The Aunt
When the phone rings, Amy’s life is shattered. Her estranged younger sister, Lexi, and her brother-in-law have perished in a devastating boating accident. Despite a decade of silence between them, the loss of the sister she never stopped loving leaves Amy reeling.
But grief quickly gives way to shock when the contents of Lexi’s will are revealed. Amy is named the sole guardian of a newborn niece she never knew existed—along with inheriting a sprawling Palm Beach estate and a massive fortune.
As Amy struggles to process the existence of Lexi’s secret child, the police drop another bombshell: the fatal crash wasn't an accident. Forced into a dangerous web of lies, Amy must uncover the dark secrets her sister took to the grave. Can she protect the innocent baby now in her care, or will unearthing the truth destroy what's left of her world?
- Amy - Lexi’s sister, Josh’s wife
- Josh - Amy’s husband
- Lexi - Amy’s sister
- Hugh - Lexi’s husband
- Sophia - Lexi and Hugh’s daughter
- Lucia - Sophia’s nanny, Antonio’s niece
- Robert Sullivan - FBI agent
- Antonio - Italian mobster, Lucia’s uncle
- Jill - Lexi’s friend
- Amy and Josh are separated.
- Lexi and Amy had a falling out when Lexi was eighteen because Amy blames her for their father’s death.
- Then: Lexi snuck out to go drinking late one night and called her father for a ride home, but he died on the way to get her.
- Then: Sophia is born and Lexi is struggling with being a mother.
- Lexi hires Lucia to be a live-in nanny.
- Now: Amy asks Josh to come to Lexi’s house.
- Josh says he ran into Lexi before her presumed death and she told him that she was struggling with motherhood and her marriage.
- Now: Jill tells Amy that Hugh has been stealing money from his clients and abusing Lexi.
- Then: A man shows up looking for Hugh, but Lexi gets a bad vibe from him.
- Lexi confronts Hugh about having an affair and he tells her if she tries to get a divorce he’ll kill Sophia and get her convicted for it.
- Lexi confides in Jill about the abuse and threats.
- Now: Amy finds Sullivan's notebook in Lucia’s diaper bag, meaning Lucia must have stolen it.
- In it, Lucia’s name is written next to Antonio Moretti.
- Then: Lexi realizes the man at her house is Antonio, who is linked to the Italian mafia and is very dangerous.
- Now: Sullivan tells Amy that Hugh’s body was found on the boat, along with Lexi's blood, but her body has not been located.
- Then: Hugh tells Lexi he’s been stealing from Antonio.
- Now: Josh is arrested for Lexi and Hugh’s murders because the FBI find Lexi's blood on the boat he rented from Nassau.
- Antonio tells Amy he killed Hugh to stop him from stealing his money, but it was too late - Hugh had already taken it, and now he wants Amy to give him his money.
- Antonio takes Lucia and Sophia and demands $50 million in two days or Amy will never see Sophia again.
- Then: Hugh slams Lexi’s head on a table on the yacht, causing significant bleeding.
- Antonio kills Hugh, but when he finds Lexi, he thinks she’s already dead and leaves.
- Now: Amy tells Jill what happened, and Jill reveals Lexi has been hiding at her house the whole time.
- Then: After Antonio leaves, Lexi calls Josh and asks for his help.
- Josh takes Lexi back to Nassau, and Jill helps her get home undetected.
- Now: Amy and Lexi call Sullivan and tell him everything.
- Sullivan and his team find Antonio and are forced to kill him when he pulls out a weapon.
- Lexi and Amy locate Lucia and Sophia.
- Epilogue: Lucia is advised to return to Italy.
- Amy and Josh get back together and move close to Lexi.
- Amy and Lexi make up and plan to travel together soon.
The Aunt by Courtney Psak delivers a unique storyline. In a thriller genre where so many plots are feeling identical, finding a new concept is refreshing. The story is an interesting read, told through a dual timeline that alternates between Amy’s perspective in the present and Lexi’s point of view in the past.
While the mystery is engaging overall, the execution is a bit uneven, with transitions between scenes feeling abrupt at times. The biggest hurdle, however, is the main character of Amy. She is a frustrating protagonist to follow, getting upset over situations she entirely caused herself and wildly overreacting to things. She was a tough character to relate to or empathize with.
The plot delivers a few small twists, though there is nothing mind-blowing. The primary flaw in the mystery's construction lies in its dropped red herrings. A well-crafted thriller should neatly explain away its false leads once the actual truth comes to light, but here, several plot points are introduced as misdirections and then abandoned entirely. Despite an annoying protagonist and a few dropped narrative threads, it remains a solid read that stands out from the crowd thanks to its unique hook.
- Hugh - Dead - Killed by Antonio
- Lexi - Alive - Reunited with Sophia and Amy
- Amy - Alive - Reunited with Josh and Lexi
- Josh - Alive - Reunited with Amy
- Antonio - Dead - Shot by police
- Lucia - Alive - Returning to Italy
- Miscarriage
- Death of a parent
- Drug use
- Postpartum depression
- Murder
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
ISBN: 9781399748193
Publication Date: June 11, 2026
Note: Details are for the original edition. Other formats, editions, and audiobook versions may be available.
