The Better Sister - Alafair Burke

If Alafair Burke wrote it - I'm going to read it! Her latest novel The Better Sister has just released.

Chloe and Nicky are sisters, but they are estranged - until their husband brings them back together. Yes, their husband. Nicky was married to Adam, but the marriage disintegrated - much of it due to Nicky's substance abuse. That abuse left her unable to look after her young son Ethan. They divorced with Adam getting full custody. And...he reached out to sister Chloe for advice and help. And now? Chloe and Adam have been married for fifteen years, raising Ethan together. Until.....Adam is found murdered.....and the cops think Ethan did it.

I had a hard time connecting with the 'lead' sister Chloe. I found her to be just a little too full of herself. The drive that has made her a successful, businesswoman has also made her somewhat cold and dispassionate. Her need to control everything is off putting, but feeds into the plot. Instead I found myself drawn to the 'bad' sister Nicky. And this dichotomy makes for a charged dynamic. I quite liked Detective Guidry and would be happy to see her in a future book.

Burke's writing is so very easy to get caught up in. She is herself a lawyer and the legal machinations and courtroom scenes benefit greatly from her insider knowledge. I had the whodunit it figured out before the final pages, but appreciated the misdirection and possible outcomes that Burke presents.

Burke inserts a nice little bit of social commentary through online social posts throughout the book.

I didn't love this one as much as I did The Ex and The Wife, but this was still a four star read. The Better Sister is a domestic thriller wrapped in a mystery with a side of legal. Here's an excerpt.