I predict that THE WICKED SISTER will be another winner for Karen Dionne. But remember: its title lets you know what you're in for.

The title refers to Diana. She was diagnosed as a psychopath when she was a little girl. But her parents loved her and chose to deal with it as best they could. They moved to an ideal place to do so, far from other people for Diana to hurt.

But through most of the book I wanted to scream at them, no, no, no! You have another child, Rachel, to consider!

In alternating chapters, this story of the family's past is told by the mother, Jenny, while the present is told by Rachel, now incarcerated in a mental institution. Believe me, Rachel's chapters will come as a relief after you read the sickening and frustrating chapters about a family that was ruled by Diana's desires.

Without telling you the story, which you should read for yourself, I will say that Rachel thinks she killed her mother but realizes her memories of doing so and of the following two weeks are incomplete. We learn what really happened as her memories come back to her. We also understand the family's history by now and know what Diana is capable of.

Try not to wonder how Jenny, who is supposed to be dead, can tell the story of the family's past. And try not to be too horrified during her descriptions of Diana's misdeeds (including murder and attempted murder) and manipulations. Then you will see that THE WICKED SISTER may be even better than Dionne's bestseller THE MARSH KING'S DAUGHTER. And you will appreciate all her descriptions in THE WICKED SISTER of Michigan's Upper Peninsula with its wide expanses of woods and nature. These may even remind you of another author's book, WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING.