Book Review: ‘The Wicked Sister: A Novel’ By Karen Dionne

Following last years awesome book The Marsh King’s Daughter, author Karen Dionne is back with her new thriller The Wicked Sister.

Rachel Cunningham has been in a mental hospital for 15 years. She killed her mother and then her father killed himself. She was 11 at the time and it ruined her. Her memory is clear about what she did. But did she do it? Trevor is visiting his brother Scotty, also a patient and he’s a reporter and wants to interview Rachel about what happened. He tells her that the Medical Examiner said she couldn’t have done it. All these years she has felt guilty and she was innocent. She checks herself out and heads for the family home where her sister Diana and Aunt Charlotte live now (and she is half owner of the property) with Trevor.

She finds evidence that Diana is going to try and have her committed for good so she can take control of the property and Rachel hides out hoping to find more evidence and to get proof. But Diana knows she is there and it becomes a game of cat and mouse between the two. Memories come back to Rachel and soon she tries to go on offense but things take a dramatic turn and lives are at stake and people might not survive.

The story is told in the format of then and now and we learn Diana and Rachel’s story from the beginning with their parents and what a horrible person Diana was/is. The story starts off strong and keeps the reader engaged throughout, leading up to a climatic ending with twists and turns you may not see coming. A strong follow-up to last year’s book.

You can pick up The Wicked Sister in stores on Tuesday, August 4th from Putnam.