Karin Slaughter never disappoints; whether it is writing her Grant County or Will Trent series or standalone novels like Pieces of Her.

A trip to the shopping mall with her mother Laura turns Andrea’s world upside down. They are caught up in a shooting incident which ends with Laura killing the gunman. Andrea thought she knew her mother but had never seen this side of her character. Laura then tells Andrea (Andy) to get out of her life, to run to Idaho and not return until she is told it is safe to do so. However she overhears a conversation between her mother and a man, it seems, was sent to kill her. This gives her a name and a clue to the fact that her mother is not who she seems. Andy sets off on a road trip to uncover her mother's past.

Fast paced and moving between the 1980s and the present day this is a novel about corporate greed, manipulation, politics and ownership. While Andy is rather weak and indecisive at the beginning of the book while she learns about her mother she also learns a lot about herself and the inner strength she didn't realise she had. Highly recommended.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you.

Karin Slaughter gives us a thriller that explores the role of the mother and the mother-daughter relationship. Andrea 'Andy' Cooper is an unambitious woman who has largely gone through the motions of living. She never completed college and she has barely been engaged in any personal relationships. Unhappy in New York, she returned home to nurse her mother, Laura, through the worst of her breast cancer treatment. She has no impetus to create an independent life for herself, and is secure in the knowledge that she knows Laura inside out, a pillar of the community, an ordinary woman and everyday mom. Whilst in a diner, a young shooter, Jonah Helsinger, blasts away a mother and daughter, lining up a frozen and immobile Andy as his next target when Laura steps in front of her, telling him to kill her instead. What follows next is captured on mobile video footage that goes viral nationwide, showing a composed Laura killing Helsinger with his knife whilst suffering serious injuries herself. Andy is shell shocked at this picture of her mother as a ninja, with the media referring to Laura as a killing machine. Who is this woman masquerading as her mother?

With unexpected and horrifying events occurring that hint at Laura's clandestine past, they bring a whole heap of danger in the present, as a disorientated Andrea initially heeds Laura's advice to leave town, go to a storage unit and then head to Idaho until it is safe for her to return. Andy is to make no contact with her or Gordon, the black lawyer she considers to be her father. However, Andy's intense curiosity about Laura has her picking away and peeling away at her mother's past that slowly begins to be revealed through the dual narrative of a younger Laura. Andy's foray into the past brings danger to her and others. It pushes Andy from a woman who has merely reacted to events in her life, to a more independent person as she is forced to handle a world that has gone crazy on her. What Andy does know indisputably about Laura is that she will not let anything happen to her beloved daughter, and she will go to any lengths to protect her. Will this allow her to accept the pieces of Laura she comes to know?

At first when I had read this latest offering from Karin Slaughter, I was not sure how I felt about it. Upon reflection, the more I thought about it, the more I liked it. The focus on the maternal instinct, how far will a mother go for a child is beautifully illustrated here. Whilst perhaps far fetched here and there, I was willing to let that go for the fascinating creation of Laura and her dramatic past and that of Andy, walking on territory that she could never have forseen. I think it would be well nigh impossible to say that we know all the pieces of anyone we are close to, and true to that adage, Andy does not find out everything about her mother. An interesting, different but nevertheless gripping psychological thriller. Many thanks to HarperCollins for an ARC.

I really like Karin Slaughter... she's written two excellent series,that have sucked me in,and left me an emotional mess on occasion.
She excels at characters.
So I feel I may have rated this down a touch,because as a stand alone book,I didn't fully invest in the characters.
A good story,that's been done many times. Still interesting enough.
A slow reveal of who Laura was,what she's done and where she has come from.
Along with that ,we watch Andrea go from being slightly pathetic,to quite badass.
There are some fairly violent scenes,but nothing too out there.
Enjoyable.

I usually love Karin Slaughter books but this was quite a disappointment. The story seemed to drag out and there was none of her usual drama or intrigue. If I hadn't seen the cover I could never have guessed who wrote it. Not for me. Sorry.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Collins for the advance copy.

Pieces Of Her by Karin Slaughter was a thriller narrated in two different time lines by a mother and daughter. A violent encounter with a killer in a restaurant has a devastating effect on their relationship and Laura tells her daughter Andrea that she must leave town. The story then goes back in time 32 years to a woman called Jane who is working with a group of terrorists.
Although I enjoyed parts of this book, I found it disjointed and I didn't enjoy it as much this authors previous books.
I would like to thank NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this amazing book

karin slaughter can write a book that keeps you reading till the early hours and makes you feel as if you have been on a rollercoaster ride...

this book starts off slow and then suddenly wham you wonder if you are reading the same book as its so full of action and intrigue...

a story that has everything...several forms of abuse, tension, violence and betrayal...and how one person can manipulate another and then finally the victims who survive barely....

a brilliant one of book by this author

A fantastic read. Thoroughly enjoyed this and it is not something I would usually pick up. Will look for more from this author in future.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for a copy of this book.

Karin Slaughter you've done it again. Absolutely, fab.

I really didn't like Andy at the beginning but by the time she's on the run I kind of like her and she grows on you. But Laura............... loved her from the beginning. The story is fast paced, detailed and has you on the edge of your seat. You really need to go and buy this for your summer read!

5 starts from me

Karin Slaughter books are very moreish, and Pieces of Her is no exception.
After six years of McJobs in New York, Andrea has come home to live with her mother. She has a job as a police despatch officer, and is meeting her mum for a birthday meal in the local diner. Her mum, Laura, is a doctor.
A gunman comes in, quickly killing two people. He intends to commit ‘suicide by cop’, thinking Andrea is a real police officer. Instead, Laura springs into action and prevents the gunman from any more killing. In doing so, she demonstrates a set of skills no one knew about.
In that instant, their lives are changed forever. Life becomes very dangerous, and Andrea must go on a journey to find out the truth. She won't know who to trust, or where is safe.
This is a terrific thriller that left me glued to the page. Four stars.

Pieces of her is I feel a much different type of book from this author, although an engrossing enough read the problem I had was that there were no likeable characters that you wished to see good things happen to.
Andrea is out with her mother Laura at the mall when a gunman starts shooting at people, Laura suddenly shows a side of her that astonishes everyone when she disarms the gunman and kills him.
The secrets Laura has been hiding puts her and Andrea in great danger, sending Andrea on a journey of discovery. The book shifts from the present to Laura's past so we learn first hand what acts Laura has done for her keep hidden from her family.
Unfortunately Andrea annoyed me greatly, incapable of finishing sentences or making a decision for the first half of the book, I didn't feel she did much better in the second half either to be honest and also by then I didn't much care. Laura's past also does nothing to make you want to be on her team either.
It wasn't a bad story at all but as I usually love this authors work for some reason I was disappointed in this....too spoilt by the lovely Will Trent !

At first, I wasn't really sure if I was going to like this book, especially not when the POV changed and we went back into the past. I didn't like Jane's chapters that much, but throughout the story, I learned to appreciate the backstory. In fact, near the end, I kind of wished the story had been from her POV instead of Andy's. Not that that part of the story was boring, I just realised I wanted more of Jane's story instead of Andy's. In the end, I really enjoyed this book and I definitely recommend it to everyone who wants a thrilling story that keeps you up until way past your bedtime when you need to get up early for work the next day.

I had high hopes for this book. Karin Slaughter is such a well known and respected author whose books I have loved over many years.
Pieces of Her was just one of those books I couldn't connect with, I really just couldn't get into the story. Maybe it's not my time to read this book, and I will at some point go back and give it another go.
It just wasn't really for me.

Another standalone from Karin Slaughter and possibly one of my favourite books of hers so far.

A cross between a fast paced page turner and insightful psychological thriller, this was one I read fast, so caught up was I in Andy's story as she tries to put together the pieces of her Mother and discover the truth about her background. 

We have past and present colliding as Laura saves the day but in doing so exposes herself to some dangerous people. Daughter Andy gets caught up in the aftermath, sending her on a scarily dangerous road trip to answers.

As we learn what secrets lie in Laura's past it is utterly compelling, often edge of seat thrilling and beautifully plotted to keep things unexpected and addictive. 

As usual Karin Slaughter brings huge depth to her characters and sets the scene with aplomb. Pieces of Her is an incredibly powerful novel exploring themes of family and human nature, as such it is hugely fascinating and just proves that this author is right at the top of her game.

Brilliant crime fiction. Highly recommended

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Andrea is having lunch with her mum, laura, when a shooting takes place in the coffee shop and her mother saves her life by killing the gunman. Laura sends Andy away after another brutal attack and Andy is on the run for answers to find out who her mother actually is.
The book jumps from the present to decades earlier in Laura's life explaining her story.
I am a huge Karin Slaughter can but sadly for me this didn't tick the boxes and I was bored.

When Andrea Cooper an£ her mother Laura get caught up in a shooting inside a coffee shop, their whole lives begin to unravel and Andrea realises everything she thought she knew about her family was a lie.

With two interlinked stories, this is a typical fast-paced, edge of your seat thriller from Karin Slaughter. Absolutely spellbinding.

Karin Slaughter is one of my go-to authors for smart, emotive and dark thrillers - but this one? Not so much. Something about this whole book just didn't work for me: the writing feels muddied and lacking in clarity; the characters, especially the daughter who is 31-going-on-13, don't really make psychological sense; and the story seems to be driven by in-your-face twists rather than the more carefully planned emotional trajectories of the previous books.

Most of all, previous Slaughter books have made me <i>feel</i>; this one left me distanced and untouched. Where is the wit, humour and laugh-out-funny moments that have always lightened the previous books? The smartness about women in what is still primarily a man's world?

After so many hits, I guess Slaughter is allowed a miss...

I have to say I’m a Karin Slaughter, having read and loved all her previous novels. Pieces of her is excellent. Andy is in a diner with her mother Laura when a shooter comes in. From there Andy’s view of her mother changes and sets out to find the answer of who her mother was. Told from two POV, Andy in the present and someone from the past. Will Andy uncover her mothers past before their future is destroyed.
How good was this? Well I was sat on my lounge floor just past midnight waiting for My Kindle to have enough power to turn back on so I could read the final chapter as I has read for so long the battery had run out.
Karin’s Next novel will be at the top of my to read pile and if you haven’t read any of her books yet this is a brilliant one to start with!

Great novel. Initially threw me with the trip back in time, but enjoyed watching the story unfold using the mother/daughter viewpoints. Great twists, keeling the reader guessing to the final pages

I have a huge fan of Karin Slaughter, especially her Will Trent series and Pretty Girls. Pieces of Her was good but it wasn't in the same league as those. The characters are unique and well developed but i found the story dragged in many places and found some aspects hard to follow. It didn't really feel like a Karin Slaughter book, a problem i had with her last book The Good Daughter.

The story is told from two very different points of view, Laura’s in 1986 and Andrea’s in the present day bringing together a plot so full of twists and turns that it leaves you checking back through the book to make sure you’ve got the storyline straight!

This isn’t your typical Karin Slaughter book, no gruesome murders and psychotic serial killers on the loose this time. This time the storyline is slightly more sinister in some respects, dealing with a wanna be cult leader and the power of people’s believes, how far human nature can be manipulated and how far we are willing to go to protect our children, family and loved ones.

1986 – Martin Queller, head of the Queller Healthcare and Queller Correction and his 3 children, Jane (Jinx), Andrew, Jasper and Andrew’s best friend, Nick Harp – charming, handsome, charismatic and full of ideals wanting to change the world, and the only way to change it is to destroy it first.

2018 – Laura and her daughter Andrea, a quiet family living by the sea until their world gets spun on its axis by getting caught in the middle of a shooting in a restaurant. As they witness people getting shot Andrea freezes and fear paralyses her, unlike her mum! Laura protects her daughter by putting herself in the line of fire and the situation resolves in a way no-one saw coming!

As Andrea begins to realise there is more to her mother than she knew, the only way to keep both herself and her mother safe is to dig back through a past that she never knew existed.

Switching between past and present the truth slowly starts to unravel and the two timelines start to come together in ways you probably won’t expect!

As I’ve already said, this book is unlike her previous novels, taking a more political, morel path dealing with corruption, terrorism and family bonds which all in all made for some really good reading but for me personally this isn’t her best book! Sorry! My heart is still back in Grant County!!

If you are new to Karin Slaughter’s work then you will want to go back and read the rest of her novels after this one, and trust me, they are definitely worth reading! Or if you are already a fan of hers you will love this book and it goes to show the level of talent she possesses!