The Other Daughter

A Novel

By: Lisa Gardner

Narrated by: Brittany Pressley

Length: 11 hrs and 48 mins

Publisher's Summary

Twenty years ago, Melanie Stokes was abandoned in a Boston hospital, then adopted by a wealthy young couple. Gifted with loving parents, a doting brother, and an indulgent uncle, Melanie has always considered herself lucky. Until the first cryptic, threatening note arrives: “You Get What You Deserve.”

Melanie has no memory of her life before the adoption. Now someone wants her to remember it all - even the darkest nightmare the Stokes family ever faced: the murder of their first daughter. As Melanie pursues every lead and chases every shadow in search of her real identity, two seemingly unrelated events from her past will come together in a dangerous explosion of truth.

©1999 Lisa Baumgartner (P)2018 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved

Critic Reviews

“Just when you thought Lisa Gardner couldn’t get any better...she does.” (Lee Child)

"A dark, powerful tale of nerve-shattering suspense." (Tami Hoag)

"Gardner delivers a streamlined bang-up addition to the oeuvre of Tami Hoag, Karen Robards, Elizabeth Lowell and, these days, even Nora Roberts." (Publishers Weekly)

Ridiculously improbable

Spoiler alert. I’ve enjoyed Lisa Gardner’s books before but this was frankly idiotic. I’m not even sure what genre it was supposed to be— maybe romantic suspense ? The plot was so far-fetched, the supposed mysterious threats so over the top—especially when the perpetrator of these threats and the motive was revealed. The opening scene of a electric chair execution (in excruciating detail) was obviously researched and she couldn’t bear to leave it out, but it was ultimately pointless and shows up how many other things were NOT researched...like the fact that someone who is giving blood in an early scene (with a nurse fully cognizant of the situation) ultimately is shown to be dying of cancer. I can only suspect that this was a very early effort by Gardiner which for some reason her publishers agreed to publish once she’d established her audience. And regarding the narration: horribly choppy and terse. Don’t bother with this one.

The absolute BEST & shocking book EVER!

I’m a huge mystery & suspenseful book lover. I’ve read 100’s books in just the last couple years & this is hands down the best, mist suspenseful, twisting book I’ve read in a very long time. I will pick an author & read all their books. Usually, a specific book doesn’t stand out to me as much as a series following a set of characters does. Even then a specific book won’t truly stand apart enough for me remember the name of the book over the events of the book. But this book...oh my goodness, I had absolutely no idea who did what throughout this & my jaw literally dropped several times when things started falling into place. It takes a lot for me to want to actually share a certain book with others or to write out an actual review. This book is 20 years old, but it’s just became my new favorite book. The only other book I’ve felt so completely enthralled with is Pretty Girl by Karin Slaughter. While Karin has always been my favorite, I’ve ran out of her books to read. I cannot wait to listen to more of Lisa Gardner’s books!! And of course i know if Brittany Pressley is narrating that it’s so easy to envision the characters in real life. She’s one of the best voices for suspenseful storylines. She brings such real & raw emotion to the characters. She tends to make the main male characters seem a little more brass than I’d prefer, but she ends up making you fall for them every time. Like you want to hate them bc of their tones, but the hardcore shell she gives them can only be broken by the main females characters. She captures their heartfelt emotions & will bring you from passionate love making to feeling every ounce of their rage. Enough of my personal euphoric rambling, point is that this book, coupled with this narrator will not disappoint in any way. A MUST READ!!!

Terrible

I’ve read a lot of Lisa Gardner’s books and have loved them but this was just terrible. Narrator was way too dramatic and annoying. Story was weak. Don’t waste your time.

The other daughter

Wow, good story, lots of twists. Kept me up half the night, wanting to see what was happening next.
Wonderful narration. I wish Pressley narrated all audobooks. Best book I've found in a while. Would highly reccomend this story.

Buy me!!!

I don’t write book reviews very often, but, I really enjoyed this book. It was fast paced with a thrilling storyline. Take a chance on this book. You won’t regret tit, I am very picky, and I loved it! Go for it!

Published 20 years ago now available in audio

THE OTHER DAUGHTER is a relatively early Lisa Gardner novel finally available in audio. The novel is not part of a series but Pierce Quincy (protagonist of Gardner's FBI profiler series) makes a brief appearance. This novel has an excellent plot but the twists near then end are too easy to foresee. Narrator Brittany Pressley is known mostly for romance novels but is building up a great portfolio of mystery novels being selected by David Baldacci, Mary Burton, Mike Omer, and Lisa Gardner to narrate their recent releases. Pressley is a superb narrator.

An addictive story you will not want to end.

SUMMARY

The Other Daughter was published over 20 years ago, but was only now released in audio. Melanie Stokes was nine years old when she was abandoned in a Boston hospital with a narcotic overdose. She was subsequently adopted by a young wealthy couple, who had earlier suffered the tragic loss of their four year old daughter. Melanie’s grew up knowing she was loved by her parents, her older brother, and her favorite uncle. She has no memory of her life before the adoption, but now at age 29, someone wants her to remember. One night she received a threatening message: “you get what you deserve.” As she struggles to figure out who she really is, danger is lurking around every corner.

“The truth did not always set you free. sometimes it bound you to dark, bloody deeds and costs you the people you love.”


REVIEW
The Other Daughter was the winner of the 1999 Reviewer’s Choice Award and winner of the 2000 Daphne’s Du Maurier Award for suspense. And I now know why it is being republished in audio. It’s a mystery full of twists that will have you holding your breath till the end. The writing was fluid and listening to the story was addictive. Lisa Gardner’s character development was robust and narrator Brittany Presley did a fabulous job with the various voices. My favorite part was the tension created by Melanie’s amnesia of her life before being abandoned in the hospital, and I really loved the David Riggs character, he was so full of feelings, emotions and strength.

“A parent’s approval always mattered, regardless of age.”

Publisher Brilliance Audio
Published December 2018
Narrated Brittany Presley

Creepy Dreck

The reviews coaxed me into spending my credit-a regrettable choice! Not only did I predict the "secret ending" early on, but I waded through the creepy relationship between the damsel in distress and her misogynistic G-man. Regarding the gay character, the author manages to apologize to the reader for his distasteful inclusion. Enough said. I'm off to recover my credit.

What a awesome story

Loved it, another home run for Lisa Gardner, I hope to see more from this family.

Loving this narrator!

This story was insane! It was incredibly deep and the characters... well they just toss out lies here and there like candy during a parade!! There is a few characters but the narrator, Brittany Pressley is the BEST!! She can do male and female, Irish and child... she has an arsenal of tricks in her voice box! Loved it!!

Great book

Really enjoyed the story but performance ‘not so much’!
One of the worst Irish accents I’ve ever heard.

brilliant

I thought this was going to be mediocre as it was free but I was impressed, loved the story and I would definitely recommend (I've already told my sister about it) I'm now off to look at the authors other books.

Utterly gripping

As usual, Lisa Gardener is a fabulous story teller, engaging and gripping. I couldn’t stop listening

Great book

I've read a lot of Lisa Gardner and was intrigued to learn this was published 20 years ago. I was quickly hooked on the characters and plot, finishing it in a short space of time. Excellent twists right up to the end. Strongly recommend