BEST FLOOR MATS

Sister: A Novel

When her mom calls to tell her that Tess, her younger sister, is missing, Bee returns home to London on the first flight. She expects to find Tess and give her the usual lecture, the bossy big sister scolding her flighty baby sister for taking off without letting anyone know her plans. Tess has always been a free spirit, an artist who takes risks, while conservative Bee couldn’t be more different. Bee is used to watching out for her wayward sibling and is fiercely protective of Tess (and has always been a little stern about her antics). But then Tess is found dead, apparently by her own hand.

Bee is certain that Tess didn’t commit suicide. Their family and the police accept the sad reality, but Bee feels sure that Tess has been murdered. Single-minded in her search for a killer, Bee moves into Tess’s apartment and throws herself headlong into her sister’s life—and all its secrets.

Though her family and the police see a grieving sister in denial, unwilling to accept the facts, Bee uncovers the affair Tess was having with a married man and the pregnancy that resulted, and her difficulty with a stalker who may have crossed the line when Tess refused his advances. Tess was also participating in an experimental medical trial that might have gone very wrong. As a determined Bee gives her statement to the lead investigator, her story reveals a predator who got away with murder—and an obsession that may cost Bee her own life.

A thrilling story of fierce love between siblings, Sister is a suspenseful and accomplished debut with a stunning twist.

When her mom calls to tell her that Tess, her younger sister, is missing, Bee returns home to London on the first flight. She expects to find Tess and give her the usual lecture, the bossy big sister scolding her flighty baby sister for taking off without letting anyone know her plans. Tess has always been a free spirit, an artist who takes risks, while conservative Bee couldn’t be more different. Bee is used to watching out for her wayward sibling and is fiercely protective of Tess (and has always been a little stern about her antics). But then Tess is found dead, apparently by her own hand.

Bee is certain that Tess didn’t commit suicide. Their family and the police accept the sad reality, but Bee feels sure that Tess has been murdered. Single-minded in her search for a killer, Bee moves into Tess’s apartment and throws herself headlong into her sister’s life—and all its secrets.

Though her family and the police see a grieving sister in denial, unwilling to accept the facts, Bee uncovers the affair Tess was having with a married man and the pregnancy that resulted, and her difficulty with a stalker who may have crossed the line when Tess refused his advances. Tess was also participating in an experimental medical trial that might have gone very wrong. As a determined Bee gives her statement to the lead investigator, her story reveals a predator who got away with murder—and an obsession that may cost Bee her own life.

A thrilling story of fierce love between siblings, Sister is a suspenseful and accomplished debut with a stunning twist.

This leopard is an endangered species, at the Oregon Zoo, in Portland, Oregon. His whiskers weren't loading correctly so I replaced the picture with the new replace function. It is pretty cool. I took this picture through 2 or 3 inches of plexiglass, fighting off glare and small children (LOL) and with a hand held sub-megapixel camera. It addresses "My Story" and My Life As" a photographer who loves both wild and domestic animals.



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In middle January of 2006 I found out the female leopard at the Oregon Zoo, has cancer. Poor thing. They will make her comfortable to her end. I have an e-mail in to the zookeepers to them to ask if this is the male or the female and the names; so I know which one I have pictured here. I know the tigers, but it seems the leopards are more of a puzzle for me.
While waiting to hear from the zookeepers, who are probably busy grieving, I compared my photo to a news release photo, and of course I might be mistaken, but it appears to me that my picture is of Andrea, the female at the zoo who died Monday, January 23, 2006 from cancer. She was 14 years old. There are only 60 to 100 of these endangered species, Amur Leopards, living in the wild in the whole world. She is survived by her brother Frederick, who came to the zoo with her in 2000, from a zoo in Colorado.
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I was wrong. An employee of the Oregon Zoo wrote and told me this is Frederick, not Andrea. So his sister Andrea passed away a couple of days ago. Either one, it is sad, but I wanted to correct my information. I hope they will get a new companion for Frederick, but these leopards are pretty scarce.

Added 05-27-06 because I felt my answer to one of the comments added more to the story of Andrea and Frederick, the leopards.
Bagheera 101, thanks for the detailed comment on my picture of Frederick, the Amur (Siberian) Leopard. It was interesting to hear about it from the side of a volunteer who worked there.
Indded your Mother must have been horrified to think your brother was that close to the leopard.
I have an interesting story about that little shed which you wrote about. I discovered a flaw in the security there, where someone could reach in and actually touch the real leopard. It wasn't very big, but big enough for someone to lose a hand if the leopard got annoyed. You would not believe, or maybe you would, how many departments and people at the zoo I had to contact to convince them that there was a place that was just air space, no fence, no glass, no plexiglass. Several people just sort of blew me off, and I am a zoo member. I love over 100 miles away; so it was long distance each time to call them. I offered to show them the place so they could see what I was talking about. I went back several times, and not a thing had been done. I called some more, and they said everything has a priority, and that wasn't one, and besides the leopard never went up on those timbers (sort of like floor joists, but no floor) anyway. I personally have witnessed the leopard up on those timbers several times. I could have reached in and pet her fur. I would have thought if a human could reach in and touch a leopard, that it would have been of more concern. Then they said they check everything when they enclose the animal. It took about 3 months, and finally someone did some makeshift work to cover the flaw. I love the animals, but do not feel that staff took me very seriously.

nick and mike took care of fifteen questionable (aka scary looking, no-longer-structurally-sound) basement floor joists yesterday, some with large knots, some with running cracks, all with some kind of serious issue or issues. i can tell you this, the first floor doesn't creak when you walk on it anymore. which is totally sweet, except for the fact that now robyn and i need to clean up the basement, which is a complete mess

"Both beautiful and suspenseful, Sister is an absolutely stunning debut. The ending will leave you reeling." - Alafair Burke, author of Long Gone

When her mom calls to tell her that Tess, her younger sister, is missing, Bee returns home to London on the first flight. She expects to find Tess and give her the usual lecture, the bossy big sister scolding her flighty baby sister for taking off without letting anyone know her plans. Tess has always been a free spirit, an artist who takes risks, while conservative Bee couldn’t be more different. Bee is used to watching out for her wayward sibling and is fiercely protective of Tess (and has always been a little stern about her antics). But then Tess is found dead, apparently by her own hand.

Bee is certain that Tess didn’t commit suicide. Their family and the police accept the sad reality, but Bee feels sure that Tess has been murdered. Single-minded in her search for a killer, Bee moves into Tess's apartment and throws herself headlong into her sister's life--and all its secrets.

Though her family and the police see a grieving sister in denial, unwilling to accept the facts, Bee uncovers the affair Tess was having with a married man and the pregnancy that resulted, and her difficultly with a stalker who may have crossed the line when Tess refused his advances. Tess was also participating in an experimental medical trial that might have gone very wrong. As a determined Bee gives her statement to the lead investigator, her story reveals a predator who got away with murder--and an obsession that may cost Bee her own life.

A thrilling story of fierce love between siblings, Sister is a suspenseful and accomplished debut with a stunning twist.

Amazon Best Books of the Month, June 2011: When the body of Beatrice’s beloved younger sister, Tess, is discovered in an abandoned building in Hyde Park and ruled a suicide, Beatrice knows the police have made a mistake. She’s certain her sister was murdered. Determined to uncover the truth, Beatrice impulsively begins to hunt for clues on her own. So begins Rosamund Lupton’s stunning debut, Sister, at once an engrossing thriller and a powerful meditation on the bonds of family. Writing her story as a letter to Tess, Beatrice gradually connects the strange, varied occurrences leading up to Tess’s death--Tess’s pregnancy; a trial drug from a pharmaceutical company; a man who may or may not have been a figment of Tess’s imagination. Beatrice’s former life falls apart as her search veers toward obsession, and she realizes she might pay a terrible price for the truth. An adrenaline-filled psychological thriller, Sister’s emotional impact comes from Lupton’s heartrending portrait of the love between Beatrice and Tess. --Lynette Mong

Amazon Exclusive: A Q&A with Rosamund Lupton

We had the opportunity to chat with bestselling author Rosamund Lupton about her debut novel (and one of our Best Books of June 2011), Sister, via e-mail. Read on to see what Rosamund had to say about London, sisterhood, her next novel, and more:

Amazon.com: Before writing Sister, you worked for many years as a screenwriter. How does the process of writing a novel differ from writing for television?
Rosamund Lupton: When I was writing screenplays I was just one part of a creative process, it would take the talents of many other people to bring the screenplay to life. With a novel, you know what you type is the finished thing--there’s just me--and that feels both daunting and liberating. As a screenwriter I was often ticked off for "directing from the page" or "writing a novel not a script!" Now, I love being able to use as many words as I like to tell the story--a hundred thousand in the case of Sister--and being able to write the interior life of a character as well as their surface interactions.
Amazon.com: I love the way London almost becomes a character unto itself in this story. The city seems to mimic Beatrice’s emotional state while she searches for clues about Tess’s death. Why did you select London as the setting? Did you spend time exploring the places Beatrice visits?
Rosamund Lupton: I chose London as I know it so well, I’ve lived here for many years, and because, as you say, it possesses a chameleon quality to show a state of mind. For example, Hyde Park in the depth of winter is covered in snow and silent, with leafless trees and is so different from a bright Spring day when the trees and grass are green and there’s children paddling in the fountain. I’m not surprised its been used so often for films; it has a cinematic quality and at the beginning of the book it’s like a black and white film set to me. I already knew all the places Beatrice visits as they are close to where I lived for many years, or worked, so the city is like an old friend.
Amazon.com: Sister is written as a letter from Beatrice to Tess. Why did you choose to structure the novel this way?
Rosamund Lupton: At one point, Beatrice says to Tess, "it’s a one way conversation, but one I could only have with you." I felt that writing it this way continually demonstrates their intimacy. Also, as a former scriptwriter, I found it easier to tell the story as one character speaking to another; as if it’s one half of a dialogue.
Amazon.com: Did your relationship with your own sister impact how you crafted the relationship between Beatrice and Tess?
Rosamund Lupton: I know as an older sister how protective and responsible I’ve always felt towards my sister and I posed the question, what would you do if your sister went missing? I knew that Beatrice in the book would drop everything and get the first flight to find Tess--as I think almost any sister would do. Although Beatrice and Tess are very different from my sister and myself, the emotional truth of their relationship is one I know well. Like my sister and I, the closeness between them is made up of a million tiny details rather than simply the "big things." Some small details are drawn directly from my own life. For example, my sister and I wrote to each other at boarding school, and used jigsaw letters and ones with invisible ink.
Amazon.com: Can you tell us anything about your next novel?
Rosamund Lupton: It begins with a mother running into a burning school to rescue her teenage daughter. The book continues to be about how far a woman will go to protect her family. It’s ultimately about love not recognizing any boundaries.
Amazon.com: Sister is bound to be on a lot of summer reading lists. What are you looking forward to reading this summer?
Rosamund Lupton: I have a big pile of books that are looking so enticing, I can’t wait to have time to read them! At the top are Jennifer Egan’s A Visit from the Goon Squad and Sarah Winman’s When God Was a Rabbit.

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