The Good Sister
Author: Sally Hepworth
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
Fern Castle works at the local library; she can’t abide crowds, loud noises or bright lights. She and her twin sister Rose meet for dinner three nights a week, and their shared history is meticulously documented in Rose’s diary. When Fern discovers Rose is unable to have children, she sets out to repay her sister’s kindness. Easy: find a father. But Fern’s quest unearths deadly secrets and disrupts her painstakingly ordered life.
Judges’ comments
The Good Sister, although a domestic suspense novel, is quirky and heart-warming. Judges were enchanted by Fern’s captivating and often comic voice. They were also refreshed to find in Fern’s boyfriend Wally, a truly decent man (often missing in crime novels) with a bizarre history. The Good Sister is bursting with surprising twists and laced with a sinister undercurrent. It’s a novel of unforeseen love, betrayal and danger which concludes with a satisfying and rewarding ending. Judges enjoyed the journey.