The Last Sister

Emily, Madison, and Tara Mills, the sisters at the heart of this gripping novel of suspense from Elliot (A Merciful Secret), thought they had an idyllic childhood in Bartonville, Ore., until their house burned down and their father’s body was found hanging in the backyard; days later, their despondent mother committed suicide and oldest sister Tara disappeared. The past is eerily repeated 20 years later when Emily finds two of her friends, interracial couple Sean and Lindsay Fitch, murdered. Sean is hanging in his backyard with obscure symbols carved in his body that look familiar to Emily. Fearing a hate crime, Emily calls in the FBI, who are frustrated by a local deputy who turns up dead a few days after he contaminated the crime scene. Emily and Madison want justice, but they ask questions at their peril, and the answers lead back to their murdered father. Elliot skillfully unravels layers of intersecting stories, each one integral to the overall story of the Mills family and their small-town secrets. Readers will want to see more from this author. (Jan.)