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The Sister-In-Law: A totally addictive psychological thriller with shocking twists
The body in the lake was only the beginning.
When Vivienne Walker becomes one of the prime suspects in a murder that sends shockwaves through the community, her guarded secrets begin to unravel. As investigators dig deeper, the cracks in Vivienne’s carefully crafted life begin to show, and the dark truths about her past start to emerge.
Her brother William is still reeling from the mysterious disappearance of his wife, Cassandra. But the discovery of the body stirs up dangerous new questions—and unearths secrets long thought buried. With each passing day, the growing tension between William and Vivienne threatens to expose a devastating truth neither of them is prepared to confront.
When a shocking autopsy discovery turns the investigation on its head, the search for answers becomes a deadly game of deception and survival. In this psychological thriller where nothing is as it seems, trust is a luxury no one can afford.
When Vivienne Walker becomes one of the prime suspects in a murder that sends shockwaves through the community, her guarded secrets begin to unravel. As investigators dig deeper, the cracks in Vivienne’s carefully crafted life begin to show, and the dark truths about her past start to emerge.
Her brother William is still reeling from the mysterious disappearance of his wife, Cassandra. But the discovery of the body stirs up dangerous new questions—and unearths secrets long thought buried. With each passing day, the growing tension between William and Vivienne threatens to expose a devastating truth neither of them is prepared to confront.
When a shocking autopsy discovery turns the investigation on its head, the search for answers becomes a deadly game of deception and survival. In this psychological thriller where nothing is as it seems, trust is a luxury no one can afford.
475 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 29, 2024
528 people are currently reading
567 people want to read
About the author
Samara Cove
8 books81 followersSamara Cove is a psychological thriller author whose debut novel, filled with dark twists and suspense, is set to release in December 2024. Originally from the West Coast, Samara now lives in Texas, trading ocean views for endless BBQ. When not plotting fictional thrillers or hanging out with her family, Samara can be found trying (and usually failing) to keep houseplants alive or watching Tiny Kitchen on YouTube “for research.” She believes the only thing more suspenseful than her novels is waiting for the coffee to brew in the morning.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews
June 18, 2025
Have I read a different book than all the positive reviews talk about? There are so many problems with this book. Let’s start with the first character, the sister-in-law herself. She was a horrible and delusional character. But it was taken too far, can someone really be so out of it that they think a man who is gay is hopelessly in love with her? Then comes the police, sharing private information with the suspect and wanting her to ‘figure out who framed her’. Then comes Cassandra’s pov which goes over the same events from her perspective. What for ? Then comes the final very unbelievable and silly ending. I skipped through some of the audiobooks but had to see if it was as bad as in the beginning, which it was.
And why did I even use one minute to review this? As a warning. Do NOT get fooled by the high rating if you love good thrillers.
And why did I even use one minute to review this? As a warning. Do NOT get fooled by the high rating if you love good thrillers.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 23, 2024
This book was phenomenal, kept me intrigued and wanting more. Read it within a day! I can’t wait for more books by Samara Cove!
January 23, 2025
*** 3.5 Stars *** I am so conflicted on this rating because of the ending. The epilogue of all things. So, overall this story is good. Told from several different perspectives, the story unfolds well. It flowed well. It held my attention. It also left me not wanting to stop because I needed to know who, what, when and how of Cass’s death. However the last five minutes of the book is just a huge NO. Interesting but NO. I thoroughly enjoyed myself up to that point. It turned what I thought was going to be a definite 4-5 star rating down to a three for me.
February 5, 2025
Worst ending I’ve ever read in my life
February 19, 2025
I'm so conflicted...the story is good, but some of the writing is elementary. I can't decide if I'm annoyed by the unnecessary words or if it's the people narrating.
March 18, 2025
do not read
Badly written and edited, same scenes over and over again and totally inane concept. The end was ridiculous. I would never read this author again.
Badly written and edited, same scenes over and over again and totally inane concept. The end was ridiculous. I would never read this author again.
March 28, 2025
Does anyone believe in.character development. How about a story where there is an actual plot that isn’t just the not developed characters spewing a stupid story.
March 13, 2025
I could not finish this book. Only read a small portion. I simply could not get past the grammatical errors as well as misspelled words. Seems like there was no editing or an uneducated editor. Why do people insist on using I in a sentence when it should be me? The writing was not that good either.
April 13, 2025
I wanted to give this book more stars, but I just can’t stand the editing carelessness!
February 1, 2025
Let me start with the one positive. It held my interest, and i would read another from this author in a few years to see if they mature. So if you're looking for a time filler and don't care about plausibility and a massive suspension of disbelief, go for it. But...
These authors are trying too hard to be the next Gone Girl that they're writing the book to fit a "twist you'll never see coming," but the reason you won't see it coming is because it's absolutely implausible, impossible, and utterly ridiculous.
This is the 2nd book I've read in a row where the investigation was so utterly impossibly bad that even a first year Sheriff in a small town wouldn't explain it.
*****SPOILERS AHEAD*****
Removing identifying marks from a body (hair, teeth, fingerprints, etc) ONLY WORKS IF THEY DON'T KNOW WHO THE VICTIM IS SUPPOSED TO BE!!! It doesn't remove their "DNA," it just makes it difficult to trace who they are if their DNA isn't already in the system, and if they don't have any idea who the victim is. How would a publisher allow this glaring error of fact to stand? The only way this twist would have worked is if it had been set back in a time before DNA identification was as advanced as it is now...and that would have meant the author would have had to find a new way to frame the sister. You can't have it both ways: DNA technology advanced enough to detect DNA under the fingernails and in the nose of a corpse submerged in water AND have it not advanced enough to identify a whole body with DNA evidence and every last one of their belongings and their family members available.
Removing identifying features certainly doesn't work to make them think it's someone else when you have the entire family of the person it's supposed to be right there being interrogated, and they wouldn't trust one of the suspects as the only person to provide a positive ID. It's ludicrous to think that you can have a whole body that you've removed identifying features from to try to pass it off as someone else, and yet you can plant someone else's DNA to frame them for the wrong person's murder and the planted DNA will show up, but they won't be able to pull DNA from the actual corpse and cross reference it with familial matches or with items that the suspected deceased person used. They'd be able to rule out that corpse as the loved one immediately. These authors don't seem to know how DNA works.
Thus, the whole premise of the story is DOA from the moment of the first scene. We don't learn this until halfway through the book, and by then, I was invested in the story, which does say something for the skill of the author as far as writing style goes.
Also, the portrayal of a person with Bipolar Disorder is uninformed and flat out insulting. That character was written as if they author was trying to write someone with Narcissistic Personality Disorder. Bipolar Disorder does not manifest in the way that this character was written. The husband was written fairly well, as was the wife, but then we get to the actual confession from the villain, and it's ludicrous, unbelievable, impossible, and also insulting because it's just as bad as having a scene where the villain of the story gets their 5 - 10 minute diatribe as they have the protagonist in their clutches as a lazy way to wrap everything up. Yet even with entire chapters dedicated to the confession, it still managed to leave plot holes. It also confirmed some of the more predictable twists (such as the fact that it was pretty obvious that the untimely death of the parents was connected to the case, and it was obvious that the absent brother was somehow involved, and it was also obvious once we knew that the wife was still alive that it was someone who was supposed to love her who took her.
All in all, while it was an interesting read, it just got more and more implausible with each twist and each revealed. By the very end, I just had to shake my head at how sloppy the plot was. And yet, still, I did finish the book, and mostly enjoyed the ride even as I cringed at the lack of research and basic knowledge that this author had about several of the subjects they tried to write about.
These authors are trying too hard to be the next Gone Girl that they're writing the book to fit a "twist you'll never see coming," but the reason you won't see it coming is because it's absolutely implausible, impossible, and utterly ridiculous.
This is the 2nd book I've read in a row where the investigation was so utterly impossibly bad that even a first year Sheriff in a small town wouldn't explain it.
*****SPOILERS AHEAD*****
Removing identifying marks from a body (hair, teeth, fingerprints, etc) ONLY WORKS IF THEY DON'T KNOW WHO THE VICTIM IS SUPPOSED TO BE!!! It doesn't remove their "DNA," it just makes it difficult to trace who they are if their DNA isn't already in the system, and if they don't have any idea who the victim is. How would a publisher allow this glaring error of fact to stand? The only way this twist would have worked is if it had been set back in a time before DNA identification was as advanced as it is now...and that would have meant the author would have had to find a new way to frame the sister. You can't have it both ways: DNA technology advanced enough to detect DNA under the fingernails and in the nose of a corpse submerged in water AND have it not advanced enough to identify a whole body with DNA evidence and every last one of their belongings and their family members available.
Removing identifying features certainly doesn't work to make them think it's someone else when you have the entire family of the person it's supposed to be right there being interrogated, and they wouldn't trust one of the suspects as the only person to provide a positive ID. It's ludicrous to think that you can have a whole body that you've removed identifying features from to try to pass it off as someone else, and yet you can plant someone else's DNA to frame them for the wrong person's murder and the planted DNA will show up, but they won't be able to pull DNA from the actual corpse and cross reference it with familial matches or with items that the suspected deceased person used. They'd be able to rule out that corpse as the loved one immediately. These authors don't seem to know how DNA works.
Thus, the whole premise of the story is DOA from the moment of the first scene. We don't learn this until halfway through the book, and by then, I was invested in the story, which does say something for the skill of the author as far as writing style goes.
Also, the portrayal of a person with Bipolar Disorder is uninformed and flat out insulting. That character was written as if they author was trying to write someone with Narcissistic Personality Disorder. Bipolar Disorder does not manifest in the way that this character was written. The husband was written fairly well, as was the wife, but then we get to the actual confession from the villain, and it's ludicrous, unbelievable, impossible, and also insulting because it's just as bad as having a scene where the villain of the story gets their 5 - 10 minute diatribe as they have the protagonist in their clutches as a lazy way to wrap everything up. Yet even with entire chapters dedicated to the confession, it still managed to leave plot holes. It also confirmed some of the more predictable twists (such as the fact that it was pretty obvious that the untimely death of the parents was connected to the case, and it was obvious that the absent brother was somehow involved, and it was also obvious once we knew that the wife was still alive that it was someone who was supposed to love her who took her.
All in all, while it was an interesting read, it just got more and more implausible with each twist and each revealed. By the very end, I just had to shake my head at how sloppy the plot was. And yet, still, I did finish the book, and mostly enjoyed the ride even as I cringed at the lack of research and basic knowledge that this author had about several of the subjects they tried to write about.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 3, 2025
The Sister-In-Law
-Samara Cove
Secrets, deception, lies, truths to be discovered, WTF’s to figure out. This and so much more to untangle is what you have to look forward when starting The Sister-In-Law.
I’m going to start with the good here. The plot was fresh and unique - I have not read any psychological thrillers in the last year that tied so many ideas together into one story and made 90% of it believable. There are quite a few good aha moments and a definite shocking ending that I never imagined. The author has really good story building potential, strong characters with solid backgrounds and the ability to manipulate twists and turns that make you have WTF moments while scratching your head.
Now, the not so good just in MY opinion. From the very start I was not a fan of who I considered to be the FMC, Viv. She seemed to be portrayed in too many angles - now whether the author was doing this to try and tie in a mental illness diagnosis I don’t know. If this was what she was shooting for I feel she missed the shot by a mile. I don’t want to go into detail here on why I say this as it would give away too much. Also, I would have liked to seen better research on the authors side for DNA as well, because from the very start it was questionable.
As for the MMC, Will, I feel he was developed well and for the most part pretty solid just a discrepancy or two that I encountered that I had to go back and reread to make sure I remembered correctly - which I hate when I have to do that. Otherwise, his portrayal was really great and he matured throughout as each change came about how I feel a man in his position would.
Even though I don’t feel this book was stellar, it was actually a decent debut book that I would recommend reading as long as you take a few things with a grain of salt and as it is - a story where sometimes lines between reality and fiction can be blurred.
As always, all opinions and reviews are of my own volition. I have not been promised any compensation by the author, present or future, for my review.
-Samara Cove
Secrets, deception, lies, truths to be discovered, WTF’s to figure out. This and so much more to untangle is what you have to look forward when starting The Sister-In-Law.
I’m going to start with the good here. The plot was fresh and unique - I have not read any psychological thrillers in the last year that tied so many ideas together into one story and made 90% of it believable. There are quite a few good aha moments and a definite shocking ending that I never imagined. The author has really good story building potential, strong characters with solid backgrounds and the ability to manipulate twists and turns that make you have WTF moments while scratching your head.
Now, the not so good just in MY opinion. From the very start I was not a fan of who I considered to be the FMC, Viv. She seemed to be portrayed in too many angles - now whether the author was doing this to try and tie in a mental illness diagnosis I don’t know. If this was what she was shooting for I feel she missed the shot by a mile. I don’t want to go into detail here on why I say this as it would give away too much. Also, I would have liked to seen better research on the authors side for DNA as well, because from the very start it was questionable.
As for the MMC, Will, I feel he was developed well and for the most part pretty solid just a discrepancy or two that I encountered that I had to go back and reread to make sure I remembered correctly - which I hate when I have to do that. Otherwise, his portrayal was really great and he matured throughout as each change came about how I feel a man in his position would.
Even though I don’t feel this book was stellar, it was actually a decent debut book that I would recommend reading as long as you take a few things with a grain of salt and as it is - a story where sometimes lines between reality and fiction can be blurred.
As always, all opinions and reviews are of my own volition. I have not been promised any compensation by the author, present or future, for my review.
January 23, 2025
free ebook
older sister, 2 younger brothers. parents died when they went on a dinner boat for charity
they left their money to the sister and dentist brother, not the youngest one who is a actor
the older brother got married. the sister really likes her. the sister is on meds and keeps acting really odd all the time, thoughts she has
the older brothers wife wasnt able to get preg tho they kept trying
then her body was found in the lake
the dna shows the sisters dna under her fingernails and in her nose
she was 5 mths preg which no one knew
the dead person wasnt the wife, it was the girl at the library that the mom of the girl hated
but no one ever figured it out or even questioned why someone would go to all that trouble to remove the teeth and fingerprints but leave the necklace with the finger prints made into it on her so they could id the wrong person
the crazy sister is locked up 25 yrs to life for the murder since her dna was on the dead girl (who she didnt kill and the dna was planted)
the brother was let go (but it never got followed up on him later or what he thought of all his missing millions of dollars)
the mom of the girl kidnapped her and held her in a basement for a few months. she never told her daughter it was her who kidnapped her and she faked the rescue. she took her, her husband to a island and contacted the the girls husbands brother to come. he married her daughter and they had a baby
the ending was mixed up but the rest of the book was good
older sister, 2 younger brothers. parents died when they went on a dinner boat for charity
they left their money to the sister and dentist brother, not the youngest one who is a actor
the older brother got married. the sister really likes her. the sister is on meds and keeps acting really odd all the time, thoughts she has
the older brothers wife wasnt able to get preg tho they kept trying
then her body was found in the lake
the dna shows the sisters dna under her fingernails and in her nose
she was 5 mths preg which no one knew
the dead person wasnt the wife, it was the girl at the library that the mom of the girl hated
but no one ever figured it out or even questioned why someone would go to all that trouble to remove the teeth and fingerprints but leave the necklace with the finger prints made into it on her so they could id the wrong person
the crazy sister is locked up 25 yrs to life for the murder since her dna was on the dead girl (who she didnt kill and the dna was planted)
the brother was let go (but it never got followed up on him later or what he thought of all his missing millions of dollars)
the mom of the girl kidnapped her and held her in a basement for a few months. she never told her daughter it was her who kidnapped her and she faked the rescue. she took her, her husband to a island and contacted the the girls husbands brother to come. he married her daughter and they had a baby
the ending was mixed up but the rest of the book was good
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 20, 2024
When Cassie’s dead and mutilated body is found in a lake, the spotlight is on Vivienne, the sister-in-law, and Viv’s brother, Cassie’s husband. As the investigation continues to get heated and clues are uncovered, long-held secrets are exposed. This gripping thriller will take you on an unforgettable journey filled with twists and turns that will keep you on the edge of seat and turning pages into the night. And, try though you might, you will never guess the ending. The character development is masterful. I felt like I knew these people. While I didn’t like them all, they each had a key role to play that contributed to the success of the story. This is an intriguing debut novel and I hope we’ll be hearing a lot more from Samara Cove! Release date: 12/29/2024 But, if you can’t wait, the audiobook is available now. Thank you to the author for providing me with an advance copy for an honest, voluntary review.
December 15, 2024
What a read.... alright, where do I begin? Maybe that I am not sure what to think of Vivienne. She surely knew how to make herself look like the victim. And, worse, it feels like she truly does also believe it. Poor William, really. Like, I can not imagine how it was for him to have her around like this all the time...
Anyway, I also had to think of poor Cassie, for course. She seemed to be such a lovely woman, trying to please everyone and I guess that was why so many people liked her.
Gosh, I am getting carried away here, I am sorry. It was just such a rollercoaster ride the whole time. When the first twist came, I almost dropped my reader. I sat there with my mouth open, really!
And, without spoiling anything, I surely did not see the end coming! I was on the edge all the time, wondering who was saying the truth, and whom to trust, and just.... wow! Samara Cove, you have a new fan! Surely going to get everything you are writing from now on!
Anyway, I also had to think of poor Cassie, for course. She seemed to be such a lovely woman, trying to please everyone and I guess that was why so many people liked her.
Gosh, I am getting carried away here, I am sorry. It was just such a rollercoaster ride the whole time. When the first twist came, I almost dropped my reader. I sat there with my mouth open, really!
And, without spoiling anything, I surely did not see the end coming! I was on the edge all the time, wondering who was saying the truth, and whom to trust, and just.... wow! Samara Cove, you have a new fan! Surely going to get everything you are writing from now on!
September 2, 2025
The Sister-In-Law by Samara Cove
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Twisty, thrilling, surprising!!
William’s wife Cassandra has gone missing and he’s frantically trying to figure out what has happened to her. Did his sister Vivian have anything to do with her disappearance? Did William?
I enjoyed the multiple timelines, which helped to fill in how things came about in the past.
The storyline is gripping and full of excitement from start to finish!
The author’s writing style reminds me of Freida McFadden.
I listened to the audio and the narrators are fantastic!
*I highly recommend checking out this fun and entertaining exciting domestic thriller!*
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Twisty, thrilling, surprising!!
William’s wife Cassandra has gone missing and he’s frantically trying to figure out what has happened to her. Did his sister Vivian have anything to do with her disappearance? Did William?
I enjoyed the multiple timelines, which helped to fill in how things came about in the past.
The storyline is gripping and full of excitement from start to finish!
The author’s writing style reminds me of Freida McFadden.
I listened to the audio and the narrators are fantastic!
*I highly recommend checking out this fun and entertaining exciting domestic thriller!*
February 21, 2025
I really enjoyed this book. I liked that the characters were announced at the beginning of the chapter and it was written in first person by that character. The author made the differences between characters obvious with each personality shining through. There were plot twists which made the book interesting and kept my attention. And the end - I had a guess or two near the end, but the final ending - well, I didn't see that coming! Very entertaining and I certainly recommend this as a pure guilty pleasure read for those of us that like psychological thrillers.
November 13, 2024
This book was amazing for her debut book! It was an easy read but written with enough detail that I could feel the characters personalities. I liked having the different perspectives of the main characters. I kept going back and forth on who I thought did it. It kept me guessing! Best part was, there were several twists that all tied in nicely.” I love a good twist! I will continue to read her books as they come out!
February 2, 2025
This was a strong 4-star book. There was great suspense and nice twists. I liked seeing the same scenes from different characters' perspectives. The story grabbed me and I wanted to stay up all night reading to find out what happened. There were a few things I couldn't figure out how or why they might happen the way they did, but I still enjoyed the story tremendously. The ending was a surprise but very satisfying. Recommended, and I will look for more works by this author.
February 5, 2025
The plot and story line were great. However, it is cringe-worthy for EVERY.SINGLE.PAGE has grammatical errors. After I read through the first error, I thought, ok, that's just a mistake. But no. Whoever did the proof reading or is editor to this book...shame on you! Your total lack of knowledge for the correct use of the word 'I' and how it should be properly used is utterly shameful. It completely ruined my reading experience. Very disappointed.
April 14, 2025
This was addictive!!!!
I had such a hard time putting this book down to attend to life. It was riveting! Vivienne had me so mad and aggravated!! But I really had no idea where this story was going and who the bad guy or gal really was …. It kept me on my toes always wondering what would transpire next! And the ending totally caught me off guard. I’m def getting the paperback copy because I know I’ll want to reread this one!!!
I had such a hard time putting this book down to attend to life. It was riveting! Vivienne had me so mad and aggravated!! But I really had no idea where this story was going and who the bad guy or gal really was …. It kept me on my toes always wondering what would transpire next! And the ending totally caught me off guard. I’m def getting the paperback copy because I know I’ll want to reread this one!!!
November 18, 2024
This book has crazy unexpected turns and keeps you thinking on your toes the whole time. The characters were so interesting and just when I thought I figured it out.. I was totally..Who did it is the question…. I couldn’t stop bc I wanted to find out who it was..i would 💯 recommend this book!! I can’t wait to read more by this author.
November 19, 2024
I was lucky enough to receive an ARC copy of this book. I really enjoyed the book and it kept me interested and wanting to read more. The characters are well developed. There are several twists in this book and I could not have predicted the ending at all! I really enjoy this author and look forward to reading more from her.
March 29, 2025
Where is Cassie?
The author does a good job keeping the identity of the killer hidden. Will’s sister, Viv really comes across as a very obnoxious self centered woman. I wouldn’t have been surprised if she would be killed.
Book starts out a little slow. The jumping back and forth through the years is a little confusing
The author does a good job keeping the identity of the killer hidden. Will’s sister, Viv really comes across as a very obnoxious self centered woman. I wouldn’t have been surprised if she would be killed.
Book starts out a little slow. The jumping back and forth through the years is a little confusing
May 20, 2025
Very interesting story with shocking ending. I felt it was a bit repeatative in that a few times I thought I had lost my place. The character personalities were well written, one in particular got on my nerves.
To be honest I almost gave up but pushed on to the unbelievable end.
Even though this book was not for me I would recommend it others.
To be honest I almost gave up but pushed on to the unbelievable end.
Even though this book was not for me I would recommend it others.
June 17, 2025
Great plot/story. I would have given more stars; however, the grammatical errors on so many pages were terrible and took attention away from the story. Examples:
"between Cassie and I"
"you and me meant nothing"
"for Cassie and I"
"I see Cassie and I's joint bank account"
The author either needs to take some English grammar classes or find a new proof reader/editor.
"between Cassie and I"
"you and me meant nothing"
"for Cassie and I"
"I see Cassie and I's joint bank account"
The author either needs to take some English grammar classes or find a new proof reader/editor.
November 15, 2024
This storyline was phenomenal!! It's my top read of the year, hands down! The twists, the characters, there is no way you figure out who is at fault until the very end. I loved it! This was an ARC for me, and I can't wait to read more books from Samara Cove in the future!
December 31, 2024
Loved everything about this book! What a great storyline. It was interesting getting different points of view and also getting to know each characters backstory. The twists were totally unexpected. Great read. Definitely recommend!
January 25, 2025
I really enjoyed this book and how it was written from different characters' points of view.
Spoiler:
One question: If Eleanor pushed Will's parents off the boat, why did he say that they died in a car crash?
Spoiler:
One question: If Eleanor pushed Will's parents off the boat, why did he say that they died in a car crash?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 1, 2025
Loved everything about this book! What a great storyline. It was interesting getting different points of view and also getting to know each characters backstory. The twists were totally unexpected. Great read. Definitely recommend!
February 6, 2025
Wow!
For the first time in a very long time, I was unable to guess the culprit. I was thoroughly shocked. My one issue with the book is that the ending felt rushed. Other than that, I loved it, finished it in less than 24 hours, and it only took that long because I had to work.
For the first time in a very long time, I was unable to guess the culprit. I was thoroughly shocked. My one issue with the book is that the ending felt rushed. Other than that, I loved it, finished it in less than 24 hours, and it only took that long because I had to work.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews