The Sequel is aptly named, as it is truly the sequel to The Plot.
I’ll start with commenting on The Plot which is the first book in this series. You must read it first, so you’ll understand Anna’s story as a whole. Jake is a novelist who experienced early modest acclaim, but he hasn’t been able to replicate that success in his subsequent books.
He is now a writing instructor at small, second-rate writing program in Vermont. Jake borrows a plot idea from a student and expects no one would ever notice. But someone does and begins sending him notes threatening him. The anonymous notes torments him and he perpetually worried that he would be exposed. His wife, Anna has steps in to take care of things for Jacob. And in the end, laid to rest those anonymous accusations of plagiarism that so tormented him. But there is so much more to this book than this simple recap. My full review HERE
The Sequel
We pick up Anna’s story as a literary widow (no, I won’t reveal why or how) enjoying her husband’s royalty checks in perpetuity. She decides, how hard can it actually be to write a popular and universally lauded bestseller? So she writes her own debut novel, “The Afterword” which tells her side of her relationship with best-selling author Jake and his death (again not telling…).
Anna gets her book published and indulges in her own literary acclaim, but soon she begins to receive excerpts of a novel she never expected to see again, a novel that should no longer exist. Something has gone very wrong, and someone out there knows far too much: about her late brother, her late husband, and just possibly… Anna’s own dark history.
She has come too far, and worked too hard, to lose what she values most: the sole and uncontested right to her own story. And she is, by any standard, a master storyteller. Determined to take care of things once and for all, Anna attempts to do just that. After all, this is Anna’s story and she will not allow anyone to take it from her, no matter what the cost.
The story brings the reader along on an intense ride as Anna attempts to sort things out. We come to realize that Anna has her past secrets and dark issues that plague her, leading to darkness and violence. and warning — violent it is!
Yes, The Sequel is a dark thriller, and while it goes a bit slow at first, but the last half of the book takes off and I kept turning the pages. I never really empathized with Anna (as I did Jake in The Sequel) and I found her character somewhat one-dimensional and unlikable. Like its predecessor it delves into the publishing world and the overall theme of plagiarism but not with the same artfulness as The Plot which it turns out I enjoyed much more.
Recommended as a good plane read, but be prepared for some violent scenes and dark motivations, not to mention an unlikable character.