Though Beatrice lives in New York and her younger sister Tess still lives in London, they have remained close. When Beatrice gets word Tess has disappeared, she immediately flies to London and takes up residence in Tess’s flat only to soon learn that her sister’s body has been found and it appears she committed suicide. But Tess was pregnant and Beatrice does not believe her sister would take her own life so she begins investigating what she is sure is murder.

The novel is written as a letter from Beatrice to Tess. She writes about each discovery she makes as she works to unravel the threads of Tess’s life. She writes about the guilt she feels at not taking Tess’s last phone call. She writes about the anger she feels towards the police and her mother who all believe Tess committed suicide. And she writes about the upcoming trial which will bring closure and justice to her sister’s horrific ending.

You may think this sounds like a fairly standard murder mystery. You would be mistaken. Let me just say, I had to read the last ten pages of the novel three separate times to finally believe the unbelievable twist Lupton finished the book with. Even as I write this brief review, I’m shaking my head; I’ve rarely been so surprised by a novel. I understand why the book was such a big hit in the UK. ~Patti