The Missing Sister (The Seven Sisters Series) by Lucinda Riley

Synopsis
The six D’Aplièse sisters have each been on their own incredible journey to discover their heritage, but they still have one question left unanswered: who and where is the seventh sister?

They only have one clue – an image of a star-shaped emerald ring. The search to find the missing sister will take them across the globe – from New Zealand to Canada, England, France and Ireland – uniting them all in their mission to complete their family at last.

In doing so, they will slowly unearth a story of love, strength and sacrifice that began almost one hundred years ago, as other brave young women risk everything to change the world around them.

Review

Regular readers of my blog you will know that I have championed Lucinda Riley’s books over the past five years. But writing this review of her new book The Missing Sister is an emotional experience as Lucinda Riley sadly passed away on Friday after a four year battle with cancer. All readers have their favourite authors, and for bloggers we are sometimes fortunate to be able to meet or have the opportunity to chat to our favourite authors. I had a real fan-girl moment when Lucinda contacted me a couple of years ago to say how much she loved my reviews, and even used a couple as publicity for future books. We stayed in touch over the last few years and not only was she a masterful writer but also a lovely and generous person, and one I will miss. I send my condolances to her family at this difficult time.

The Missing Sisteris the seventh book in Lucinda Riley’s Seven Sisters series inspired by the classical myth of The Seven Sisters of Pleiades. Thsi book is a bit different to the previous six, as the seventh sister was never adopted, therefore missing, so she has no connecton to the other six, and knows nothing of Pa Salt or Atlantis where the girls were brought up. When Georg, Pa Salt’s lawyer, gives the sisters a clue to the whereabouts of the seventh sister they find themselves following the clues that take them across the globe, determined to find her in time for the first year anniversary of Pa Salt’s death and unite the family. The story of The Missing Sister has its roots in County Cork during the War of Independence, trying to rid the country of the British, and the bravery of a young woman who risked all in her fight.

Like many, I have been really excited to read the seventh book in the Seven Sisters Series, and it lived up to all expectations. What makes this book so different from the previous books is that no one knows who she is, or where she is from, but most importantly she has no idea that she is the missing sister. The clue takes the sisters to Norfolk Island, New Zealand, and a beautiful vinyard belonging to the McDougal family. Merry has just lost her husband and is on the trip of a lifetime around the world, leaving her adopted daughter Mary -Kate at home. The family are obviously concerened CeCe arrived with Chrissie asking questions about the family and in particular a diamond ring. Merry is further concerned as she has a past in Ireland and thinks that the sisters have a more malicious intent and are in fact working for someone in her past. As well as the story of Merry, their are other sub plots with some wonderful characters, some endearing relationships and fascinating stories to be read.

Lucinda Riley’s historical research is impeccable, and she is able to convey the atmosphere, the social and cultural environment and feelings though her wonderful fictional characters. Through the diary of Nuala, a young woman in 1920’s Ireland, we learn of the Irish War for Independence from the British. Nuala and her family represent many families living in County Cork, and many other places is Southern Island, that were part of the militia that were fighting the British. They had to to do this undercover to avoid reprisals, arrest and death if caught. Nuala is a strong woman, who works for the Women’s Volunteer Outfit Cumman namBan, an organisation not mentoned much in the historocal archives, who did the laundry, cooked and passed messages to the fighters. This was a tense and bloody battle, where many died on both sides, that didn’t end with the truce, but continued for decades setting families against each other, and in some cases dividing families as well as a country, the reprisals decades long. I was fascinated by this plot line as my grandad lived through this as he lived in Mullingar. The turmoil and violence is countered by the Ireland of today, the beautiful landscape, the acceptance of all and their well known hospitality.

I had been told by Lucinda Riley that there were some surprises in this book and maybe a few clues, and I loved the journey of discovery both as a reader and for Merry. What I did like is how she incorporated the names of some of the classical protagonists in the names of characters in anagram form. I’m not giving anything away, you will need to read the book and work them out for yourself, or go to her website, although not all are on there . These characters certainly play an important part in the story, and the lives of the sisters, especially the seventh. There are so many twists and turns in this book that leave many questions; who is the seventh sister, why wasn’t she found, how is she related to Pa Salt and the other sisters, and just what is the story of Pa Salt? If you are looking for a definitive answer to any of these questons then you will be disappointed. This book is left opened ended, ready for book eight, the story of Pa Salt himself. What I really loved about this book was catching up with all the sisters and their partners, seeing how their lives have changed after finding their heritage.

The Missing Sister is another stunning read from Lucinda Riley, that incorporates masterful storytelling, fabulous characters and remarkable stories. In my opinion this series just gets better and better with every book. All the individual stories, of six very different women, remarkable in their own right, has been an absolute pleasure to read. I did find this the most emotional of the books so far, maybe because of the Irish history which my grandfather lived through, but never spoke about, and maybe because of the death of Lucinda Riley. If you haven’t read this series then I highly recommend you do, as well as Lucinda’s other books, I will include links below to my other reviews. I will also iclude the link to the interview with Lucinda Riley from a couple of years to ago, poignantly we were planning another interview after the publication of the final book Atlas:The Story of Pa Salt due out autumn 2022.

The Shadow Sister by Lucinda Riley
The Pearl Sister by Lucinda Riley
The Moon Sister by Lucinda Riley
The Sun Sister by Lucinda Riley
Interview with Lucinda Riley