ShortBookandScribes #BookReview – The Sisters by Helen Matthews
The Sisters by Helen Matthews is published by Bloodhound Books and is available now. My thanks to the author for sending me a copy for review.
A drowned child. Estranged sisters. A home steeped in sorrow.
Rachel thought she could outrun her past. But when her sister Imogen returns home after years abroad, the walls Rachel built around her begin to crumble. Imogen wants what she believes is hers – no matter the cost.
Twenty years after the tragic drowning of their baby brother, Rachel has constructed a life that appears perfect on the surface. A successful career, a loving daughter, and a claim on her parents’ beautiful family home, The Old Rectory. But the cracks are starting to show.
Imogen’s arrival rips open old wounds. Once a carefree nomad, Imogen is now destitute and desperate, determined to reclaim her place in the family.
As long-buried secrets resurface, and the past collides with the present, Rachel must confront the truth about her brother’s death.
As danger looms and family bonds are tested, the only thing more dangerous than the past is the silence that has kept it hidden…
The Sisters is a gripping tale of loss, guilt, and the deadly consequences of unspoken truths.
Two sisters, Imogen and Rachel, and a lifetime of rivalry and jealousy, made The Sisters compelling reading. Rachel is the stable and reliable sister with her partner and teenage daughter and her property business, and she’s the one who spends more time with their parents, looking after them and propping them up financially. Imogen has always been out for herself and now she’s unexpectedly returning home to England from her life in Ibiza.
The author describes this book as family noir which is a perfect description. Imogen being back on the scene is not only discomfiting for Rachel but it also throws up memories of the past, not to mention Imogen’s clear desire to make Rachel’s life a misery.
I’ve enjoyed all of Helen Matthews’ other books and The Sisters (previously published under the name Façade) is another great read. I really enjoyed the family dynamics and the well-developed characterisations. Imogen is very much a character to hate which makes her utterly fascinating, and I was on edge waiting to see what she would get up to next.
The Sisters gripped me throughout as lies and secrets came to the fore. The presence of some clever twists in the plot were welcome but I enjoyed the story as just a family drama in its own right too. This is a slice of life story with the reader witnessing the slice where Imogen comes back and tries to ruin Rachel’s life, and I felt there was probably some unfinished business between the sisters taking place beyond the book somehow.
As I’ve now read all four books by Helen Matthews I’m hoping a new one is in the pipeline, but I’d most definitely recommend all of the ones that are available now. She writes domestic suspense so well.
Helen Matthews writes page-turning psychological suspense novels and is fascinated by the darker side of human nature and how a life can change in an instant. Three novels, shortly to be re-released by Bloodhound Books, include The Girl in the Van, suspense and thriller genre winner in the 2022 Pageturner Book Award, Girl Out of Sight and Façade (family noir). She was previously published by Darkstroke Books. Her domestic suspense novel Lies Behind the Ruin, set in France, and a collection of short stories Brief Encounters are available from Amazon.
Born in Cardiff, Helen read English at the University of Liverpool and worked in international development, consultancy, human resources and pensions management. She fled corporate life to work freelance while studying for a Creative Writing MA. Her stories and flash fiction have been shortlisted and published by Flash 500, 1000K Story, Reflex Press, Artificium and Love Sunday magazine.
She is a keen cyclist, covering long distances if there aren’t any hills, sings in a choir and once appeared on stage at Carnegie Hall, New York in a multi-choir performance. She loves spending time in France. Helen is an Ambassador for the charity, Unseen, which works towards a world without slavery and donates all of her author talk fees, and a percentage of royalties, to the charity.