When Riley McPherson’s father dies, she discovers many odd secrets about her family. She does not know which ones to believe. She once had a sister, Lisa, whose behavior seriously altered the outcome of her own life and the lives of everyone in her family. Lisa had been a child prodigy. Her instrument was the violin, and the violin was named Violet. Violet becomes a minor character in the tale as does a pendant made of white Jade.
As Riley attempts to settle her father’s affairs, she also discovers that her father had a very close woman friend, Jeannie, a woman who had once been her own mother’s dearest friend, a woman who was also well acquainted with her sister. She is disturbed to discover that Jeannie, and others, seem to have been closer to her father than she herself was.
Offhanded comments, made by some of the characters, make Riley realize that there are many mysterious elements in her life that she has to investigate. Up until this time, Riley’s life was mostly about her own needs. She behaved impetuously, without thinking things through. As many of the intimate details of her life are revealed, she is profoundly affected and she continues to make rash decisions as she explores her background.
Her brother Danny was hurt in the Iraq war and he suffers from PTSD. He is not very helpful in Riley’s search for answers to the mysteries in her life or in her effort to resolve her father’s estate. He lives in a world of his own, in a trailer, pretty much removed from most of society. He is totally into himself and his own needs, but he is computer savvy and can help her in her search for information, if only she can persuade him.
The book is largely about Riley and her search for facts about her sister. There were more than a dozen years between them so she knew very little about her. It took me about 50 pages to be drawn into the narrative, and although I was eventually engaged, I never found the story very credible. I was a bit put off when the story decided to include a lesbian relationship from out of nowhere. I don’t mind reading books about alternate lifestyles, but I resent being hijacked into reading one, since there was no mention of that in any of the reviews I read. I would like to have the choice of whether or not I want to read about that type of relationship. To the author’s credit, it was handled very well, very tastefully. It never went over the top with explicit description and was never cheapened, for effect, as it is in some novels.
The novel is a bit overly melodramatic at times, and the cast of characters seemed totally dysfunctional, self-serving and immature. If there weren’t so many of them, the story might not have seemed so improbable. They were all just so needy, it disgusted me. I wanted to shout at them to grow up and accept responsibility for their own behavior without condemning and blaming everyone else for what befell them. Their behavior was just too headstrong and thoughtless, at times, and the dialogue was often trite, almost infantile, talking down to the reader, in a way.
I enjoyed this book mostly for its mindlessness. It took me away from the everyday cares that often bog us down. The book is a no-brainer, perhaps a relaxing beach read, meant solely to entertain because the outcome of this mystery is very predictable. On the positive side, there were many twists and turns to hold the attention of the reader, and as a vacation read, it would be very entertaining.

Three children...and ?then there were two. All was hush, hush about how that happened, and Riley didn't find out why until after both her parents had passed away.

As Riley was cleaning out her parents' home, talking to different neighbors, and talking to folks her father had left things to in his will, she had her share of surprises and shocking revelations.

THE SILENT SISTER has twists that keep you turning the pages as you learn of secrets that had been kept for years and secrets that only a few folks knew about. How could anyone keep a secret like that? How could anyone live his/her entire life worrying that the secret might accidentally be revealed?

The characters were well developed, but a lot of them were unlikeable. Riley was a likeable character because she had to deal with everything, and she was the character that had to deal with these? secrets alone. Danny, her brother, was not likeable at all. He was too unpredictable. Riley's parents were not active characters and to me not likeable?, but they, especially her father, carried the storyline and its suspense.

I always enjoy Ms. Chamberlain's books, and this was no exception. THE SILENT SISTER is an intriguing read with a ?perfec?t ??title and a storyline filled with riveting ?incidents that were divulged.

The secrets, the betrayal, and the ending are superb. Don't miss reading THE SILENT SISTER. 5/5

This book was given to me free of charge and without compensation by the publisher in return for an honest review.?

Very good book - kept my interest

I really like the way this author writes.

Everyone in our group really enjoyed this book. It kept our interest throughout. We really enjoyed discussing all the twists and turns; especially who the \\\"woman\\\" was in the prologue. Overall, a great read!

Fun reading...lots of unexpected twists in the story line. Don't read the book summary as it spoils some of the unexpected turn of events.

We all loved this book. There were twists and turns that no one expected.

I will say that parts of the book were predictable. But the story sucked me in. I couldn't put it down.

I love a book with twists and turns. This did not disappoint.

interesting book, good plot with unexpected twists and turns.

It was a great read..... hart time to put it down

A wonderful balance of suspense, mystery and secrecy. The author however was still able to maintain a sense of reality and believability. Couldn't put this down for a moment!

While I found this title predictable, perhaps others will not. I liked several of the minor characters, and parts of the story were interesting, but overall I was not thrilled with this novel. I found the writing and character development to be a bit flat and uninspired. On a positive note, the foreshadowing worked well.

This book is so predictable that the "surprises and curves" felt more like foregone conclusions. A light read, easy for airplane rides or on the beach. Not one of the heavy hitters we've read in the past.

Our club members were very divided on this book. Some really liked it, others not so much. It was an interesting read, but some members had trouble getting into it. I enjoyed reading it, but it seemed to follow a formula. It was relatively easy to see where it was leading, and none of the revelations at the end really came as a surprise. We really couldn't figure out why everyone didn't just one up to the facts right at the beginning. Except, of course, then there would have been no story.

This book is one of the few that all of our members finished.They enjoyed it.

Put your seatbelts on and be prepared for lots of twists and turns on this rollercoaster thrill ride!! Great characters, interesting storylines and surprises up until the end!! Definitely recommend this one!!

We gave this a B.

Riley MacPherson has returned to her childhood home after the passing of her father to settle his affairs. While there she discovers things about her past that she never knew existed. The life she knew has been turned upside down and secrets are revealed. Riley must decide whether to delve into the past and unearth secrets that may have dire consequences.
This is a well written story with many twists & turns.