By: Karin Slaughter
ISBN: 978-0062430243
Publisher: William Morrow
Publication Date: 8/8/2017
Format: Hardcover
My Rating: 5 Stars + Top Books of 2017 The stunning new novel from the international #1 bestselling author — a searing, spellbinding blend of cold-case thriller and psychological suspense. Two girls are forced into the woods at gunpoint. One runs for her life. One is left behind…
Twenty-eight years ago, Charlotte and Samantha Quinn's happy small-town family life was torn apart by a terrifying attack on their family home. It left their mother dead. It left their father — Pikeville's notorious defense attorney — devastated. And it left the family fractured beyond repair, consumed by secrets from that terrible night.
Twenty-eight years later, and Charlie has followed in her father's footsteps to become a lawyer herself — the ideal good daughter. But when violence comes to Pikeville again — and a shocking tragedy leaves the whole town traumatized — Charlie is plunged into a nightmare. Not only is she the first witness on the scene, but it's a case that unleashes the terrible memories she's spent so long trying to suppress. Because the shocking truth about the crime that destroyed her family nearly thirty years ago won't stay buried forever…
Packed with twists and turns, brimming with emotion and heart, The Good Daughter is fiction at its most thrilling.
My Review
The queen of crime thrillers and international bestselling author, Karin Slaughter, takes a break from her popular Will Trent and Grant County series with her latest emotional, complex, twisty, and intense standalone psychological crime thriller.
EXPLOSIVE!
A family is torn apart by the tragedy in unspeakable ways. THE GOOD DAUGHTER will blow you away! Once again, making my Best Books of 2017. You can pretty much guarantee the author will always be on the list topping the chart.
She has been there consecutively for the last four years since I started my blog:
Two powerful stories. Past and Present. When they connect, the pieces of the puzzle reveal all the evil, secrets, and lies of the past.
Thirty years ago, in a town outside Atlanta, GA, we meet two sisters: ages thirteen and fifteen—Charlotte and Samantha Quinn.
Their father, Rusty was a small Southern town defense attorney in Pikeville, Georgia (a small town), defending a lot of bad men. We are talking scum.
From pedophiles, rapists, murderers, and kidnappers. Rusty was always at work and had his share of enemies. There were always nasty and terrifying voicemails.
Gamma, Rusty’s wife, is a brilliant research scientist who has given up a career to settle with Rusty in the Southern town. People did not fit in with Gamma. She was too smart and difficult. She refused to fit in and keep her mouth shut.
First, there is a fire. They are homeless. These guys do not like Rusty defending the bad guys. Someone has to pay. So they go after his family.
Then next, something much worse. The night that will change the Quinn family.
Zach and Daniel Culpepper take their hatred out on the Quinn family. However, Rusty most likely their target, is not home when the two masked evil gunmen arrive.
Ultimately Gamma dies while protecting her family. Shooting, raping, and terrorizing the sisters. Shot and buried alive. Two girls are forced into the woods at gunpoint. One runs for her life. One is left behind…
Now, two estranged sisters. Attempting to put the past behind them. Left with damage and scars. Over the years they have gone their separate ways.
Twenty-eight years later Charlie is an attorney in the same southern town. Tragedy strikes again. A shooting at a school bringing back the horrors of the night long ago.
Multi-layered and complex. Secrets and lies. Nothing is as it appears. Where all the players from the past have their own individual motives and intersect with the present-day events.
When the girls are told to keep their secrets and the horrors of that dreadful night sealed and closed in a box forever, it may have done further damage. The dad and sisters never dealt with their emotions of that dreadful experience. Hence, causing further problems in their individual lives and their relationships.
Violence strikes in Pikeville. Charlie and Sam have horrific memories of that night long ago, but the shocking truth of the past crime has yet to be solved.
Until a shooting at a school. Slowly the lies, deceit, and secrets are unraveled.
Sam, highly intelligent, takes after her mom. She has brain damage and yet becomes a successful New York attorney.
Impulsive, Charlie- more like her dad in some ways, remained in the same town and is also an attorney in the criminal sector and married to Ben, ADA.
However, past events (which readers discover later in the book), has caused the couple to grow apart. (All stemming from the horrific events of the past).
Charlie, attempting to escape her mounting problems, has a one-night-stand which causes a string of deadly events. OMG (deadly).
The guys she had sex with. A teacher. A student. A principal, and his wife. Charlie gets caught in the crosshairs of revenge. Why would a mentally challenged young girl shoot someone?
Is there something more sinister at play and how does it connect with the tragedy from years past?
Superb writing! What a book. Her standalone books are as good as her series. A huge Slaughter fan; and an Atlanta gal myself for years— No one does “Atlanta” better. Karin has more avid fans than cars on I-285 and GA 400 in rush hour.
Well-deserved, THE GOOD DAUGHTER – is one well-plotted, crafty, character-driven gripping thriller. Trust me— lives will be "threatened" if you are interrupted while reading.
A mix of domestic suspense, family drama, crime thriller, psychological, legal, mystery, and action . . . all rolled into one.
As always, with Karin’s books, the audiobook is a “must”. Kathleen Early and Karin Slaughter make for one dynamic unstoppable team. However, you need to pair it with the book, since there is so much stuff you will want to highlight.
Highly recommend reading the novella, Last Breath as well. (My favorite novella of the year).
No one does brutality, violence, human suffering, emotions, and secrets of the past better. Someway there is always triumph over tragedy; however, they may not be the same as they started.
NEVER attempt to try and figure out what is coming. Karin Slaughter will shock you to the very end! Razor sharp.
Brilliant, bold, dark, edgy, intelligent. A highly addictive, mind-bending, and engrossing read! You will be hooked from page one to the explosive ending. (what a great ending, indeed).
I enjoyed the intense relationship between the two sisters (tenderness, anger, love, emotion, heartbreak) and the author’s dark humor always adds balance to the darker side. The coffin section was hilarious. Rusty was one wild character. Loved Ben!
JDCMustReadBooks
Review Links:
Praise
"Karin Slaughter has — by far – the best name of all of us mystery novelists. More to the point, THE GOOD DAUGHTER is Karin Slaughter’s most ambitious, most emotional, and best novel. So far, anyway." —James Patterson
"Simply the best book you'll read all year. Raw, powerful and utterly gripping — yet written with a tenderness and empathy that will break your heart." —Kathryn Stockett
"This is a great writer at the peak of her powers. Karin Slaughter is at her nail biting, heart stopping, emotionally draining best." —Peter James
"The darkness of the past is very present in this utterly chilling thriller. With heart and skill Karin Slaughter keeps you hooked from the first page until the last." —#1 Worldwide Bestselling Thriller Writer, Camilla Lackberg
"It’s not hyperbolic to declare that Slaughter is a master of her craft." —Booklist starred review
"If you like twists and turns, delve into this tale of cold cases and spellbinding suspense." —Southern Living
"Slaughter keeps the twists coming. …" —Publishers Weekly
"Whether she’s extending her franchise or creating stand-alones like this, she really does make your hair stand on end." —Kirkus starred review
"Book clubs that love taut thrillers: Look no further." —Bookish
"Seventeen years into one of the most impressive careers in contemporary publishing, Karin Slaughter is still pushing herself into new territory. [The Good Daughter] is the author’s most stylistically ambitious novel to date." —The Big Thrill
"It’s Slaughter’s prodigious gifts of characterization that make her stand out among thriller writers." —Washington Post
"Karin Slaughter once again proves her tremendous prowess at delivering a page-turning, tautly written thriller." —USA Today
"Karin Slaughter at her very best. It is wonderfully written and unexpectedly touching." —Huffington Post
"Slaughter's assured writing, her solid plotting with outstanding twists and intense characterizations make The Good Daughter a standout in a career highlighted by several superb novels " —Associated Press
"Karin Slaughter’s The Good Daughter is a Small-Town Thriller With a Strong Female Lead." —Houstonia Magazine
"The best suspense novel of the year." —The Express
"Karin Slaughter delivers crisp pacing and characters with the full complement of human quirks and flaws…building expertly to a final twist." —News & Observer
"…look forward to a gut-wrenching novel of psychological suspense." —Bookreporter
"‘The Good Daughter’ by Karin Slaughter Is a Stay-Up-All-Night Read" —Huffington Post
"The blend of legal, criminal, and family drama reminded me so much of the shows that keep me binge-watching. And the act of reading the book itself, strange as it may seem for such a dark novel, reminded me of being a kid again, reading a book I just had to finish, regardless of how late it got." —Real Simple
One of "The Best Mystery Novels of 2017" —SouthFlorida.com
Good Daughter #0.5 By: Karin Slaughter ASIN: B06XNJDDKL Publisher: Witness Impulse Publication Date: 7/11/2017 Format: Kindle My Rating: 5 Stars
Protecting someone always comes at a cost.
At the age of thirteen, Charlie Quinn’s childhood came to an abrupt and devastating end. Two men, with a grudge against her lawyer father, broke into her home—and after that shocking night, Charlie’s world was never the same. Read More
About the Author
Karin Slaughter is one of the world's most popular and acclaimed storytellers. Published in 36 languages, with more than 35 million copies sold across the globe, her sixteen novels include the Grant County and Will Trent books, as well as, the Edgar-nominated Cop Town and the instant New York Times bestselling novel Pretty Girls. A native of Georgia, Karin currently lives in Atlanta. Her Will Trent series, Grant County series and standalone novel Cop Town are all in development for film and television. Read More
