"I did the whole making muffins for bake sales and going on trips and being there for
homework and inviting friends around. All of that. But I didn't know how to do what was important."

Grace Covy, mother of two and part-time writer for her local newspaper, races to rescue her daughter when a fire engulfs the posh private school they attend on Sports Day. Upon arriving at the hospital, Grace and Jenny, both badly injured in the fire, are outside their bodies, able to communicate with only each other. The situation becomes even more dire when the police close the case but Grace realizes they've collared the wrong suspect...and the real arsonist still wants Jenny dead.

A unique kind of mystery, this book took off full-bore from the start and never relented in terms of pace and emotional punch. Lupton's writing is superb, and as a former screenwriter she knows how to write a cliffhanger, leaving you unable to leave off after "just one more chapter." The characters are wonderfully drawn and fully fleshed out, not cookie-cutter as it would have been so easy to do. While part of the ending was a bit predictable, the whodunit portion of the mystery kept me guessing right up to the end.

I just added another book to my list of favorites, the second book by Rosamund Lupton included in that list. But I still haven't decided whether the word "afterwards" refers to after the loss of consciousness or after death.

There is a fire at a private elementary school. Whose fault is it and is it arson? Two of the people hurt in the fire watch the investigation while their bodies are unconscious. One of those people describes it for her husband.

That puts simply a most involved story with twists and turns that will keep your attention and have you guessing throughout. As soon as you are pretty sure, Lupton changes your mind and makes you sure of something else.

Plus this is the best type of mystery/thriller-- literary.