Fifteen years ago, three little girls were walking to school.  One of them was in a terrible accident that left her with a Traumatic Brain Injury that affects her memory and speech.  Living in an institution, Kitty James has trouble communicating, but that doesn't mean she doesn't remember the accident, at least on some level.  Alison Baker, Kitty's half-sister, has also never quite recovered from the trauma of that long-ago day.  She has no real life and relies on cutting herself in order to feel anything.  

With little money in the bank, Alison reluctantly decides to accept a job as an artist-in-residence at an open prison outside of London.  She's assigned to teach art to a select group of inmates.  Seems simple enough.  Then, she begins receiving threatening notes at work.  When her classroom erupts in violence, Alison becomes completely unsettled.  Someone is purposely tormenting her, someone who knows what really happened the day of Kitty's accident.  Alison's kept her secrets carefully guarded for over a decade, but now the truth will out ...

On its surface, Blood Sisters by Jane Corry seems like the kind of tense psychological thriller I enjoy.  Unfortunately, I had a big problem with the characters in this novel.  They're not at all likable.  Alison is cold, immature, and melodramatic, all of which made it difficult to feel connected to her.  The only cast member I felt anything for was Alison's poor mum.  Corry's prose is awkward as well.  As far as plot goes, Blood Sisters kept my attention, although I saw some of the twists coming.  Many of the situations seem contrived and the Big Reveals at the end drove me crazy, justifying my dislike and distrust of a certain character even more.  Not surprisingly, Blood Sisters is a sad, depressing story.  All of these elements combined to make the novel a rather unpleasant read.  So, while I liked the premise, I just didn't love this book.  Bummer.  

(Readalikes:  Reminds me of other the-past-comes-calling psychological thrillers, although no specific titles are coming to mind)

To the FTC, with love:  I bought a copy of Blood Sisters with a portion of the millions I make from my lucrative career as a book blogger.  Ha ha.