Sisters

On returning home to Chichester, Mass., Alex Woods learns a dark secret about her late mother in this well-plotted domestic thriller from Edgar-finalist MacDonald (Missing Child). As a teen, Alex’s mother had an out-of-wedlock daughter whom she put up for adoption. Alex tracks down this long-lost sister, Dory Colson, who’s serving a prison sentence for the murder of Lauren Colson, the sister in her adopted family. Dory insists she didn’t kill Lauren, but her adopted parents believe otherwise. They warn Alex of Dory’s violent juvenile record, yet Alex remains convinced of her innocence, helping Dory’s lawyer to secure her release and retrial. Once out of prison, Dory begins to display signs of being deeply unstable, and Alex is forced to reexamine her assumptions about a sister she hardly knows. MacDonald’s characters are born solely out of their situations, but constant twists and the lingering question of Dory’s innocence make for an engrossing read. Agent: Meg Ruley, Jane Rotrosen Agency. (May)