sense. Their responses often seemed almost cliche. I think I rolled my eyes more than once. I also didn’t really care about them the way I needed to to find this book exceptional. There was a lack of consistency in the story that left me disappointed. The action would be moving along well and it would stall out by switching to a much less dramatic point. I appreciated the way the author told the story with shifting timelines, but it was often too quick to jump back and forth, disrupting the direction. I did find the story to be good in spite of this. I think it will have a fair appeal to many readers. I just wish the characters had more depth and seemed more realistic. My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this title.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Pediatric allergist Noah Alderman, a widower and single father, has found happiness in a second marriage with divorcée Maggie Ippolitti. She adores Noah’s son, Caleb, and they have a happy family despite Maggie’s sadness over not having seen her daughter since she was a baby. One day, Anna unexpectedly contacts her and, to Maggie’s delight, Anna wants to come live with her. Maggie is thrilled at the thought of a second chance to be a mother to her daughter.But Anna is manipulative and pits Maggie against Noah; amid mounting tensions that threaten to destroy the family, Anna is murdered, devastating Maggie and sending Noah to prison for the crime. However, when Maggie realizes that something is amiss, she sets out to find the truth. Will it repair the damage to her fractured family or will she find even more heartbreak?With complex, believable characters, the story spins out in moments of guilt and manipulation that create tension and keeps those pages turning. Anna is not particularly likable, Maggie is annoyingly naïve, and Noah makes some incredibly poor decisions, but the alternating chapters telling the story from Maggie’s perspective and from Noah’s perspective help to keep the suspense building. Far into the story, an unexpected plot twist changes everything readers thought they knew and turns the story in an entirely different direction.Recommended.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    After Anna by Lisa Scottoline is a 2018 St. Martin’s Press publication. Riveting courtroom drama, taut suspense, and emotional family drama-When Maggie’s estranged seventeen- year old daughter, Anna, calls out of the blue, hoping to reconnect, Maggie is over the moon. As it turns out, Anna’s father has died, making Anna a very wealthy young woman, but she is utterly alone in the world. Maggie, of course, immediately invites Anna to move in with her and her new husband, Noah, and his son. Maggie would finally have the complete family she had always longed for. But, things go awry almost immediately when Anna and Noah clash, exposing large cracks in the veneer of Maggies's perfect family. But, as tense as things have become between Maggie and Noah, as strained as their marriage has become, Maggie never could have imagined a day when her husband would stand trial for the murder of her only child. Did Noah cross a line with Anna? Did he murder her? Lisa Scottoline is usually pretty solid, and I enjoy most of her books. But, I really found myself caught up on this one, more so than usual, probably because of the courtroom drama. I haven’t read any clever courtoom scenes, like this one, in so long I felt like I’d found an oasis in a desert. The trial was absolutely fantastic!! The family drama is interwoven within all the legalese, as Noah recalls the events that led up to his arrest for Anna’s murder. Although, it didn’t take long for me to figure out what was going on, at least to some extent, I still suspected anyone and everyone along the way of being complicit or involved in some way, which of course, is exactly the way I like it. However, the story almost careened too far off course, in the second half, putting all that carefully crafted momentum at risk. I had to suspend belief a little more than I would like to, but, at the end of the day, I think things evened out enough to give the book a strong finish. The suspense is taut, not just from a criminal aspect, but from an emotional one, as well. Relationships are always complex, and this book explores the ways a seemingly perfect marriage and family has vulnerabilities, and be hacked into just like with technology. One has to be on guard at all times for potential malware. Personality traits and certain tendencies can work for us or against us when we are thrown into bizarre, unimaginable circumstances. Once everything was said and done, I think a few of these characters were much stronger after having faced this type of adversity. Prioritizing what is really important in life is something we can all strive for, but hopefully we won’t have to face such catastrophic challenges before we see the need to keep things in perspective. Although the story has a few weak spots, one will have to overlook, because the legal aspects were so strong, because I cared about the characters, and because I loved the ending, and the message I gained from this story, I feel this is a strong and entertaining effort from LS.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the advance e-copy of After Anna by Lisa Scottoline in exchange for an honest review. Although the author writes strong legal series, this standalone novel captures your attention from the beginning. Maggie and Noah have married, each for the second time. All appears well until Anna enters the picture. She is Maggie's teenage daughter, who was taken from her in infancy, by Maggie's then-husband who had her declared an unfit parent. When Anna's father dies suddenly, Maggie and Anna are reunited after years of estrangement. So far, so good. The rest you will need to read on your own. To tell you more would be a spoiler. This is a fast-paced, suspenseful novel that does not let up. Each chapter is headed either by Maggie or Noah, before or after Anna. This is a very effective style of writing because it sheds light on both sides of the story. Read this book and you will be astounded. Predictable it is not.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Maggie develops portpartum depression after having her daughter, Anna. She goes into therapy for her depression. During this time, her husband divorces her and goes to the courts for the custody of Anna.Maggie remarries and is deeply with her new husband and his son.Imagine Maggie's surprise, when out of the blue and Seventeen years later, she receives a call from her daughter Anna. She brings Anna into her lie and cannot wait to reconnect with her. They had alot of living to catch up on.Things are going so well with this newly knit family. A few weeks later, it appears that Anna is trying to break up Maggie and Noah's family.Noah tries to persuade Maggie that Anna is manipulative and abusive. Maggie is so enthralled with her daughter that she is beginning to think Noah is jealous of her step-daughter.This book is a roller coaster of a ride. When I think I have everything figured out, another situation occurred. This is a stand-alone book and I loved every minute of it.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Have you ever made a mistake in your life and desperately wished for a do-over? For 17 years Maggie Alderman has lived with regret over losing custody of her infant daughter Anna. But Anna’s father has died in a plane crash leaving her in a boarding school, and Anna now wants to come to live with Maggie, her husband Dr. Noah Alderman, and stepson Caleb. The days of what was once a loving happy family are over…after Anna came to live with them. It quickly becomes apparent that Anna is quite the manipulator. She wants her stepfather out of the picture, and what Anna wants, Anna gets. I found it impossible to like Anna as she cunningly destroys the lives of Maggie and Noah, who out of love opened their home to her and completely accepted her.The book alternates between Maggie’s chapters and Noah’s chapters. As the story opens Noah has been charged with first degree murder and awaits the jury’s verdict. Maggie’s storyline begins with the phone call from Anna wanting to reconnect with her mother.The characters felt very real, the situation very credible. It tore at my heart watching Maggie and Noah being torn apart by this evil teenager. Yet in the midst of this, both Maggie and Noah sought to protect ten-year-old Caleb from the emotional upheaval the adults were dealing with.Ms. Scottoline writes a couple of series, but her standalone books are my favorite. “After Anna” may well be her best book yet. With building suspense and unseen twists this book may result in sleep deprivation.Thank you to Erica Martirano at St. Martin’s Press for the advance copy to read and review.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Anna, Anna, Anna...she finally has come home to her mother, but what should have been a joyous occasion after seventeen years turns into a nightmare.Anna and Maggie were apart for seventeen years. Maggie’s husband falsely accused her of abusing their infant daughter and took her away. Anna connected with her mother after her father was killed in a plane crash.Maggie had remarried and lived with her loving husband, Dr. Noah Alderman. Everyone accepted Anna into the family even though Anna balked at their rules.AFTER ANNA takes us back and forth in time as we follow the trial that has Dr. Alderman fighting for his freedom, and we are taken back to the days BEFORE Anna's return and DURING Anna’s return home to her mother after seventeen years.Anna had her mother believing everything she told her whether it was true or not, and Maggie was not believing anything her husband said about Anna.I didn’t like Anna the moment I met her. Something just told me she was manipulative, cunning, and evil.Ms. Scottoline has written another fantastic thriller filled with tension that will keep you on the edge of your seat along with characters that you will not like and some that you will want to tell to wake up and see what really is going on.Everything was PERFECT until Anna arrived. Do NOT miss reading this book. 5/5This book was given to me free of charge and without compensation by the publisher in return for an honest review.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I received a free advance e-copy of this book and have chosen to write an honest and unbiased review. I have no personal affiliation with the author. Another great domestic crime thriller from one of my all time favorite authors! Lisa Scottoline’s great storytelling ability shines in ‘After Anna.’ Wow! How can everything go so wrong in just a few weeks? This book is packed full of action and suspense with twists and turns. There is a twist at the end that I never saw coming, a real surprise. Couldn’t put it down. Maggie never gives up as she searches for the truth. So many dark secrets. Is this the work of a major manipulator? Wow, another extremely well written thriller by Lisa Scottoline with an amazing plot and excellent character development. ‘After Anna’ is well worth the read and I look forward to reading more from Lisa Scottoline in the future.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I have very mixed feelings about this book. I have been a fan of Lisa Scottoline for a long time and have almost always really enjoyed her books so I went into this book expecting to love it. I didn't love it but I didn't hate it either. It was really just kind of okay for me. I had a really hard time getting into this book and it actually took me an entire week to finish it which is a very long time for me to be reading a single book. Once I really got into the book a bit, I did find the story a bit more entertaining and was very curious how things would work out.I feel like Scottoline took a bit of a risk with how this story is laid out and I am not sure that it paid off at least for me. The book is told through 2 points of view and 2 different time lines. Noah's point of view starts at the end his trial for the murder of Anna and works its way backwards through time. Maggie's point of view begins with Anna's first contact with her since she was a baby and progresses towards the events leading to the trial. These two points of view move in opposite directions until they eventually come together. I feel that one of the reasons that I had such a hard time getting into the book was that I already knew that Anna was going to be killed and Noah was going to stand trial for the murder. I didn't know how those things would happen but some of the desire to find out what would happen next was lost simply because of how the story was laid out.Eventually the two points of view meet up and start to follow the same basic timeline which really worked better for me. Some of that is achieved through Noah's memories while he sits in the courtroom during his trial. I think that some of the best parts of the book were the times that we would see an event from both Noah and Maggie's point of view. I love a good plot twist. But I like for plot twists to be believable. I want them to be at least somewhat realistic. This book started taking twists and turns all over the place and most of them seemed way over the top. Instead of surprise over the turn in the story, I felt shocked that the story had become so implausible. The last part of the book spun in a whole new direction that seemed more odd than anything. Despite my issues, I do enjoy Scottoline's writing and found this book to be very readable and I did like the book. I think that a lot of readers will enjoy this one more than I did so I would encourage anyone drawn to the description to give the book a try. I do plan to read more from Lisa Scottoline in the future. I received a digital review copy of this book from St. Martin's Press via NetGalley.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    No surprise, Lisa Scottoline has done it again. I pre-order all her books without fail so that I can have it in my hands the day it’s released, and I clear my calendar because I know I am going to want to read it straight through. No surprise again, After Anna had me riveted from first page to last.We spend almost all of our time in the book with Noah, Maggie, Caleb and Anna. Except for Caleb, who’s 10 years old and what you see is what you get, you don’t know what the rest of them will be up to from one page to the next.The format of the book is unique, but it works. Works very well, because the suspense starts on the first page and never lets up. After Anna is told from the alternating POVs of Noah and Maggie. Noah’s starts with the last day of the trial, just before the verdict comes in, and goes backwards in time. Maggie’s POV is Before. You learn a little more with each chapter about what happened, or supposedly happened, but I couldn’t decide who was telling the truth and who was the liar, who was the victim and who was the perpetrator, who might have an ulterior motive or a hidden past, and for a time I wondered if someone could be just plain crazy.The story twists and turns and I had no idea what was coming. Total surprise right up to the end. After Anna is filled with emotion and thrills. Read it now: it will only take you a day or so because once you pick it up you won’t be able to put it down until you reach the very satisfying ending.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    You know when you read everything an author writes how you start to anticipate how the story will go. You know the authors writing style and think you can tell where she is going to take you? Yea, well this is a Lisa Scottoline thriller but it will take you down paths that are not in your comfort zone and will make you question where you thought the story was going. After Anna is a psychological thriller that touches on mental illness, losing your parental rights, rape, and lies. So many lies… There were times that I could feel the story was off, some of the things happening just didn’t add up. There were times that I wasn’t sure if the character was telling the truth or a lie. The story kept me on my toes, kept me guessing, and kept me wondering where I would end up. This was not my favorite Lisa Scottoline book but it was a book that I continue to think about even a few days after I have finished. The story has stuck with me, I told my mom about it, recommended it to a friend at work, and am excited to see what other’s will think about it. I recommend picking up your own copy.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    The main character is Maggie, a woman we discover who had an infant girl but suffered from postpartum psychosis after her birth, resulting in divorce from her husband and loss of physical custody of the daughter. The father moved to France after selling his business making him extremely rich. He also put their daughter Anna in boarding school and did not allow Maggie any contact with her, not even a photo. As unrealistic as this situation is in today's world when the courts acknowledge this condition and that a child should maintain contact with both parents, even if supervised, we move on to even more unbelievable events. Maggie marries a pediatric doctor with a son with a learning disability. Life is perfect until Anna calls out of the blue. It seems dad and his new family all died in a plane crash, leaving Anna a wealthy young woman who wants to move back with her mother, despite not having seen her since she was an infant. Then when home she makes all sorts of allegations of sexual abuse by her new stepfather, resulting in prison for him after she is murdered, allegedly by him. Throw in the former girlfriend and pharmacy saleswoman that suddenly appeared at the trial, the coincidence that a poor girl from Anna's former school area looked enough like her to take her place and the fact that no one missed a number of missing girls until Anna was gone, and you get the picture. Then toss in extreme danger in prison for dad to amp up the end, which of course everything worked out. We never did find out who sent Anna the e-mail luring her to her death, but who cares? I found this book too much of a strain on credibility and wished I had not wasted my time reading it. Very disappointed.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Let me preface this by preparing you for all of the exclamation points I am using!This book is definitely one of the most 'un-put-downable' books I have ever read! From the moment I started reading I just couldn't stop! When I had to stop, because life, I couldn't stop thinking about what was happening! Even now that I'm done, I'm certain this hangover will take a while to get overWThe characters were amazing! Each one was a person I wanted to talk to, I had so many questions for them and I couldn't wait to read to get the information! Dr. Alderman is a pediatric allergist who is raising his son Caleb after his wife's death. He finds Maggie and is joyously finds that he and his son love her dearly. Now they are so happy together. Their little family of 3 is their happiness.Maggie has a past. It's not so much a secret but she isn't proud of it. It makes her sad to think back and remember. Once her past catches up with her she finds that things might not be so bad but was that all wishful thinking.As the days go by, it all falls apart very quickly. She finds herself in situations that she could never have even dreamed of . She is a mother on a mission to find the truth and it leads her into all sorts of mayhem.This book is amazing! It kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time! Wonderful!!
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I didn’t love this book and the fault probably lies more with my prejudices than with Ms. Scottoline’s latest foray into crime/drama/thriller.The strength of the book is the structure and timeline of what ultimately happens to Noah Alderman, the protagonist. The “Before” and “After” and the unraveling of events was well written and tells an important story involving trust, belief, credibility, manipulation, and coincidental circumstances. The chapters told in the courtroom are edgy and excellent. There was a very brief reference to “‘confirmation bias ’ as applied to law enforcement” which was stunning in its brevity but tantamount in its complicity. The things I really didn’t like:Manipulation – I dislike it in all its forms and this book is rife with it. Definitely my problem.The dialog was simplistic and repetitive which struck a discordant note. Where was the important discussion of what was going on?The behavior between the principal characters left me wondering about the dynamics in a relationship that purport to ascribe to trust and understanding.The madcap “I’m gonna solve this” final portion of the book.Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I almost gave up on this book. The beginning was confusing and slow to grab my attention. However, it does pick up and I got so engrossed in the story and wanting to know what happened that I ended up staying up way past my usual bedtime to finish it. It has been quite awhile since a book has been that gripping to keep me up most of the night just to see what happens next and how it all ends. I do recommend this book for fans of suspense and psychological thrillers. This was an ARC from NetGalley
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This book started out as a real page turner. Somewhere/somehow it becomes derailed and then at the end everything is tied up so quickly that I almost can feel my head spinning.

    With all that said, this was a good book and I did enjoy it.

    My thanks to netgalley and St Martin's Press for this advanced readers copy.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Love!!! Lisa Scottoline!! This time she has came up with one hell of a jawdropping plot twist. Wow, it's a good one.While reading this book I was sensing an early irritation mode coming on shortly into the book. Little did I know that the irritation would hit nuclear proportions. Anna? Here's hoping Houston that Houston never gets hit by Hurricane Anna because that beatch is ferocious! We wouldn't stand a chance!To sum this book up for me, I spent the first half of this book miffed at this Anna character and the last half with my mouth open, jaw dropped.Excellent read that I thoroughly enjoyed!Thanks to St. Martin's Press and Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    After AnnaLisa ScottolineMY RATING ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️▫️PUBLISHERSt. Martin’s PressPUBLISHEDApril 10, 2018A consuming and cleverly structured thriller, blending the story of before and after Anna. SUMMARYMaggie lost custody of her baby, Anna, when she was only six months old. The two have not seen each other since, and now Anna is 17. Maggie had no choice but to move on, She’s found love again and is now happily married to Noah Alderman, a widower. Maggie adores Caleb, Noah’s son, and they have quite the perfect life. But everything changes when Maggie gets a call from Anna, who is now a high school student, parked in an elite boarding school in Maine. Once they meet, Anna surprisingly says wants to live with Maggie, and Maggie is beyond thrilled to have a second chance with Anna. But when Anna moves in with Maggie, Noah and Caleb chaos ensues. Anna refuses to follow the rules, makes demands and tensions mount. Within weeks of moving in, Anna is dead, she had been strangled. Noah, who found her body is now on trial for her murder. Maggie must not only face losing her daughter, but her husband as well. And then she gets another phone call. REVIEWHave you every wanted something so much that you turn a blind eye to what you know and love. That’s what Maggie did. It’s so difficult to read about the implosion of a family. It’s a gut-wrenching story. One that has you scratching your head in wonder. What was Anna really after? There was nothing in Anna‘s character to like, she was a master at manipulation. And Maggie was at her most vulnerable. Lisa Scottoline is a consummate storyteller, and this story pulses with angst and drama. The focus of each chapter alternates between Noah and Maggie. Noah’s initial chapters (after Anna) are told from the last day of the trial and move backwards in time. Maggie’s chapters (before Anna) start with that fateful phone call from Anna and move forward in time. When at last, the story lines converge in the later part of the book, the pacing abruptly changes. It’s fast and furious, and the twists and turns are insanely intense. Just remember to breathe. While some actions may seem implausible, it’s an adroit page-turning thriller. Lisa Scottoline fans can’t help but love After Anna. Thanks to Netgalley, St, Martin’s Press and Lisa Scottoline for an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Title...After AnnaAuthor...Lisa ScottolineMy " in a nutshell" summary...Maggie has lived without her daughter Anna for almost 16 years. Post psychotic depression and an unbelievably cruel ex husband robbed her of her daughter. When they finally reconnect it is under almost unbelievable circumstances. Anna seems jaded and cleverly cruel. Anna seems intent on destroying Maggie’s family which consists of her husband Noah and stepson Caleb. Anna seems especially focused on destroying Noah. My thoughts after reading this book...This was one of those books that ended up being unputdownable! I could not stop reading it and literally finished it in a day. What I loved about this book...I loved the incredibly fast pace of this book. The writing...was addictive as well as clever. Characters...especially Anna...got under my skin. I strongly disliked Anna and couldn’t wait to find out what she was going to do next. Maggie seemed so vulnerable to anything Anna wanted...I just needed to shake her to wake her up! Noah...poor Noah...really paid the price for Anna’s actions. What I did not love about this book...If I had to choose something I didn’t totally love it might be the ending. It was just a little too neatly wrapped up for me but on the other hand...I don’t know what else I would have wanted.Final thoughts...Again...I could not put this book down. I also live near the settings where this book takes place. It was interesting to read about events occurring in familiar places. Would this be a good choice for you...potential reader?Readers who love a fast paced thriller with ups, downs and incredible action...will love this book. I received an advance reader’s copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley and Amazon. It was my choice to read it and review it.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.Maggie lost her baby daughter Anna to her French ex-husband after she suffered postpartum psychosis. 17 years later, out of the blue, Anna contacts her and within days has moved in with Maggie, her husband Noah and Noah's son Caleb. The novel opens with Noah about to hear the verdict at his trial for Anna's murder and then chapters from his perspective move backwards in time through the days of testimony, revealing that there may be more than one side to Anna. Intertwined with these are chapters from Maggie's perspective moving forwards in time, beginning with Anna's first contact. This form of narrative was not confusing exactly, but did lead to a certain amount of repetition and meant that the whole novel was infused with a depressing sense of fatality and malevolence.It was an easy read, although it dragged a little for the first 75% before everything exploded at the end. To be honest I thought it was a bit of a mess in places: there was a whole sub-plot going on in the prison, which was violent and distracting from the main narrative. The first 75% was a sort of psychological suspense mystery and then the final quarter more of an adventure or crusade, the resolution of which depended entirely on the main villain making a full and extremely detailed confession. I found a whole variety of things difficult to swallow:SPOILERSMaggie decided to take Anna into her home without discussing logistics with her husband first and arranged it all in the space of a few hours. She was able to remove her from school without signing any paperwork.Maggie loved Noah very much, but accepted the word of her daughter (a total stranger to her) over his. Noah loved Maggie very much, but, having disagreed about parenting styles, he is tempted to have an affair.Anna lied about Noah because he was going to make her change the terms of her trust - except that he had no power to do so and she could have just refused.Maggie was allowed to go along on the rescue the trafficked girls mission with the police and FBI.At the end, everything is just perfect and Maggie and Noah are more in love than ever...???
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Another win for Lisa Scottoline. She writes like the backroads of Chester County (Pennsylvania), lots of twist and turns. I really didn’t see where she was going with this storyline, which I loved. The characters are believable, situations scary.

    Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. All opinions are my own.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I couldn't put it down.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Once again, Lisa Scottoline has written a story that captivated me from the first page. In this suspense/thriller story, we have two timelines and two narrators: Maggie and Noah, mother and step-father and Before Anna and After Anna. Maggie lost custody of her 6 month old daughter when she suffered from post-partum psychosis. As her daughter Anna, got older, she wrote to her mother and said she did not want to see her. Maggie moved on with her life, getting remarried and doting on her step-son. When she received a call out of the blue from Anna asking to get together, Maggie is thrilled. Noah supports her in trying to have a relationship with Anna. Fast forward to Anna being found dead on Noah's front porch shortly after she comes to live with them. The story is told in reverse from Noah waiting for a verdict to when Anna first came to live with them. The ending was quite a shocker and a twist that I certainly did not expect.

    The characters were well done. I really enjoyed Caleb, Noah's son and I was concerned and worried for him throughout the story. Maggie wanted a relationship with her daughter so badly after losing her when she was young that she may have been blinded by Anna's actions. Noah was a great day and husband who thought more about the lives of hes wife and son than his own, that he risked his own life in the trial. Overall, a very character driven story that I very much enjoyed. I give this book 4.5 stars rounded down. I probably would have given this book a glowing 5 stars if the ending had not been just a bit cliche. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book via Netgalley.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    When Maggie becomes reunited with her daughter given up at birth she is delighted. But chaos and confusion, lead to a deterioration of her marriage, as she searches to untangle the secrets her daughter brought with her. This was a nine disc audiobook, well read, and captivating. Good for travel.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    Meh. Skim read to the end. But it was something to read on a rainy day when there were gale warnings, and flooding. Good thing there's no global warming.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    Just not that good. Plot was rushed and farfetched; dialogue was clunky. Not bad enough not to finish, but it was a chore.

Book preview

After Anna - Lisa Scottoline

Chapter One

Noah, After

TRIAL, DAY 10

Dr. Noah Alderman watched the jurors as they filed into the courtroom with their verdict, which would either set him free or convict him of first-degree murder. None of them met his eye, which was a bad sign.

Noah masked his emotions. It almost didn’t matter what the jury did to him. He’d already lost everything he loved. His wife, Maggie, and son, Caleb. His partnership in a thriving medical practice. His house. His contented life as a suburban dad, running errands on Saturday mornings with Caleb. They’d make the rounds to the box stores and garden center for whatever Maggie needed. Potting soil, deer repellent, mulch. Noah never bought enough mulch and always had to go back. He actually missed mulch.

The jurors seated themselves while the foreman handed the verdict slip to the courtroom deputy. Noah would finally know his fate, one way or the other. It had been hanging over his head every minute of the trial and the almost seven months prior, in jail at the Montgomery County Correctional Facility. He’d done what the inmates called smooth time, becoming a jailhouse doc, examining swollen gums, arthritic wrists, and stubborn MRSA infections. He’d kept his head down and hidden his emotions. Pretty soon he was hiding them from himself, like now.

Judge Gardner accepted the verdict slip, causing a rustling in a gallery packed with spectators and reporters since the horrific crime and its unlikely defendant had drawn media attention. Judge Gardner put on his glasses and read the verdict slip silently. His lined face betrayed no reaction.

Noah felt his lawyer, Thomas Owusu, shifting next to him. Thomas had put on a solid defense and been a friend as well as a lawyer. But Noah’s best friend was his wife, Maggie. Or at least, she had been. Before.

Noah turned around to see if she’d come to hear the verdict. The spectators reacted instantly, recoiling. They hated him. He knew why.

He scanned the pews, looking for Maggie. He didn’t see her, so he turned back. He didn’t blame her for not coming, of course. He wished he could tell her that he was sorry, but she wouldn’t believe him. Not anymore.

Will the defendant please rise? Judge Gardner took off his reading glasses and set the verdict slip aside.

Noah rose, on weak knees. The courtroom fell dead silent. He could almost hear his heart thunder. He was about to know. Guilty or innocent. Prison or freedom. If they convicted him, he could be sentenced to death.

Noah wished he could run time backwards, undo every decision until this moment. He’d made so many mistakes. His life had exploded like a strip of firecrackers at a barbecue, igniting the patio furniture and spreading to the house until everything was blazing out of control, engulfed in a massive fireball.

His entire world, destroyed.

It had all started with Anna.

Chapter Two

Maggie, Before

"Anna, is it really you?" Maggie felt like shouting for joy. She couldn’t believe it was really happening. She’d prayed she’d hear from Anna someday. It was her last thought every night, though she kept it to herself, a secret heartache.

Yes, it’s me. Uh, hi—

Oh my God, I’m so happy you called! Maggie felt tears spring to her eyes. She grabbed a napkin from the drawer and wiped them, but the floodgates were open. It was a dream come true. She couldn’t wait to tell Noah. He was in the backyard with Caleb, planting rosebushes.

I hoped you’d be happy I called.

"Of course, of course I would be! Wow, it’s so great!" Maggie’s throat thickened, and her nose started to bubble, which she hated. She was Queen of the Snotty Cry, which was even uglier than the Ugly Cry.

I know it’s kinda random, to call out of the blue.

"It’s not, it’s wonderful, it’s amazing! You’re my daughter! You can call me anytime!" Maggie held the napkin to her eyes. She hadn’t seen Anna since she was an infant, only six months old. That was seventeen years ago, the darkest time in Maggie’s life, when she’d entered the hospital. It started coming back to her, a dark counterpoint to her elation.

I can’t sleep even though I’m exhausted.

Uh, Mom, I wasn’t even sure what to call you. Is Mom okay?

"Yes, Mom is okay! Mom is more than okay." Maggie wanted to jump up and down, but held it together. She had just been called Mom. She never dreamed she’d hear Anna call her Mom. She’d never been called Mom before, by anyone. Caleb called her Mag.

Good, great. I hope it’s okay I called on a holiday.

It’s fine! Maggie dabbed at her nose, trying not to make weird noises into the phone. So, Happy Easter!

To you, too.

What did you do for the holiday? Are you at your dad’s? Maggie kept her tone light, even though she hated her ex, Florian. She knew he was behind Anna’s decision never to see Maggie, estranging mother and daughter permanently.

No, I’m at school.

Oh. Maggie felt a pang for her, spending the holiday without family. Did they do anything special?

No, mostly everyone’s still away for Spring Break.

I see. Maggie tried to collect her thoughts, sitting down at the kitchen island. Sunlight glistened on the granite countertop, which was white flecked with black and gray. Caleb’s Easter basket of Cadbury eggs and jellybeans sat next to the Sunday paper, and the air still smelled like banana pancakes from breakfast.

I’m losing weight but I’m not dieting.

So Anna, tell me, how are you? How have you been? Can we catch up on your whole entire life?

I don’t know. Anna chuckled. If you want to.

I do, I’d love to! Maggie’s heart lifted. We can try, can’t we?

I guess.

Of course we can! So tell me how you are! Maggie would give anything to reconnect with Anna. Maggie had fought for shared physical custody, but Florian had enrolled Anna in a fancy French boarding school, and the French courts had ruled against Maggie. She’d tried to establish visitation, but then Anna herself had written Maggie, saying she didn’t want to see her. Maggie had honored the request, though it had broken her heart.

I guess I’m fine. My life is … fine. Anna giggled.

Mine, too! What a coincidence! Maggie joined her, laughing. How’s the new school?

Not as fine. And it’s not new.

You started there for high school, right? Maggie had gotten a notice from Florian two years ago, which was required by the court, telling her that Anna had come stateside to Congreve, an elite boarding school in Maine. It drove her nuts that Florian had won custody of Anna, only to send her to a school to live. Maggie sensed he didn’t visit Anna much, because what little Maggie could see of Anna’s social media never mentioned Florian, not even on Father’s Day. Maggie always checked Mother’s Day, too, torturing herself.

Yes, but that was, like, three years ago. I wanted to come to the U.S. for high school.

So what’s Congreve like? I saw on the website, it’s so pretty!

There’s not much to tell. It’s school. Anna fell momentarily silent, and Maggie rushed to keep the conversational ball rolling.

So you’re only a year from graduation! Tell me, what’s next for you? College?

Totally, they’re obsessed here. Congreve is a feeder for the Ivies. My grades are pretty good. I have a 3.7.

Wow, I’m so happy for you! Maggie felt new tears come to her eyes, a mixture of joy and guilt. Anna deserved the brightest future ever.

I hear sounds and voices.

It’s good, but it’s not, like, valedictorian good.

But still! I’m proud of you!

I feel guilty and ashamed of myself.

Thanks. Anna perked up. I like your letters. It’s so old-fashioned to get a real letter, instead of email.

I’m so happy you read them! Maggie wrote Anna once a month, figuring that one-way communication was better than none at all. She had no choice other than snail mail, since she didn’t have Anna’s email address or cell phone number.

I’m sorry I didn’t write back. I should have.

Maggie felt touched. It’s okay, you didn’t have to.

No, totally. It’s rude.

It’s not rude, honey! Maggie heard the honey escape her lips, naturally. No worries!

And thanks for the birthday cards, too.

I’m happy to. I celebrate your birthday, in my head. It’s crazy! Maggie cringed, hearing herself. Crazy.

I can’t tell my husband how I feel.

I save the cards.

Aww, that’s so nice. That’s really sweet. Maggie swallowed hard, thinking of Anna’s birthday, March 6. The labor and delivery had been difficult, an unexpected Cesarean, but Maggie didn’t dwell on that or what came after. All her life, what she’d wanted most was a baby girl.

And you know that navy fleece you sent me, last Christmas?

Sure, yes! Did you like it? Did it fit? Maggie always sent up Christmas and birthday gifts. She’d had to guess at the correct size, so she bought medium. Anna’s social media had moody shots of Congreve, but the privacy settings were high and the school’s website said it frowned upon selfies and the like.

Yes, I wear that fleece all the time. My Housemaster thinks it walks by itself.

I figured, Maine, right? It’s cold. Maggie wondered who Anna’s Housemaster was and what her dorm was like, her classes, her friends. It felt so awful being shut out of her daughter’s life. It was like having a limb amputated, but one nobody knew about. Maggie looked complete on the outside, but inside, she knew different.

I never thought I would feel this way.

Also, congratulations on getting remarried.

Thank you. Maggie assumed Anna knew from her letters. She didn’t know if Anna felt uncomfortable about Maggie’s remarrying, but it didn’t sound that way. Noah is a great guy, a pediatric allergist. I work part-time in his office, I do the billing, and I have a stepson, Caleb, who’s ten.

It sounds great.

It is, Maggie said, meaning it. She was so happy with Noah, who was loving, brilliant, and reliable. He’d been a single father since the death of his first wife four years ago, from ovarian cancer. Maggie had met him at the gym, and they’d fallen in love and married two years ago. And Maggie adored Caleb, a bright ten-year-old who was on the shy side, owing to a speech disorder, called apraxia.

Caleb’s supercute and—uh-oh. I just busted myself. Anna groaned. I stalk you on Facebook.

Ha! I stalk you, too! Maggie laughed, delighted. She had thought about sending Anna a Friend Request so many times, but she didn’t know what Anna had told her friends about her mother.

My baby would be better off without me.

Anna cleared her throat. Anyway, I should get to the point. I was wondering if you wanted to, like, maybe, see each other? I mean, for dinner or something? Either here or in Pennsylvania?

"I would love that! Maggie dabbed her eyes. It was more than she could have hoped for. I’ll come see you, to make it easier! Anytime, anywhere, you name it!"

Um, okay, how about Friday dinner?

This week? Maggie jumped to her feet, excited. Yes, totally! I’m so excited!

Cool! Anna sounded pleased. I didn’t know if you would want to. Dad said you wouldn’t.

Of course I would! Maggie resisted the urge to trash Florian. She was trying to be better, not bitter, like her old therapist had said. It wouldn’t get her anywhere anyway, so late in the game. Florian had cheated her of her own child, exploiting her illness to his advantage.

I have thoughts of harming myself.

I’m glad I asked, you know? And I kind of want to know, like, what happened. With you.

Of course. Maggie flushed. Her shame was always there, beneath the surface of her skin, like its very own layer of flesh. Anna, I’ll tell you anything you want to know. You must have lots of questions and you deserve answers from me.

Okay. There’s a place in town that’s vegetarian, is that all right?

Vegetarian’s great! Maggie felt her spirits soar. Anna, I give you so much credit for making this call. It couldn’t have been easy. You’re very brave.

Aw, thanks. I’ll text you the address of the restaurant. Okay, bye, Mom.

Mom. Maggie’s heart melted again. Bye, honey.

I have thoughts of harming my baby.

Maggie ended the call, jumped to her feet, and cheered. Noah! she yelled, running for the back door.

Chapter Three

Noah, After

TRIAL, DAY 9

Noah waited alone in the bull pen, a secured detention area of room-like cells on the bottom floor of the courthouse. The jury had been deliberating for two days, and it was eating him alive. Thomas had assumed the deliberations would take a day at most and hung with him from time to time, which Noah appreciated, not knowing how much longer he’d be in civilized company. Maybe not for the rest of his life. If he got convicted, he wasn’t going back to the smooth time at Montgomery County Correctional Facility. He’d be doing hard time in a maximum-security facility like Graterford. Assuming he didn’t get the death penalty.

Noah tried not to think about that now. He had to be hopeful. He didn’t know which way the jury would go. They could find him innocent. It happened. People walked every day. He couldn’t control what the jury did, so he was trying to get to a place of acceptance, a favorite phrase from the overworked MSW at the jail, who did med checks and ran group therapy sessions. Noah had been given a coping toolkit to help him come to a place of acceptance. Problem was, the tools weren’t working now.

Suddenly the door opened, and a deputy admitted Thomas, filling the small room with his massive frame. He was six-foot-five and built like the linebacker he used to be at Cheney, and his presence and personality commanded attention in any courtroom. Right now his big features—round eyes, large nose, and oversized grin—were alive with animation, and he clapped his meaty hands together. Great news, dude!

What? Noah shifted on the metal bench, bolted to the wall.

"Lovely Linda is very nervous. Ask me why. Answer? Because I crushed that closing." Thomas grinned broadly, his chest expanding, and he opened his arms to reveal a wingspan that strained the seams of his tailored charcoal suit.

What’s up? Noah felt a tingle of hope. Lovely Linda was what Thomas called the Assistant District Attorney, Linda Swain-Pettit. Thomas had nicknames for everybody in the courtroom, including the jurors.

She’s worried the jury’s been out this long. She wants to make a deal.

No deal. I said already. Noah didn’t know what he’d expected. The cavalry?

No, this time, you’ll listen. I got her to sweeten the pot. Thomas sat down next to him. His grin vanished, and he turned to Noah, his eyes narrowing with intensity, like a microscope focusing.

No deal.

Wait. Thomas held up his palm. You’re charged with murder of the first degree. You’re looking at life without, or death. That’s possible.

I know that. Noah had gotten used to the lingo. Life without meant life without possibility of parole, or LWOP.

But if you plead guilty to third-degree murder, she’s offering twenty years.

No.

Thomas’s eyes flared in disbelief. Noah. I got her down from forty years, the max.

No. Noah didn’t even have to think about it. He knew how he felt.

Noah, you’re not listening. Sure, I gave a great closing, but don’t lose your damn mind. The fact that they’re still out doesn’t mean they’re going your way. Maybe somebody doesn’t want to go back to work. It’s snowing, maybe somebody doesn’t want to go home and shovel. You don’t know. You can’t risk it. Take the deal.

No.

"She destroyed you on the stand. It was like watching a major-league hitter swing at your head. I couldn’t believe you even stood up after that. I wanted to send you a stretcher."

Still, no. Noah had underestimated how hard it would be to be cross-examined by an experienced prosecutor. He’d thought he could just tell his story.

It’s like you have a death wish. Do you have a death wish, Noah?

No, Noah answered, but the truth was yes, or at least, maybe.

Noah. Thomas took a deep breath, inflating his barrel chest, trying to calm himself down. "I’m begging you to take this deal."

I can’t.

Why not? Because of the plea? Who cares? Like I told you, whether you’re guilty or innocent doesn’t matter. The only thing that matters is whether Linda convinced the jury you did it, and I assure you, she did that.

Still. Noah had heard Thomas’s lecture before. Thomas, on a firing squad, they always put blanks in one of the guns. And you know the reason? So that everybody on the firing squad can sleep at night, saying to themselves, ‘There’s a chance I didn’t do it.’

So what’s your point?

If I plead guilty, Maggie will never be able to sleep again. It will ruin her life. I can’t do it to her.

"But you’ve got to think of yourself now. She’s not thinking of you. You have to be thinking of you."

I couldn’t sleep at night knowing what I’d done to her.

"They’re going to convict you, man!"

But at least she can say to herself, somewhere, that I didn’t do it. She’ll never have heard from me that I did it. The same goes for Caleb. I can’t do it to him, either. He already gets bullied.

But what if it means you get out sooner? Caleb’s only how old now?

What makes you think he’ll want to see me, after I plead guilty to murder?

He might not want to see you anyway! Thomas threw up his heavy arms.

Pleading guilty ensures it. If I plead guilty, well, I explained it. I just won’t do it.

"It’s your life."

Mine isn’t the only life to consider. I have to think of Maggie and Caleb.

You’re being noble.

I’m being a husband and a father.

Exactly why I’m single. Thomas snorted. Noah, you’re going against my express legal advice. What would you think of a patient who did that?

My patients are eight years old. If a mom or dad didn’t take my advice, I’d figure they’d had their reasons. Noah encouraged his parents to get second opinions. He understood it, himself. Caleb had been late to babble as a baby and as he reached a year and a half, he’d shown difficulty repeating words like mommy and daddy. Noah had suspected he had childhood apraxia of speech, which was hard to identify in pre-school children. The pediatrician had disagreed, but Noah had been right.

If this came up on appeal, I’d be considered negligent.

You’re not. I’m not appealing anything. Thank you for trying. I appreciate it.

Damn, you’re tough! Thomas folded his arms.

"You need to come to a place of acceptance," Noah said, without elaborating.

Chapter Four

Maggie, Before

Noah, great news! Maggie raced across the dappled lawn to Noah, planting rosebushes along the back fence. She hustled past Caleb, who was taking videos of their tabbycat, Wreck-It Ralph, near the swingset on the other side of the backyard.

What? Noah turned, pushing back his hair, a thick sandy-blond thatch glinting silver at the temples. He was forty-three, and she loved the signs of age on him, like the crow’s-feet crinkling the corners of his eyes, which were a seriously intelligent blue, set wide apart. He had a straight nose and a grin that came more easily once he knew you better.

Guess what? Maggie reached him, bursting with the news. Anna called! I’m going up to see her on Friday!

"Anna called? Noah’s face lit up. He stuck the shovel in the ground. My God, that’s wonderful, honey!"

She wants to see me! Like, I got a shot!

That’s awesome! Come here! Noah scooped Maggie up and swung her around.

It’s amazing, isn’t it? Woo-hoo! Maggie did a little dance, holding on to his hands. It’s everything!

We have to celebrate! How about we go out to dinner? Order a bottle of champagne!

On Easter? Maggie laughed again.

Oh, right, I forgot! Noah hugged her close to his sweatshirt, which smelled of peat moss. Honey, I’m so happy for you. You deserve this, you really do.

I hoped it would happen, and it did! I can’t even deal. It’s a miracle, I swear. Maggie buried her face in his chest, trying not to cry all over again. I always hoped she’d come around.

I know, babe. I’m so glad. Noah rocked her back and forth slightly, and Maggie let herself be cuddled in the sun, breathing in the comfort of his arms, his familiarity, his husbandness. She loved that Noah was always on the same page as she was, especially about the big things. About the backyard, they had different views. She’d fallen in love with Zephirine Drouhin roses, but he would’ve planted ivy.

I really want her in my life. I hate that she’s not. And I hate why. Maggie hid her face, ashamed. The only thing worse than being a bad mother was being an unfit mother, like her. She’d even been adjudicated unfit. She didn’t tell most people that she even had a daughter, to avoid the explanation. Her best friend, Kathy, knew because they had gone through it together, but Maggie hadn’t told her other friends or anyone at the office. She’d told Caleb, but it had been too abstract for him to really understand.

Honey, don’t be so hard on yourself. Noah let her go, looking down at her tenderly.

It’s just awful. Now I have to tell her everything.

You didn’t do anything wrong. You got sick, is all.

But she grew up without a mother. I have to answer for that.

You don’t have to answer for anything. Noah frowned sympathetically.

Yes, I do. Maggie felt guilty, despite years of therapy. After Anna’s birth, Maggie had developed postpartum psychosis, an extreme form of postpartum depression. It had begun with sleeplessness, anxiety, and profound feelings of inadequacy as a mother, then progressed to bouts of crying, hearing voices, and intrusive thoughts of hurting herself.

If you had cancer, you wouldn’t feel that way. You had a mental illness, you got treatment, and you got better.

But Anna’s young. She won’t understand. I wouldn’t have, at her age. Maggie had always thought that postpartum depression was just the baby blues and she’d never even heard of postpartum psychosis. She wouldn’t have believed it was possible if she hadn’t lived through it, and there were so many other women who weren’t as lucky, mothers who committed suicide or drove their car into a lake, with their babies.

You can deal with it, and so can she. Noah leaned a forearm on the shovel handle, a lanky, six-footer in a faded gray T-shirt and old jeans. He was in good shape since he never overate, which Maggie couldn’t relate to.

I hope so.

She’ll understand. When you see her, just tell her the truth.

That I went to a mental hospital? Maggie hated the words, then she hated herself for hating the words. Crazy, bonkers, batshit, nuts, psycho. She and her friends used the terms all the time, but she never told them that she qualified. She’d started to wonder if she had postpartum psychosis after she’d taken a quiz in a parenting magazine. I have thoughts of harming myself. She’d checked all twelve boxes. She’d gone to her OB/GYN, and he’d diagnosed and treated her, but she wasn’t improving. It had come to a head one awful night, and she dreaded telling that story to Anna.

Don’t blame yourself. Noah put an arm around her. Your ex took advantage of you because you were in the hospital. He deprived you both of the relationship you could have had.

I know. It’s true. Maggie still needed to hear Noah say it, like a reassuring call-and-response. After she’d been admitted to the hospital, Florian had divorced her and won custody of Anna, asking that Maggie be declared unfit. Maggie had neither the ability nor the money to fight him until a year later, but by then, Florian had sold his start-up, gotten mega-rich, and taken Anna to his parents in Lyon, France, creating a jurisdictional nightmare that defeated her suit. Florian had deposited Anna with them and started flying around the world, but that didn’t matter to the courts, which was when Maggie learned that money could buy anything, even children.

Dad, Mag! Caleb came over with a buttercup on a flimsy green stem, and Wreck-It Ralph trotted after him, his tail high.

What, honey? Maggie said, turning to him. Caleb called her Mag because kids with apraxia had trouble pronouncing longer words, to the point where it was hard to understand them. But he got great grades, and his speech was getting clearer after years of practice. He had an IEP and received some services at school, but Maggie took him three times a week to a speech pathologist, who gave them target words to practice at home. They were given ten at a time, and the idea was to use them in normal conversation. Caleb had cut his knee on the playground at school on Wednesday, so this week’s target words were about accidents. They made it a game, like family Mad Libs.

Ralph likes butter. Caleb grinned, a smile that lit up his face. His eyes were a warm brown, and he had a cute nose with a smattering of freckles, from his late mother, Karen. His intensity was pure Noah, and it helped him cope with the teasing at school, due to his disorder. Even when his speech was understandable, it could sound halting and robotic, since he had to think about the words before he said them.

He does? Maggie smiled. How do you know?

Caleb hoisted the wilted buttercup. I held this under his chin. It turned yellow. I got it on my phone.

Maggie smiled. "So you figured it out by accident?"

Good question, Noah chimed in, with a wink. "It must have been by accident. Was it an accident, Caleb?"

Yes. Caleb rolled his eyes, knowing what they were doing. He paused, thinking, and Maggie knew he was forming his motor plan, rehearsing in his head the way he was going to make the sounds for the word accident. It killed her that talking, which came so naturally to other kids, was something that Caleb had to fight for, every day.

Caleb, don’t forget your ‘tippy T,’ Maggie said, which was a trick their pathologist taught them, to remind him to put the tip of his tongue behind his upper teeth to form the T sound.

Caleb nodded. Yes, by ac-ci-dent.

"Accident! Way to go!" Maggie ruffled Caleb’s reddish-brown hair with long bangs.

"Great job, Caleb! By accident. Noah grinned down at him. Say it again. Was it by accident?"

Maggie held her breath. Caleb was supposed to repeat the word three times, which was difficult for kids with apraxia. If he couldn’t, they were supposed to let it go. The pathologist didn’t want them turning every conversation into a drill. They needed to encourage Caleb to talk, not shut him down.

Caleb answered, "It was an ac-di-dent."

Noah smiled. "Try it again, buddy. Accident."

Caleb pursed his lips, thinking again. "Acc-di-tent."

Noah touched his shoulder. Good enough for now, buddy.

It sure is, Maggie added, but she could see that Caleb was disappointed. "Caleb you don’t have to learn that word. It’s not an emergency."

Ha! Caleb smiled slyly at Maggie, knowing it was another of their target words. No, stop! That’s too hard.

"Caleb, it’s an emergency! Noah grabbed Caleb and gave him a hug. It’s an emergency! I need a hug!"

Maggie laughed. Yes, an emergency hug!

Dad, no! Caleb shoved Noah away playfully, and father and son started laughing and wrestling, falling onto the grass as Ralph sprang out of the way.

Maggie watched them with another surge of happiness, feeling lucky in them both. Caleb was more than she ever could have asked for, and she’d treated him as her own since the day she’d met him. She wondered if she’d ever get that close to Anna or if it was too late to make up for lost time.

Maggie felt the sunshine warm her shoulders. It was finally April, after a long Pennsylvania winter. Spring was a time of rebirth, and it was Easter, so it didn’t get any better. Maybe this was a new beginning, for her and Anna.

Starting Friday.

Chapter Five

Noah, After

TRIAL, DAY 6

Noah arranged his features into a mask at counsel table, shifting in the gray suit that Thomas had bought for him. Thomas was standing in front of the jury box, about to deliver his closing argument. The prosecution had just finished, and Noah knew that Thomas’s closing was his last chance.

Ladies and gentlemen, Thomas began, his voice booming with a hint of a Philadelphia accent. Thank you for your time and the attention. I won’t keep you longer than necessary. But a man is on trial for his life here, and though you have heard one side of the story, you need to hear the other. I hope you’ll keep an open mind because my client, Dr. Noah Alderman, has been wrongly accused of the murder of his stepdaughter, Anna Desroches.

Noah cringed, hearing it said aloud. It still seemed so unreal to him, despite the fact that he had lived it. Yet he had only himself to blame.

"Let me remind you that Dr. Alderman is a prominent pediatric allergist in the suburbs. He graduated from Yale University, Tufts Medical School, and he took an oath to never harm anyone. He raised his only son Caleb on his own, after the death of his first wife from ovarian

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