Sister of Mine: A Novel

One of Refinery29's “Best Psychological Suspense Novels to Read After Gone Girl” For fans of Sarah Pinborough and Liane Moriarty comes a “twisty, claustrophobic” domestic suspense novel about the lies we tell to hold our lives together (Entertainment Weekly) Sisters, like secrets, are best kept close. Sisters, like secrets, are best kept close. Penny and Hattie, orphaned sisters in a small town, are best friends, bound together to the point of knots. But Penny, at the mercy of her brutal husband, is desperate for a fresh start. Willing to do anything for her older sister, Hattie agrees to help. A match is struck and a fire burns Penny’s marriage to the ground. With her husband gone, Penny is free, and the sisters, it seems, get away with murder. But freedom comes at a cost. More than a year after the fire, a charming young man comes to town. Hattie and Penny quickly bring him into the fold and into their hearts but their love for him threatens the delicate balance. Soon long-held resentments, sibling rivalry, and debts unpaid boil over, and the bonds of sisterhood begin to snap. As one little lie grows into the next, the sisters’ secrets will unravel, eroding their lives until only a single, horrible truth remains: You owe me. A compelling novel of suspense from a talented new voice, Sister of Mine asks us to consider the bonds of family, what it takes to commit the unthinkable, and how far you’ll go to protect the ones you love.

About the Author :
Laurie Petrou is an associate professor at the RTA School of Media at Ryerson University in Toronto. Her first book, a collection of short stories titled Between (Pedlar Press, 2006), was a Globe and Mail Top 100 Book (Top 5 First Fiction). She is the inaugural winner of the 2016 Half the World Global Literati Award for her then-unpublished novel Sister of Mine.

Review :
Praise for Sister of Mine: "Propulsive." —Refinery29’s "Best Psychological Suspense Novels to Read After Gone Girl" "A twisty, claustrophobic nail-biter." —Entertainment Weekly’s Hot Summer Thrillers "Sibling rivalry on steroids."—BookTrib "Riveting... Readers will be keen to see what Petrou comes up with next." —Publishers Weekly "Readers who enjoy the twisty plots found in Sophie Hannah’s and Lisa Jewell’s domestic suspense will want to give this one a try." —Booklist "One of the best first novels I’ve read this year... A brilliantly conceived narrative with wonderful characters and great depth." ―Globe and Mail "Gripping, twisty, and singular ...A not to be missed, well-worth-it read. Here’s hoping for more from this imaginative, insightful author." ―New York Journal of Books "A stark reminder of the wicked webs we weave." —Top Shelf Magazine "A compelling and entertaining novel...unreservedly recommended." —Midwest Book Review "Laurie Petrou writes with stunning elegance to weave a unique and complex story of sisterhood and secrets that ends with a twist you won’t see coming... a fabulous read from start to finish." —Wendy Walker, national bestselling author of Emma in the Night "Poetic, engrossing...An unputdownable page-turner." —A.J. Banner, USA Today bestselling author of The Twilight Wife “By turns taut and lyrical, often startling, always unpredictable, Laurie Petrou writes about the thorny challenges and gauzy longings of sisterhood and parenthood with brash immediacy and perilous insight. This book is a cracked mirror—sharp, disquieting, impossible to look away, refracting our worst fears and best hopes back at us.” —Elan Mastai, author of All Our Wrong Todays “I devoured Laurie Petrou’s wonderful novel in a single sitting. Laurie’s prose is stunning but it was the complicated relationship between the two sisters, and the secret that threatens to destroy them that had me furiously turning the pages. A fantastic debut novel.” —Hollie Overton, international bestselling author of Baby Doll and The Walls "Mesmerizing and powerful...Dark and riveting, flirting at time with a hint of the gothic, it is a page turner that plunges deep into the wild and uncharted territory of family, need, and loyalty, and the strange, mirror-link of love and hatred. This book burns with the intensity of the sisters it follows, who you will love and hate and never forget." —Grace O’Connell, author of Be Ready for the Lightning "An addictive portrait of a fascinating, complicated, and in the end, shocking relationship between two sisters. Beautifully written, insightful and thought provoking, with twists I did not see coming. A thrilling read." —Cecilia Ekbäck, bestselling author of Wolf Winter