Nicola Cornick takes readers back to 1550s England and forward to present-day London in The Forgotten Sister, a historical novel with a touch of the supernatural. Told in alternating point-of-view chapters, the transporting narrative switches between Amy, wife of Robert Dudley, and Lizzie, a former child star living in modern London. Lizzie's lifelong best friend Dudley is a washed-up pop star who turns out to be a lot like his historical counterpart, Robert Dudley--a selfish and opportunistic user. Present-day Lizzie's life is thrown into chaos when Dudley's wife, Amelia, is discovered dead. Caught between the paparazzi, Dudley's thirst for fame and a police investigation, Lizzie has to prove her innocence and figure out what's going on with her psychic abilities--and why they seem to be tied to Amelia's family.
Cornick cleverly draws parallels between the historical aristocrats and modern-day celebrities, with scandals, rapidly shifting fortunes and strategic marriages dictating their lives. The characters have similar names and relationships, giving readers a sort of shorthand that ties the two stories together. The plot picks up when Lizzie accidentally steps into the past for a moment and when Amy sees something that might not be real. As readers bounce back and forth between the two women and their respective time periods, the murky connection grows clearer when Lizzie--with the help of a possible love interest--dives into the mysteries of the past and of her own future. --Suzanne Krohn, editor, Love in Panels