Despite not having the most conventional upbringing, Leigh and Callie were good people, trying to make changes to their lives for the better until one night, over 20 years ago, they did something terrible and everything changed.

Now a successful Lawyer trying to get through the pandemic, Leigh has buried what happened deep inside her until she gets a new client pushed on her at short notice and he knows things about that night, all those years ago, that he shouldn’t. Can Leigh and Callie save themselves from this new threat and what will it cost them this time?

“False Witness” is due to be published on 24 June by Harper Collins and I was given a free e-arc via NetGalley in exchange for this honest review.

I’m pretty new to the work of Karin Slaughter but the few of her books that I have read, I’ve really enjoyed so I was very excited to be approved for the e-arc of “False Witness” and I wasn’t disappointed.

Initially, I was surprised by the pandemic setting. It’s not integral to the plot so isn’t mentioned in the official synopsis of the book but I felt like it grounded the plot in current times and I really enjoyed that aspect of it.

Slaughter’s characterisation is excellent and she deals sensitively but realistically with Callie’s struggles with addiction. I really related to Leigh and the way she portrayed herself as quite tough but deep down had a really sensitive side and would do absolutely anything for her family.

As you would expect with a book of this genre there were plenty of twists along the way and although I did predict a couple of them there were some absolute jaw dropping moments too.

I really enjoy Slaughter’s writing style, “False Witness” is fast paced and kept me absolutely gripped from beginning to end. There’s a comment that Callie makes towards the end of the book that reminded me of the timeframe that we had been dealing with and there is definitely a lot of action packed into quite a short space of time.

Slaughter’s writing always feels very realistic to me. It’s a fictional story but I’m sure there are people who are brought up in exactly the way Leigh and Callie were. Andrew Tennant is also one of the creepiest villains I’ve come across in a while, precisely because he’s so realistic. Give me a clown down a storm drain and I won’t even flinch but violent, sociopathic misogynists are truly terrifying.

I would say this book should come with trigger warnings for rape, paedophilia, murder, addiction, drug taking, PTSD and violence (mostly against women). Whilst Slaughter doesn’t glorify any of these actions and is no more graphic than she needs to be some passages could be quite triggering for some people and, as I’ve said above, the realism of her writing that is one of the things I love would make these passages especially triggering.

I honestly couldn’t find a single fault with this book and as long as you take into account the trigger warnings above I would highly recommend to any lovers of the thriller genre.

Another brilliant book from Karin Slaughter.
I’m a huge fan of anything written by this author, and this book didn’t disappoint me.
Leigh and Callie babysit a young boy called Trevor and his Dad is a violent, aggressive bully.
Something happens one night when Callie is babysitting and Leigh has to come and help her.
We’re then in the present day and Leigh is a successful lawyer who is contacted and asked to represent someone out of the blue.
When she meets the man she recognises him straight away as the boy her and her sister used to babysit.
He’s being accused of a violent rape and attack on a woman and others are coming forward too.
He wants Leigh to keep him out of prison and makes it clear he knows something about the last time her sister babysat for him.
This is a long book but one which will definitely hold your attention.
I loved the relationship between Leigh and Callie and really felt for them when their past came back to haunt them.
Yet another brilliant book from Karin Slaughter that I’d highly recommend.
Thanks to Harper Collins UK and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

On the face of things Leigh Coulton has a great life. She is a successful defense attorney, a well brought up daughter and an amicable soon-to-be-ex husband. But these things have not been easily achieved by her. Her childhood was not ideal, but she has managed to keep it in her past, to walk away from the betrayal and violence. Until however the day she is called in by her boss, a partner at the firm she works, who wants her to defend an important, wealthy client. A client who has asked for Leigh by name. A client whose name she doesn't recognise. But, when she comes face-to-face with him the penny drops as to who he is and her idyllic world shatters. An incident from her past is remembered. A secret kept hidden. But he couldn't possibly recall it too? He was a child, asleep. He can't possibly know? But the hold he now has over her overshadows how she must defend him of the most heinous crime of rape. Because not only is she in danger but her family and her sister too. And her sister has been through enough in her life...
Oh my days. This book hit the ground running for me and didn't let up until the end. I felt for Leigh all the way through. I felt her guilt oozing off every page as she struggled to work out what to do and how to do it. To keep everyone else safe. Especially her sister Callie who, quite frankly, had really been through enough. Their relationship was really the crux of the story as all threads led out from that one childhood incident. Ironically though, it wasn't that incident that set Callie on her self-destructive path although spoilers prevent me from saying more about that. And her relationship with the vet she works with... oh my, so beautiful!
It's extremely well plotted and that plot is skillfully executed and stars some really rather cracking characters; main and bit part alike.
What also impressed me about this book is that it is the first book I have read that actually acknowledges the Covid crisis we are all going through without it being a plot point. It features social distancing, sanitiser and masks all seamlessly with what else is going on. All without it overshadowing the main plot - just being there in everyday life. I found that to be refreshing and, when all was said and done, quite easy to integrate. Maybe more authors will follow...
There's quite a few hard hitting topics to be found within this book so it is not for the faint hearted but, that said, it's all in keeping for the genre. And the author too if you've read anything else by her.
It's action packed and quite pacy, the story hitting the ground running pretty much by page one and the intensity ramps up and stays high all the way through. Delivered without padding or waffle, the story gets on with itself very well as it finds its way to the final denouement which left me wholly satisfied.
All in all, another winner from the queen of the genre. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

A standalone Karin Slaughter classic, set in the Covid Pandemic of 2020/21.The action centres around two sisters Leigh and Callie, one time babysitters of ten year old Trevor Waleski, and children who were abused and neglected by their mother. When we meet them as adults their fortunes couldn't be more different. As the story plays out, we see what brought them to their current stage of life, and what they need to do to protect themselves and each other. They still have a strong bond and the past is the driving force in their lives. My heart bled for these girls and I found a lot of this very difficult to read. But I couldn't wait to find out how this was going to be resolved. I could feel Leigh's terror when her client Andrew, was intimidating her. Another great read from my favourite crime author. #netgalley #falsewitness

Wow. Two sisters different life's. Their history and future entwined. Enjoy the roller-coaster. Compelling and a real page Turner. Enjoy, I definitely did.

This was such a good crime thriller! We meet Leigh, a moderately successful defence attorney, as she finds out that she has been hired by millionaire Andrew Tenant to defend him against a horrible charge of aggravated rape. We also meet Leigh's little sister Callie, a veterinary nurse and heroin addict whose life is falling apart as she struggles with demons from her past.

We soon learn that Callie was, from the age of 12, victim to a psychopathic paedophile named Buddy while she was babysitting his son Trevor... we also learn that Trevor is in fact Andrew, and the apple sadly didn't fall far from the tree. Andrew seems intent on blaming Leigh and Callie for some of the circumstances in which he finds himself, and aims to manipulate Leigh into conducting his defence in increasingly horrendous and underhand ways. Leigh and Callie must find out what he knows, how he knows it, and how to stop him hurting them or other women before Leigh gets him acquitted of the crimes for which he is accused.

This is an absolute thriller of a book. The action never lets up and the characters are all brilliant, even the supporting cast such as the wonderful vet, and friend to Callie, Dr. Jerry. Setting it in a time of COVID felt very appropriate, and was relevant to how the story unfolded. The ending was both surprising and satisfying, and I very much look forward to reading more by this author.

Defence attorney, Leigh Collier, is doing well; good job, happy and successful daughter, and an amicable relationship with her ex - her only issue is her estrangement from her drug-addicted younger sister, Callie. All their lives are about to be blown apart by Leigh's next case which brings back difficult memories from years ago. Rich, successful business owner, Andrew Tenant, has been accused of kidnap, rape, and torture and it's clear to Leigh that he's probably guilty, but Andrew knows a secret about Leigh and Callie's childhood and he threatens to torpedo their lives unless Leigh wins his case through fair means or foul.

This is one of those books that the author does so well - where you read with a feeling of dread in the pit of your stomach but you can't stop reading anyway. Leigh and Callie are extremely flawed human beings but they are also sympathetic characters too. Their love for each other is evident throughout the book, as they will go to almost any lengths to protect each other and their family. Throughout the story line, the author looks at the blatant misogyny and barriers women and young girls face in receiving justice in cases involving sexual assault. This is grim reading at a time when the justice system in England and Wales is facing scrutiny over its handling of such cases, as successful prosecutions have dropped in numbers. As usual it is graphic in dealing with its themes of violence, sexual violence, paedophilia, and drug-taking, so if those are triggers for you, be warned.

Thanks to NetGalley & publishers, HarperCollins UK, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

A long book with many twists and turns. Despite it being so long. It held my interest almost all the way through. This is no fairy tale, much of it is about violence , abuse and substance abuse. The main characters are two sisters, with a secret in the past . Lots of suspense at different points in the book and it really is not for you if you are squeamish because some of the descriptions don't leave much to the imagination.
Thank you to Net Galley for a great read un exchange for an honest review

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4066569119?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1

Karin Slaughter knows how to write a thriller, that's a fact. Even though I liked how story was written and I almost couldn't leave it because I just wanted to finish it, unfortunately some aspects of it were a bit too much to read about and too explicit, so just 3 stars this time.

False Witness - Karin Slaughter

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK and I am leaving this review voluntarily

AN ORDINARY LIFE

Leigh Coulton has worked hard to build what looks like a normal life. She has a good job as a defence attorney, a daughter doing well in school, and even her divorce is relatively civilised - her life is just as unremarkable as she'd always hoped it would be.

HIDES A DEVASTATING PAST

But Leigh's ordinary life masks a childhood which was far from average... a childhood tarnished by secrets, broken by betrayal, and finally torn apart by a devastating act of violence.

False Witness is the latest standalone book by Karin Slaughter. During the Covid pandemic Leigh is asked to represent Andrew Tennant, who has a connection to Leigh’s past. This book is told from the perspective of both Callie and Leigh.

I thought that this was a well written book, but in places I thought the plot was a bit too graphic and there were a lot of focus on Covid and the measures put in place to prevent the spread. Whilst this was my first Karin Slaughter book, I have heard many good things so I was expecting to like this book, I didn’t enjoy it as much as I thought I would but I will be reading more of Slaughter’s books.

Rating 4/5

False Witness focuses on the story of two sisters from a troubled background in Atlanta, Georgia and the divergent paths their lives follow after a harrowing incidence of childhood abuse that has defined their future. A searing prologue opens the novel in the most hard-hitting manner with fourteen-year-old babysitter Callie being sexually abused and fighting for her life, before calling her older sister, Harleigh (Leigh) fo come to her aid. Whilst neither sister has ever completely recovered from that night, Harleigh (Leigh) went off to study for a law degree in Chicago and has attempted to bury her demons, albeit with a tendency to sabotage any happiness that comes her way and still carrying the burden of guilt for her sister’s trauma. A teenage gymnast and cheerleader, Callie struggled to move on, not aided by her complicated feelings for the man who abused her and a series of surgeries following a break to her neck have left the thirty-seven-year-old in relentless pain and caught in the cycle of addiction. Whilst the now semi-estranged sister’s are leading very different lives Defence Attorney Leigh’s latest client is about the unite them once again, threatening to destroy everything they both hold dear.

The pandemic has seen Leigh Collier join a white shoe law firm but when a Sunday night call from a partner serves up her latest client, the amicably divorced mother of one smells a rat. Car salesman and thirty-three-year-old, Andrew Tenant, has been accused of brutally raping a woman and specifically requested Leigh to represent him in a last minute substitution due to the fact the two sisters were once his babysitters, meaning the abusive predator was his father. The more Leigh learns about the incident he is facing prosecution for, the greater her fear grows that he knows more than she could have ever imagined about that pivotal night twenty-three years ago, whilst simultaneously revealing himself to be a dangerous psychopath. Charging Leigh with ensuring he is found innocent in a courtroom and his victims are branded liars or else opening both Callie and her up to mutually assured destruction, Tennant seems to hold all of the power. Leigh excels at compartmentalising and from the moment she learns the identity of her client her prime concern is protecting those she loves. Although the sibling relationship portrayed wasn’t particularly convincing and I didn’t feel emotionally invested in either sister the story held my interest throughout. Slaughter never shies away from depicting reality and when the denouement comes it is shocking, messy and credible.

A powerful social commentary runs throughout the novel, touching on everything from sexual abuse and the everyday harassment that comes with being a young woman, to toxic male violence and the entitlement culture that is still so prevalent amongst certain sectors of society. The book is heavily repetitive, particularly regarding the sequence of events on the night in question which features in both sisters’ narratives and does make the pace somewhat uneven. Likewise the details on drug usage and the science of addiction also make it less readable. My main issue was with the Covid overkill (masks, social distancing etc) and whilst I have no issue with the novel being grounded in the midst of a pandemic, surely as readers we can build this into our understanding and assume characters are incorporating the required procedures and do not constantly need to be told.

A shocking tale of abuse, murder, rape and addiction that combine to produce a lengthy story that is full of fear, tension and tragedy. At first I thought the book was incredibly lengthy and expected a long, drawn out court case full of procedure and pages of debate. I was wrong, it was paced perfectly and the story was told in exceptional and at times gory detail that had me desperately wanting good to overcome evil but there could be few winners in such a sordid tale. The flawed characters were brilliantly conceived, instilling strong feelings and an understanding of how people can remain damaged by events for many years or even for life. Without giving anything away I loved the relationship of the two sisters who basically couldn’t live with or without each other. A brilliant but terrifying story that will live with me for a long time.

Wow! What a book! I've spent a huge amount of today finishing this book because I just had to know how it ended.

I have read one Karin Slaughter book before and thought it was OK, but was pleasantly surprised with this one. False Witness follows the story of sisters, Leigh and Callie, who's past comes back to haunt them.

The book is excellently written and it had me gripped from the very first chapter. I liked the characters and was completely invested in their lives. False Witness is full of twists and turns which kept me gripped the whole way through.

This is the best book I've read for a long time and I would highly recommend it.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an ARC in return for an honest review.

I’d like to thank HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘False Witness’ by Karin Slaughter in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Twenty-three years ago as Callie is babysitting Linda and Buddy Waleski’s son Trevor, something terrible happens and she needs the help of her sister Leigh to get her out of the mess. Leigh Collier is now a successful defence attorney and is brought in at short notice to get wealthy Andrew Tenant out of a kidnap and female assault charge but it’s only when Andrew attempts to blackmail her that Leigh realises he’s Trevor, the boy Callie was babysitting, and it’s possible he knows enough of what happened that night to wreck their lives and Leigh’s reputation.

I was expecting ‘False Witness’ to be a serious Courtroom thriller focusing on Leigh and her client Andrew Tenant so I was surprised that it didn’t turn out that way. The timeframe moves from what happened when Callie was babysitting many years ago to the present by including the Covid pandemic and the Presidential election into the mix. It has an action-packed storyline, exciting, bloodthirsty and harrowing at times, but very well written by an author who must be one of the top crime writers, and who always manages to pull something different out of the hat to keep the reader totally engaged with the story. I probably didn’t get as involved as some of those I've read previously but that’s more to do with my expectations not coming to fruition and nothing whatsoever to do with the book which I’ve found enthralling with tension, drama and twists and turns, and I can recommend it.

Thank you Harpercollins UK and NetGalley for another amazing read by Karin.
Where does Karin come up with these ideas. Karin is one of my top ten authors and just gets better and better with each book.

I adored this book. It had so many nuances I was not expecting and that is what makes it so fantastic.

First of all, this is a mystery/thriller. A genre that can be very hit or miss for many for different reasons. For me, the reason why I enjoyed this book so much was that the structure and the times the author chose to deliver the important information worked for me. It won't be the same for everyone, of course.
But it also ended up being way more than just a thriller. The author's ability to introduce social commentary in the story was brilliant and heartbreaking. I'm someone used to reading about real-life violence against women, so this was not shocking. It was extra painful to read because of how realistic it felt, though.
Not everyone would enjoy how graphic and raw some details are, which is understandable. To me, that was not an issue. I'd rather have the non-sugar coated version. But again, not everyone is on the same page when it comes to that. So I guess this is the moment where some would add a TW for graphic descriptions of sexual assault. I didn't mind it because, again, it was done to show the horrible reality, not to make the story morbid.

With every bit of information we got about Leigh, Callie and their story, my heart broke. I definitely didn't expect to cry so much reading this book. Those characters, despite the story being told on third-person POV, were so fleshed out it felt like we were reading their thoughts on a first-person POV. That's how well written they were.
The conversations about grief, feeling guilt because of how our actions have hurt others, addiction, abuse, ...everyone can relate to at least one of those and I'm glad they were portrayed with such care and respect.

This is the first novel I read that incorporates the COVID pandemic and at first, I was a bit wary about it. But I loved the way it was done. Just mentioning little things to show what the world looks like in 2021, but without it being overwhelming.

If I had to add a "negative", I guess I could say there were parts of the third act that I didn't love as much. But with any mystery thriller is hard to completely love an ending. I'm happy with how everything was resolved.

Highly recommended.

As a long time fan of Karin slaughter I just don’t know how her books and storylines get better and better , A plot that you don’t see coming and characters that you want to get to know ! Gripping psychological, believable story .

Leigh Coulton has worked her way past a troubled childhood to become a successful defence lawyer in Atlanta, Georgia. Life is fine until one day she is forced to take on take on the case of a man accused of rape – a man who says he knows her...

To me, this was a book to deeply admire, rather than like. The narrative contains graphic depictions of paedophilia, sexual assault, drug usage and addiction that I found harrowing to read. Thankfully though, Karin Slaughter is impeccable in her research and sympathetic in her approach.

False Witness is an intelligently written novel that weaves an array of contemporary American social and political issues throughout its pages. The plot is set firmly in the era of Covid 19 and does not shy away from exploring the impact of the pandemic. The character writing, meanwhile, is some of the best I have seen. The sibling relationship between Leigh and her addict sister Callie very much lies at the heart of the novel and is powerfully and skilfully portrayed.

If you can deal with the gritty subject matter, this is a recommended read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Leigh is a lawyer whose sister Callie is a junkie. Trouble ensues when the boy that they both baby sat many years ago turns up accused of murder and rape. He wants Leigh to defend him and blackmails her to this end. The girls cannot see a way out of this, Andrew, the now adult boy, will never let them go as he has video evidence of their crimes and humiliation.
It took me a longer time than usual to get into this book. I usually love books by Karin Slaughter from the first few pages but not so this time. Still a very good book with lots of twists and turns.

This standalone title begins with a bang in the Summer of 1998 with Callie babysitting Trevor waiting for his Dad to come home.
We then move forward to the Spring of 2021 and the life of Leigh Collier during Covid times. She is suddenly called out to represent a man who says he knows her who is accused of a violent rape and serious assault of a young woman.
Leigh's past and present collide and this is a compelling story, certainly not for the faint-hearted.
Violent assaults, child abuse, addiction, living with guilt are all issues addressed in this definite page turner.
Many thanks to Netgalley/Karin Slaughter/HarperCollins UK for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.