Aftermath: A Snapped Novel

Brown's scorching sequel to Snapped, about four New York African-American friends, picks up where the first book left off, at Misa Atkinson's beautiful Staten Island home, where she has just shot dead her brother-in-law and frequent babysitter, Steven Bingham, who'd been abusing Shane, her three-year-old son. As Misa prepares to go on trial for Steven's murder, she receives support from three women who each have their own major problems: pregnant Camille Bingham, Misa's sister, appears headed for a messy divorce from her estranged husband, and Steven's brother, wealthy gangster Frankie Bingham; super realtor Latoya Blake copes with an uneasy reunion with her dying father, Nate; and music industry executive Dominique Storms seeks her runaway 14-year-old daughter, Octavia. In the most riveting of the four personal stories, Misa must deal with her feelings of inadequacy as a mother able to protect her child and face a stirring courtroom showdown. (Feb.)