A SISTER'S SECRET

Author: Lori Derby Bingley ISBN: 0973726113 4/2005 SUSPENSE Publisher: CHAMPAGNE BOOKS

Brooke Rawlings' life is turned upside down after the death of her sister. Now the guardian of her teenage nephew, she is devastated when Jeremy begins to withdraw from everyone. Matthew Grant, Jeremy's teacher, believing the boy's behavior is related to drug use, comes to Brooke with his fears. Together they investigate her sister's death, knowing it ties in with the disappearance of a student and ultimately, Jeremy's behavior. Brooke soon comes to realize there was more to her sister than met the eye. Can she unravel the web of secrets and lies and find happiness with the man at the top of her suspect list?

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

Lori Derby Bingley has done a fine job in crafting this suspenseful whodunit. With a multitude of suspects to chose from, this is one romantic suspense sure to please avid fans of the romantic suspense genre.

All the themes used to bring A SISTER'S SECRET together will touch the reader as close to home. The suspect teachers, the school with its suspicious undertones, misguided teenagers and exasperated parents, all ring true to life. More than one of the teachers upon whom suspicion is cast this reader could relate to, and the angst of teenage love comes across through Ms. Bingley's careful penning.

The tenuous relationship between Jeremy and his aunt Brooke, as he tries to cope with peer pressure and the knowledge he holds of the school's dubious activities, is understandable. The awkwardness of his teenage years, coupled with his relationships to his girlfriend, aunt and teachers, are all pivotal to the plot—you know he's teetering on the brink of self-destruction, not knowing whom to trust and afraid to disappoint those who love him the most. He's a teenager at the crossroads, and it's up to Brooke with her dogged determination in finding her sister's killer, to help set him back along the safest path.

As said earlier, there are a host of suspects to choose from, and not just from the wide-ranging assortment of school teachers Ms. Bingley has so deftly characterized. One of the best things about a good suspense is that it also gives you a few of the not-so-usual suspects. You're not quite sure what plot twist will ensue, and for all you know the villain could actually be someone you never would have suspected. A SISTER'S SECRET accomplishes that and more, quite seamlessly.

Brooke, the heroine here and a reporter, comes off as a determined woman who has taken on the role of parenting her nephew, Jeremy. Matthew Grant, the teacher she finds herself attracted to, she just can't quite seem to trust. When she does finally give in to him, emotionally and physically, this is the area where the book seems to fall short. Their chemistry just doesn't really connect, at least not in the physical sense, leaving this reader more interested in the two as a mystery-solving partnership, rather than as a romantic couple.

However, as to the whodunit aspect of this book, I honestly have to say that the plot twist toward the end, and the unveiling of the eventual culprit, I really never saw coming. Kudos to Ms. Bingley for keeping A SISTER'S SECRET secret!

Nancy Davis