By: Karin Slaughter
ISBN: 978-0062858115
Publisher: William Morrow
Publication Date: 08/23/2022
Format: Audiobook
Narrator: Kathleen Early
Blackstone Audio
My Rating: 5 Stars + +🎧 (ALC)
AUG 2022 MUST-READ BOOKS
“It’s Slaughter’s prodigious gifts of characterization that make her stand out among thriller writers.”
— Washington Post
From the New York Times bestselling author of PIECES OF HER, comes an electrifying thriller featuring newly minted US Marshall Andrea Oliver as she investigates a cold case with links to her father’s past.
A small town hides a big secret…
Who killed Emily Vaughn?
A girl with a secret…
Longbill Beach, 1982. Emily Vaughn gets ready for the prom. For an athlete, who is smart, pretty and well-liked, this night that should be the highlight of her high school career. But Emily has a secret. And by the end of the evening, that secret will be silenced forever.
An unsolved murder…
Forty years later, Emily’s murder remains a mystery. Her tight-knit group of friends closed ranks; her respected, wealthy family retreated inwards; the small town moved on from her grisly attack. But all that’s about to change.
One final chance to uncover a killer…
US Marshal Andrea Oliver arrives in Longbill Beach on her first assignment: to protect a judge receiving death threats. But, in reality, Andrea is there to find justice for Emily. The killer is still out there – and Andrea must discover the truth before she gets silenced, too…
Praise
"[Slaughter] brings her trademark intensity to every relationship she lays bare. Like touching a live wire that continues across three generations."
— Kirkus Reviews on Girl, Forgotten
"Layer upon layer of mystery, a great cast of characters, and some genuinely startling twists. This is Slaughter at her best." — Booklist (starred review) on Girl, Forgotten
“Slaughter skillfully leads readers on a thrilling journey into the past to solve the murder that a small town wants to forget, yet is still haunted by.” — Library Journal (starred review) on Girl, Forgotten
“A propulsive, high-stakes thriller rife with intrigue and suspense.”
— USA Today Pieces of Her
“All of Slaughter’s books... are satisfyingly surprising and plausible, but it’s Slaughter’s prodigious gifts of characterization that make her stand out among thriller writers…Slaughter’s satirical touches are as deft as her grimmer renditions of real life.”
— Washington Post on Pieces of Her
“The ever-popular crime novelist is back with another pulse-pounding standalone, this one considering the twisted relationship between a mother and a daughter after the latter realizes she may not know the woman who gave birth to her at all.”
— Entertainment Weekly on Pieces of Her
“Cunningly conceived and written . . . Deeply satisfying.”
— Washington Post on False Witness
“Annnnd she does it again. Slaughter’s latest high-stakes thriller follows a defense attorney whose dark past is coming back to haunt her—all thanks to a new client she’s called in to represent days before his trial. There’s deception, sabotage, violence, family secrets . . . all the stuff you could want from a fictional page-turner, really.”
— theSkimm on False Witness
“If you’re into mystery thrillers, then you’re into Karin Slaughter.”
— theSkimm
“Expect from a Karin Slaughter crime thriller . . . just the right amount of twists, turns, shocks, surprises and domestic thrill and shrill.”
— Parade
“Karin Slaughter’s False Witness is a twisty, searingly contemporary mystery steeped in a dark past, and she weaves a story that catches your breath and keeps you gasping and guessing until the end.”
— Stacey Abrams, author of While Justice Sleeps, on False Witness
“Slaughter offers us a high-stakes thriller that handles the tragedy of addiction with empathy and grace. Her heroines are believable, flawed and courageous.”
— Oyinkan Braithwaite, award-winning author of My Sister, The Serial Killer, on False Witness
“Her talent is the equivalent of an Edgar Allan Poe or a Nathaniel Hawthorne . . . An exemplary storyteller, weaving her words with skill and intelligence. She will be recognized as one of the great talents of the 21st century and will hold an honored place in the realm of world literature.” — The Huffington Post
“Slaughter’s work is like a professional athlete coming to the playground to show the kids how it’s done. With her themes, tensions and metaphors, she has a talent for classic literature that is often missing in recent fiction.”
— RT Book Reviews
“One of the boldest thriller writers working today.”
— Tess Gerritsen, New York Times bestselling author
"Fiction doesn’t get any better than this.”
— Jeffery Deaver, New York Times bestselling author
“Her characters, plot, and pacing are unrivaled among thriller writers, and if you haven’t yet read her, this is the moment.”
— Michael Connelly, New York Times bestselling author
"The emotionally sophisticated characters work through the brutality of their jobs in this dynamic psychological thriller and police procedural that will please readers of Slaughter’s “Grant County” series. For fans of Meg Gardiner, David Baldacci, and Carrie Smith."
— Library Journal on The Silent Wife
"[False Witness] will keep readers transfixed. Slaughter is writing at the top of her game."
— Publishers Weekly (starred review) on False Witness
"Slaughter doesn’t save her twists for the end, instead peppering them throughout the intricately layered story amid stomach-churning near misses and gripping character revelations. Equal parts hyperrealistic thriller and epic tragedy, Slaughter’s latest is pitch-perfect storytelling."
— Booklist (starred review) on False Witness
"Slaughter has written a wickedly sharp and arresting tour de force that blends a riveting plot and emotional subterfuge with the kind of propulsive prose that makes False Witness absolutely unputdownable." — Lauren Francis-Sharma, author of Book of the Little Axe, on False Witness
“Karin Slaughter is a master of the thriller genre and her genius comes through on every page, in every character, through every plot twist. False Witness is so suspenseful, it’s tension palpable, and the action so visual, I can’t wait to see its brilliance in film.”
— Francesca Momplaisir, critically-acclaimed author of My Mother’s House
“Slaughter’s eye for detail and truth are unmatched.”
— Gillian Flynn
My Review
"A gripping sequel!"
GIRL, FORGOTTEN is another edgy multi-layered thriller from one of my favorite authors, Karin Slaughter! I always pre-order the audiobook, narrated by Kathleen Early, and once again, the dynamic duo shines for an outstanding, highly entertaining, and engaging written and audio performance. *Winner of an AudioFile Earphones Award*
Please let there be another NetFlix episode because this one is on steroids! Slaughter does not hold back with the underbelly of this dark town full of secrets. Gritty, intense, and EVIL!
The sinister factor starts early and builds quickly as the extensive complex investigation gives way to deadly menace and dangerous secrets in this twist-a-minute novel. Fans of kick-ass female investigators will be well satisfied. Slaughter fans (and new ones) will DEVOUR and be SALIVATING for #3! "
We return from the popular Pieces of Her with Andrea Oliver. She is no longer the shy little girl living in her mom's garage. Fans will enjoy seeing how Karin has shaped her into a real kick-ass investigator.
Taking place two years after the ordeal of mom Laura and daughter Andrea, Andy has decided to become a US Marshall and make something of her life. Andrea is partnered with an older Marshall, Leonard ‘Catfish’ Bible, who delights in educating his new green partner. (LOVE HIM)! We also check in with Laura, the mom, and Mike, the handler.
The new case takes Andrea to Longbill Beach, Deleware, where her crazy dad, Clay (cult leader-now in prison), is originally from. The psychopath is up for parole. Please do not let him get out!
A cold case from 40 years earlier. Told over two timelines, 1981 and forty years later, this is a haunting tale of dark secrets, lies, and murder.
In 1982, Emily Vaughn was murdered, and they never found the killer. Clay (Nick), Andrea's dad, was a suspect.
Emily's mother, Esther, a presidentially appointed judge, and her husband, Frank, need protection. She is receiving death threats.
EMILY'S FRIENDS:
Emily's friends are all scumbags, liars, abusers, drug dealers, and rapists and treated her terribly! After hearing from all of these so-called friends in her clique, I felt like I needed a shower. Gosh, if these are friends, I would hate to have enemies. Clay, Nardo, Blake, his nasty twin sister, Ricky, and his horrible teacher, Dean Wexler. There is also Jack Stilton, the Police Chief's son (gay) but is he more of an outsider and all Clay's puppets. This poor girl had no one to turn to, not even her controlling mom or abusive dad.
Who killed Emily Vaughn?
Emily was intelligent and planned a bright future until everything was taken away. She was raped after going to a party. Someone gave her a pill. She remembers nothing. Later she finds out she is pregnant but has no clue when who, or how. She begins playing Columbo and keeping a journal of everything in an attempt to remember. This has ruined her life. Eventually, she winds up brutally murdered. The entire town and her family have turned against her.
THE CULT: There is also another story in addition to the above. A farm where the two guys (Wexler and Nardo) are killing women by starving them, drugs, and sexually abusing them in a cult-like compound and not allowing communication with the outside world or families. Several young women were emaciated, and an unexplained suicide at the farm.
Andrea and the team have their work cut out with layers of bull, and no one is telling the truth with their long-buried secrets.
I listened to this in one sitting. Complex! A high-stakes thriller full of action, twists, and riveting suspense. Everything you have come to expect from KS and more.
A lot is going down, and you do not want to miss a thing! Appears we will get another upcoming installment #3 with Clay wanting to see Andrea. Cannot wait.
Not sure about you guys, but I am dying to get back to Will Trent/Sara. Hopefully, mastermind Slaughter can write a cross-over character (s) like (Lisa Gardner with all her rock stars) and somehow bring in Will Trent/Sara joining forces with Andrea/Laura and the gang to bring down the disgusting psychopath, CLAY! Now that will be prime for the big or small screen.
Slaughter fans are going to devour this one! As always, she dazzles.
Thank you to #NetGalley and #BlackstoneAudio #WilliamMorrow for an ALC to read, listen to, and review.
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
Pub Date: Aug 23, 2022
My Rating: 5 STARS ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Pieces of Her
Andrea Oliver #1
The number one international best-selling author returns with an electrifying novel of devastating secrets and hidden lives that probes the fraught relationship between daughters and mothers and the lengths we go to protect those we love.
What if the person you thought you knew best turns out to be someone you never knew at all? Andrea Cooper knows everything about her mother, Laura. She knows Laura has spent nearly her whole life in the small beach town of Belle Isle, Georgia; she knows Laura's never wanted anything more than to lead a quiet, normal life in this conventional community; she knows Laura's a kind and beloved speech pathologist who helps others; she knows Laura's never kept a secret in her life. Andrea knows that Laura is everything she isn't—confident, settled, sure of herself. Feeling listless, with no direction, Andrea, unlike Laura, struggles to find her way.
But Andrea's certainty is upended when a visit to the mall is shattered by an act of horrifying violence that reveals a completely different side of Laura—a cool woman who calmly faces down a murderer. It turns out that before Andrea's mother was Laura, she was someone completely different. For nearly 30 years, she's been hiding from the woman she once was, lying low in the hope that no one would ever find her. But now she's been exposed, and nothing will ever be the same again.
The assailant was a mentally troubled teenaged scion of Georgia law enforcement royalty, and now the police want answers about what really happened in those terrifying moments at the mall. Though she's being scrutinized at every level of the criminal justice system and her innocence is on the line, Laura refuses to speak to anyone, including her own daughter. She pushes Andrea away, insisting it's time for her to stand alone and make a life for herself. To save her mother, Andrea embarks on a desperate journey following the breadcrumb trail of her mother's past. Andrea knows that if she can't uncover the secrets hidden there, there may be no future for her mother...or her.
Filled with intriguing turns, surprising revelations, and a compelling cast of characters, Pieces of Her is Slaughter's most electrifying, provocative, and suspenseful novel yet. BUY THE BOOK
About the Author
Karin Slaughter is the author of more than twenty instant New York Times bestselling novels, including the Edgar–nominated Cop Town and standalone novels Pretty Girls, The Good Daughter, and Pieces of Her. She is published in 120 countries with more than 40 million copies sold across the globe. Pieces of Her is a Netflix original series starring Toni Collette, and False Witness, the Grant County, and Will Trent series are in development for television. Slaughter is the founder of the Save the Libraries project—a nonprofit organization established to support libraries and library programming. A native of Georgia, she lives in Atlanta.
