Clear your schedule: you won’t want to stop reading this one once you start! Rosamund Lupton has done it again; if you loved her first novel, Sister, then you’ll truly appreciate the style of storytelling perfected here. The finely tuned plot of Afterwards (Crown, Apr.) twists and turns, weaving timely women’s issues into the tale of a mother and daughter locked in a harrowing life-and-death struggle. When a fire erupts at the Sidley House School and a teenage girl is trapped inside, her mother rushes to save her. What really caused the disaster? You’ll be on the edge of your seat as you delve deeper into each character’s motivations, wondering how the truth will out. A fascinating behind-the-scenes drama adds to the suspense as both former and current staff of the upscale school guard his or her own secrets. Danger flares and tension mounts in every page-turning moment in this compelling literary thriller that answers every mother’s question: how far would you go to protect your children?