The Good Sister

By: Gillian McAllister

Narrated by: full cast

Length: 12 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's summary

An electrifying novel about the unyielding bond between two sisters, which is severely tested when one of them is accused of the worst imaginable crime.

Martha and Becky Blackwater are more than sisters - they're each other's lifelines. When Martha finds herself struggling to balance early motherhood and her growing business, Becky steps in to babysit her niece, Layla, without a second thought, bringing the two women closer than ever. But then the unthinkable happens, and Becky is charged with murder. 

Nine months later, Becky is on trial and maintains her innocence - and so does Martha. Unable to shake the feeling that her sister couldn't possibly be guilty, Martha sets out to uncover exactly what happened that night and how things could have gone so wrong. As the trial progresses, fault lines between the sisters begin to show - revealing cracks deep in their relationship and threatening the family each has worked so hard to build. 

With incredible empathy and resounding emotional heft, The Good Sister is a powerhouse of a novel that will lead listeners to question everything they know about motherhood, family, and the price of forgiveness.

Read by Imogen Church, Charlie Sanderson, Andy Cresswell, Jan Cramer, Penny Andrews, Cassie Layton, Rachael Beresford, and Malk Williams.

©2019 Gillian McAllister (P)2019 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"With The Good Sister, Gillian McAllister explores the exclusionary power of intimacy. She captures that feeling of being in the circle of trust, outside of it. You come away with whiplash from empathizing with each character, even the judge. This is a deeply gratifying, taut courtroom drama and so much more. I don't know how Gillian did it, but I'm so happy she did." (Caroline Kepnes, author of You and Providence)

"[A] riveting psychological thriller.... Authentic courtroom scenes, intricate family dynamics, the conflicts of motherhood, and a shocking ending all add up to a winner.” (Publishers Weekly)

“With fast-paced prose and several unexpected twists, [Gillian McAllister] skillfully weaves a web in which any of the characters might be the guilty party.... A suspenseful courtroom drama full of poignant flashbacks and unique insights.” (Kirkus Reviews)

“Not for me”

I’m having such a hard time fathoming how three authors whose work I’ve enjoyed endorsed this completely toneless book. Couldn’t get through the endless droning of testimony and utterly insipid characters, Ugh.

THE GOOD SISTER was not GOOD

If you like watching and listening to paint drip, THE GOOD SISTER is for you.

The book was very, very, very slow moving and I just could not get into it. I was unable to finish the book and asked for a credit.

To sum up: this book is definitely not a good use of 12 hours and 39 minutes of your time.

Slow as Molasses

it was so hard to finish this...I read one of her other books and loved it.
but this just kept going into nothingness. I figured out who killed the baby about half way through.
don't waste your time and do not make my mistake if paying $19.99

Heed the bad reviews

I loved Wrong Place, Wrong Time but avoided The Good Sister because of the bad reviews. Then I read Just Another Missing Person and thought it was excellent so I decided to take a chance with this one. How bad could any Gillian McAllister novel be? Well, the answer is that it is just as bad as most of the reviews say. Horribly drawn out and astonishingly boring. Plus, the readers are awful. One of them is impossible to listen to. Like other reviewers, I gave up and went to the ending which turned out to be totally unsatisfying (and predictable). It really is like if some other Gillian McAllister wrote this book. Avoid. And read Just Another Missing Person if you haven't yet.

Good Story, Incredible Writing

As the mother of a 2 year old and 7 month old, I have never felt more understood. Gillian McAllister eloquently describes the feelings that I assume almost every mother has experienced. While the story might not be as intriguing as Wrong Place Wrong Time, it’s worthy of listening to just to experience her incredible writing. I enjoyed it, as it closely follows the lives of two mothers.

Good Story

Well written story, but not as good as her “Wrong Place, Wrong Time”, which was exceptional. However I am glad I gave this one a chance, as I think it was worth the time.

Meh

Not what I was expecting from this author. Very slow and dull. It seemed to just drone on.

Dull

Drags on w/little backbone. Not a fan of the main characters narrator. I find her irritating to listen to. Should have checked the lineup before buying. Happily dropped the book half way in.

Not this authors best work

I have to say the narrator really wrecked this audio book. The actor for Martha was terrible. Instead of sounding like a grieving mother, she came off as stilted and bored. When her character was reading I had to bump up the speed to 1.3 she takes too long to get her lines out! Where was the editor? None of the characters were likable and I finally skipped to the last 4 chapters to see what happens and be done I’m with it. I don’t recommend this book but the author’s other two books were fantastic (they will make the replay list for sure) but not this one unfortunately (I will also be avoiding all the narrators as well. Sorry Audible.

Boring

This was a bit too boring for me! A very long time to say nothing at all… very disappointed!!