Rosamund Lupton’s Sister packs tension, surprise into debut

From a writer’s perspective, Sister is a particularly interesting crime novel.   It uses a framing device whereby sister #1 – Bee – talks to a kind-hearted prosecutor about her actions related to the disappearance and subsequent investigation into the death of sister #2 – Tess.

This perspective allows author Rosamund Lupton to reveal the story at her own pace, include Bee’s reflections and basically have all the benefits of a first person account, while hinting at some withheld information.

And what information that is!  To avoid having to use a spoiler alert, I’ll just say that Bee does get to the bottom of Tess’ death in a way that is wholly satisfying, albeit surprising.  Along they way, Lupton explores sororal relationships, romantic love, as well as how easily trust is given and broken.  Bee’s journey is one of discovery.  Not only does she solve the crime, she discovers a great deal about her sister, her family, and most importantly, herself.

I marvel at the way Rosamund Lupton has packed her debut novel with all the plot of a police procedural, the suspense of a thriller, and the mystery of… well, let’s just say, the book reminded me a bit of the Sixth Sense, in that all the clues are there, you just don’t see them until it’s too late.  Kudos to the author!  I look forward to more from her.