The Shadow Sister

 Meade, Lily. The Shadow Sister. 2023. 336p. ISBN 9781728264479.

Casey and her older sister Sutton have never gotten along. Sutton fondly remembers the days when she was the only child. She is judgmental, perfect, and an A student. From church to school to the community at large, everyone loves Sutton. Casey is different. She's nowhere close to perfect, and she hates Sutton just as much as her sister hates her. She can't relate to people who talk about having great relationships with their siblings. She can't believe that people don't see how manipulative her sister can be. She even stole the grandmother's heirloom bracelet Casey received after her death, then threw her own laptop down the stairs and blamed Casey for it so she would have to pay for a new one.

When her sister goes missing, the entire community gets behind the effort to find her and bring her back. Usually, people don't spend much effort on finding a missing Black girl. And in the last few months, three of them have disappeared. Casey is not sad to see her sister gone, but deep down she misses es her a little. Is Sutton gone because of their fight over their grandmother's heirloom bracelet? A bloody shoe is found in the park where Sutton likes to run, and the family fears the worst. A week later, Sutton is found bloodied and disoriented. She doesn't remember what happened to her, her best friends, her boyfriend, or even her childhood. She does remember Casey, however. 

With Sutton back, Casey expects things to return to normal and thinks that Sutton is faking it to get back at her. But when her mood doesn't change, Casey is forced to acknowledge her sister is different. She now hums old spirituals, and she's fascinated by her new fish. Casey begins to dig into her sister's old and broken computer. The more she discovers, the more worried she gets. Her sister was investigating her cheer coach for abusive practices. She lent her boyfriend her car. Then she disappeared on the same day. What terrible thing happened to her sister while she was gone? Where are the other missing girls? Why doesn't anyone seem to care? As Casey delves deeper into the mystery surrounding her sister's disappearance, she uncovers a web of secrets, lies, and danger.

Fans of mysteries will appreciate exploring a dysfunctional family and the sibling rivalries taking place between Sutton and Casey. Told in alternating fashion from Casey's perspective from Sutton's disappearance and from Sutton's perspective prior to her disappearance, the reader will enjoy the suspenseful and thought-provoking narrative.