The Good Sister

By: Gillian McAllister

Narrated by: Various

An electrifying novel about the unyielding bond between two sisters, which is severely tested when one of them is accused of the worst imaginable crime.

Martha and Becky Blackwater are more than sisters--they're each other's lifelines. When Martha finds herself struggling to balance early motherhood and her growing business, Becky steps in to babysit her niece, Layla, without a second thought, bringing the two women closer than ever. But then the unthinkable happens, and Becky is charged with murder.

Nine months later, Becky is on trial and maintains her innocence--and so does Martha. Unable to shake the feeling that her sister couldn't possibly be guilty, Martha sets out to uncover exactly what happened that night, and how things could have gone so wrong. As the trial progresses, fault lines between the sisters begin to show--revealing cracks deep in their relationship and threatening the family each has worked so hard to build. With incredible empathy and resounding emotional heft, The Good Sister is a powerhouse of a novel that will lead readers to question everything they know about motherhood, family, and the price of forgiveness.

Read by Imogen Church, Charlie Sanderson, Andy Cresswell, Jan Cramer, Penny Andrews, Cassie Layton, Rachael Beresford and Malk Williams.

A domestic whodunit

The Good Sister is a courtroom drama that pits sister against sister after a tragic event. The expert witnesses’ facts show what really happened so this is a cut and dry case. Or is it?

Gillian McAllister’s story is told from the perspectives of sisters Martha and Becky, other family members and assorted witnesses over the course of the trial. I had this case solved – a few times. I was so sure and then I wasn’t.

I was drawn into the novel because I could sympathize with both sisters in how they dealt with caring for a baby who cried almost constantly. Their guilty feelings over that and other individual issues added emotional layers to the story. Despite that, I didn’t quite connect to the characters. They seemed a bit flat. I don’t read many courtroom dramas so I don’t know how this fits in the realm for readers who do but I can say The Good Sister was a fast read that kept me invested to the very end when all was revealed.

I enjoyed listening to a cast of narrators. Since there were so many characters it helped to hear them voiced.

Meh

Not what I was expecting from this author. Very slow and dull. It seemed to just drone on.

Absolutely depressing but great performance

This is a relentlessly, depressing tail, one that you can read about in another review. The performance was fantastic, and I was completely immersed. Through the tragedy of one families loss, all of the other family dynamics come to light. Am I glad I listen to it? No. Well I remember the characters long after today? Perhaps. Would I recommend it to any parent who is struggling either with a new infant or has struggled with a new infant? Not likely.

Not this authors best work

I have to say the narrator really wrecked this audio book. The actor for Martha was terrible. Instead of sounding like a grieving mother, she came off as stilted and bored. When her character was reading I had to bump up the speed to 1.3 she takes too long to get her lines out! Where was the editor? None of the characters were likable and I finally skipped to the last 4 chapters to see what happens and be done I’m with it. I don’t recommend this book but the author’s other two books were fantastic (they will make the replay list for sure) but not this one unfortunately (I will also be avoiding all the narrators as well. Sorry Audible.

Riveting plot. Great voices in the narration.

Very engaging characters. Author tells story from multiple points of view, which added to the interest. I figured out the outcome about halfway through but that fix not detract from the experience.