The Other Daughter: A Novel - Softcover

Gardner, Lisa

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0553576798 ISBN 13: 9780553576795

Publisher: Bantam USA, 1999

Synopsis

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.

About this title

Review:

"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

"Readers get loads of angst, great procedural stuff, some hair-raising action scenes, and a villain to keep you awake at night. What more can any thriller reader want?"--Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine

"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

"Scary, gritty, terrifying. Lock the door, leave on a light."--Oakland Press

"A page-turner."--Rocky Mountain News

"[A] suspenseful, engrossing page-turner...Totally absorbing, it's one of those books that keeps you up late, enslaved by the 'just one more chapter' syndrome." --Mystery News

"Sheer terror...a great read."-Iris Johansen"Sheer terror...a great read."--Iris Johansen

From the Author:

A Note from Lisa Gardner
I hope everyone enjoys my new release, THE OTHER DAUGHTER. This is my second novel, following the January 1998 release of THE PERFECT HUSBAND. Fans of TPH will be thrilled to know that Special Agent Pierce Quincy also appears in this book.

TOD follows the story of Melanie Stokes, a rich, adopted daughter who believes she has it all--a wonderful adoptive family, an exciting career, and a luxurious lifestyle in downtown Boston. But Melanie wasn't always so fortunate. At the age of nine, she was drugged and abandoned at a Boston hospital with no memory of her real family or name. Now, twenty years later, her past remains a blank slate.

Melanie's family, Patricia and Harper Stokes, weren't always perfect either. Once upon a time, they lived in Houston, Texas with another little girl, Meagan, and her brother Brian. Then the unthinkable occurred. Meagan was brutally murdered by the serial killer, Russell Lee Holmes. Not even witnessing the killer's execution could heal the family's wounds. Patricia took to drinking. Harper became a workaholic, and their son retreated into a bitter rage.

Until they made the decision to start over in Boston. Until they adopted an abandoned 9-year old girl and named her Melanie.

Now, everyone remarks on what a great family they are--the hard-working doctor-husband, the gorgeous doctor's wife, the successful son and the sweet adopted daughter. No one mentions Melanie's unknown famly. No one mentions poor, murdered Meagan Stokes.

Until tonight.

Now a tabloid reporter has arrived, alleging he knows Melanie's true father--none other than the notorious killer, Russell Lee Holmes. Now the notes have started to arrive--You Get What You Deserve. Now, the first shots have been fired, the first person killed, and a twenty-five year old game has begun in earnest.

Now, Melanie is beginning to fear that the family she loves the most, may be the people she should trust the least.

Join Melanie's search for the truth. And happy reading!

About this edition

• Publisher: Bantam USA
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 0553576798
• ISBN 13: 9780553576795
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• Number of pages: 448