Leigh has worked hard to change her life, to be successful, and to save her sister Callie from her demons.  A high flying defence attorney, Leigh is shocked to her core when a face from her past shows up at her office asking her to defend him.  Worse still, her new client quickly makes it known that he knows what she has been running from for the last twenty years.  Leigh is desperate to keep the past hidden, and to protect her vulnerable sister at all costs, but it seems like this time she might be out of her depth.

A standalone thriller by Karin Slaughter, a master of her craft.  This was a compelling read.  Skip to the end for trigger warnings.

Where to start.  This was a very compelling read.  There's a lot going on, and you feel like you have to keep reading to find out what will happen next.  Despite that it is uncomfortable to read at times, the crimes described in the book are quite graphic, and at times confronting.  I thought Slaughter did a brilliant job of giving insight into the challenges and horrors that victims of these sorts of crimes face whilst going through the process of reporting their crimes and trying to get justice.  That was probably the part I found most difficult to read.

I had real mixed feelings towards Leigh, our protagonist.  In the early parts of the book I found it abhorrent that she could consider defending a client such as Andrew, especially considering her past.  I can understand her motivations for becoming a defence attorney but he definitely doesn't fit the bill.  She was very hard to like at this point.  Callie was a much more endearing character, despite her struggles.

This is the first book I've read that really incorporates the pandemic and it's impacts on people's lives into the backstory.  I thought Slaughter did that very well.  It isn't something that takes over the story, so it shouldn't impact the effect of the book in years to come, but it is very relevant at this moment in time.  It is fitting that the pandemic should be included in the plot.

The only thing that stopped me giving this one the full 5 stars was that I found it a bit hard to believe the progression of events towards the end of the book. 

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

TW:- Rape, sexual violence, child abuse, drug use, addiction

This is exactly how I like my Karin Slaughter: False Witness gets right to the action and doesn’t hold back. Bursting with tension, it’s dark, intense, and thoroughly engrossing from the opening chapter.

Slaughter always creates such strong characters and Leigh and Callie are no different. Their sisterly bond and complex relationship is explored impeccably and I really felt like I was experiencing this with them. My heart ached for Callie, a long-time heroin addict after years of regular sexual assault and a childhood injury that resulted in a broken neck. But Callie didn’t consider herself a victim, and Leigh doesn’t treat her like one. So despite what they have been forced to do, they are still willing to do whatever it takes to protect each other, and you will want to fight alongside them until the very end.

There’s so much about Callie and Leigh’s lives that I hope never to experience, but there were also a handful of things that felt painfully raw. Slaughter really knows her stuff, and that’s why I love her so much as an author. Although she often tackles hard-hitting subjects, her commitment to the truth and meticulous research always shine through. Her stories may be dark, but she never neglects to remain considerate. She knows exactly how people who have experienced these harrowing situations feel and the different ways that people can react to trauma. And this is why I’m always so invested in her books, as she is full of compassion while ensuring that she is as genuine as possible.

Alongside all of the dark and gritty crime is some of Slaughter’s social and political commentary which she expertly blends into the story. I especially liked the discussions around the impact of the pandemic in regards to social care, jobs, and food poverty. The author’s note at the end is well worth a read, too, to find out more about this.

There are many trigger warnings for this one, mostly revolving around sexual abuse and drug use, so please do be warned that this is a disturbingly graphic book. But if you’re up for the challenge, you’ll soon see why Slaughter is my Queen of crime.

I haven't yet found a Karin Slaughter book I didn't like and this one is no exception. It starts in 1998 where sisters Callie and Leigh commit a life changing act. The story rolls forward to present day in the middle of the pandemic and Leigh is now a successful lawyer and Callie is a drug addict.
When Leigh is asked by the big boss to take on the defence of a new client, she is shocked to realise that is a face from the dim and distant past she had been trying to forget.
As the story progresses the past bubbles to the surface and Leigh finds herself in a complex web spun by the new client. The big question is, can she free herself and those closest to her from getting irrevocably stuck there?
I really enjoyed this and wanted to believe that good would triumph, but life isn't always that clear.

A triumph from Karin Slaughter. This book packs the twists and turns in immediately, no slow build up- its right in at the start. I couldn’t put it down and loved every page, with my heart in my mouth throughout!

This superb thriller offers not just an enthralling plot but a thoughtful, heartbreaking exploration of the bond that holds two sisters close. When Callie is just 14 years old, and babysitting 10-year-old Trevor, she accidentally kills his father Buddy, the man who has been sexually exploiting her for years. Her older sister Leigh helps her cover up the crime. Two street-wise kids, neglected by their mother and abandoned by the state, they know how to make it look as if Buddy has just disappeared.
While Callie descends into a life of drug dependency, Leigh becomes a succesful lawyer - but now, over 20 years later, her past comes back to haunt her when she's directed by her boss to defend a man accused of a violent rape. The man is Trevor, now known as Andrew, and he soon makes it clear he knows what Leigh and Callie did to his father.
To escape justice herself, Leigh will have to get Andrew off - leaving him free to escalate his own violent behaviour and continue to blackmail her and threaten her whole family.
Harrowing and heartbreaking as the sisters' story is - and it can get very graphic and gruesome in places - this is a fantastic read from a writer who knows how to plot and pace a story but, more importantly, offer a keen insight into the motivations and emotions of all the characters. You'll come to care deeply for guilt-driven Leigh, sweet, vulnerable Callie and the people who surround them. No matter what they've done in the past - and the lengths they are still willing to go to in order to protect each other, you will be rooting for them all the way.

I have not read many of Karin Slaughter’s books and I am now wondering why as I enjoyed this one so much. Another late night reading. Two sisters Leigh and Callie are brought up by a mother who is not a good role model and the girls are left to their own devices. Leigh managed to crawl her way out of this situation by becoming a lawyer but for Callie things turned out differently. The book is set in the covid pandemic and in that respect was very interesting, sad and accurate. The girls carried a secret, Leigh buried it deep but it caused problems with getting close to others. She is married with a daughter but in the throes of separation and her daughter is with her dad which causes Leigh anxiety as she misses her. Callie turns to drugs and disappears from Leigh’s life regularly which is another deep issue for Leigh. Callie’s drug problems started when she fell and broke her neck – she was a gymnast and cheerleader – and needed medication for the pain. She was also sexually assaulted by the father of the child she was babysitting and Buddy Waleski was very violent. During one of his assaults Callie was physically abused also and Callie attacked Buddy seriously. She called her sister who came to her aid and they deal with the situation. Years later this act comes back to haunt them in a massive way by Buddy’s son. The firm Leigh works for has taken on a client accused of rape and his name is Andrew Tenant. As she meets him she realises there is going to be a massive problem as Andrew is the boy Callie babysat all those years ago. She is a defence attorney which adds to the problem as she really has to do all she can to get him acquitted and that is something she does not want to do as he has traits of his father. The story twists and turns as it comes to light that Andrew has proof of the drama that unfolded with his dad when Callie babysat. I could not tell from reading the book which way this would go and the ending was a surprise but not a bad one and one I did not guess would happen. Fab book

Thank you to #NetGalley and #HarperCollins for allowing me to review this book #FalseWitness
#KarinSlaughter is a master of the thriller and this one is no exception..
You want to reach the end and not finish the story in the same moment.
Callie and Leigh were two young sisters who found themselves in an impossible situation and dealt with it the only way they could.
Now there grown and Leigh is a successful lawyer and has put the past behind her, but the past is never really laid to rest if someone knows your secret. But how? And what do they want? Leigh will do whatever it takes to protect her family.
What would you do?

False Witness is raw, intense and absolutely gripping. I laughed, cried and felt slightly shredded and a lot wrung out by the end, not to mention a little in love with Dr Jerry but wow, what a book.

The story follows Callie and Leigh, sisters who grew up with an abusive mother and absent father. They are both working hard to escape a past that wrought abuse, violence and rape on their young bodies and minds, Leigh as a highly paid defence attorney and Callie as a drug addict. With the appearance of someone from that past both of their carefully constructed lives are about to implode, perhaps not just metaphorically.

False witness is part thriller, part social commentary and a big part family relationships and human connections- both good and bad. Please don’t read this expecting it to fit neatly into a thriller ‘formula’, it doesn’t and you’ll be disappointed, but read it with an open mind and you’ll have a real rollercoaster of a read. Highly recommended.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I’m so disappointed to say that I wasn't as enthralled with this book. I’m a huge fan of the authors but this book just didn’t quite hit the mark. The plot is a good one, but I think the problem I found with this book is its set during the COVID pandemic, now I’m not sure about you but I prefer to read a book that helps me escape the nightmare we have been through! And for that reason I skipped parts which spoilt my enjoyment. I would happily recommend this book though because no one writes a crime thriller quite like Karin Slaughter. It’s just a shame I had to be constantly reminded of the pandemic!

Spellbindingly good. There are some very dark themes in this book and the level of tension and terror is sublime there are also some very poignant and heart wrenching moments so the overall balance is excellent.
I loved seeing the contrasts between family relationships, the unbreakable bonds in some instances, where you would do anything for the ones you love and even kill to protect them to the opposites including emotional and physical neglect which can completely change your life.
The character of the vet was stunning, I loved his vulnerability yet brilliance and his take on life made me smile through some of the darker parts.
A really excellent, riveting and expertly written story, thank you.

I have not read a Karen Slaughter novel before and I thought it was time to challenge myself. Set in the time of Covid, I felt the bits about Covid restrictions we shoe- horned in to an otherwise extremely well plotted and well written narrative. It was as violent and nasty as I expected but too many of the fights, brawls etc seemed to need super-human feats of strength that made somewhat unbelievable.

Leigh is just an ordinary woman with an ordinary life. However she has created this image to hide a dark and sinister past. Unfortunately it is about to catch up with her when she is asked to represent someone that she has been trying to forget for a long time. This case could make or break her career. Can she do it? I could not put this book down.

False witness is a tense thriller, which keeps you hooked from the first pages. The story has a taut opening, and each paragraph is revealed shocking details that build the whole story. Harleigh Collier is a defence attorney with a family and a developing carrier. She worked hard to achieve a sort of ordinary life. One day she will meet a person who unfortunately links to her past. It will start the snowball effect of unexpected events, which will change everything. It is proof that not everything in life happens as we would like it to.

While reading the sample, I was surprised by the excellent writing of Karin Slaughter. Writing dynamic situations is sometimes challenging, especially when the events are squeezed too much, which could ruin everything. I am really impressed with the opening chapter, and the construction is brilliant. Well done! Here the author brilliantly shows the whole story - you can get an impression like you are sitting in Leigh's head - I mean, hear all her thoughts, sense her feelings - which makes you more sensitive to what will happen next. Feel inequality or what is unfair, unjust.
It is the first story that I read, which is situated with 2021 with pandemia in the background. It makes me surprised in the first place because as much as we have enough of hearing about it, I understand that it is a piece of our life that we need to learn how to live with it. Placing pandemia in the book makes the story more realistic.
The book is definitely a bestseller. Kept me tense and trill from the beginning, sitting on the edge trying to guess what will happen next and catch me with surprise on every twist and emotional ending — highly recommended for gripping thriller fans! Definitely on the to-be-read list for 2021!

Thank you, NetGalley, ReadersFirst, HarperCollins UK and Karin Slaughter for ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was honoured to have received an eARC of this title from @Netgalley ahead of publication.

I absolutely loved this book! I have heard of Karin Slaughter and seen several titles kicking about but to date, the opportunity to read one of her novels has not presented itself. This was certainly a good starting place, however...

***Trigger warning***
This book is not for the feint-hearted. There are themes of sexual abuse, rape, child pornography, date rape, drug rape, and saddistic threats amongst other things told in somewhat graphic detail. There is a point to it and it does fuel the story but if this is not something you can handle, back away from my review now. This book isn't for you.

Right, the rest of you that are still with me...Meet Leigh and Callie, sisters from the wrong side of the track, born to a woman who should've had her tubes tied at birth. They couldn't be more different as siblings but nor could they be as supportive. Just as well as they are going to need each other as the story unfolds.

Meet Andrew, a blast from the past who's suffered a terrible loss and on top of it all finds himself on the wrong side of the law for crimes he has alibis for. Yet he is still targeted with the circumstantial evidence. Yet there is something about the crimes that have a strange sense of deja vu.

Through the eyes of these three characters, we are plunged into a sordid world that no one should have to encounter and yet here we are, wading through the much desperately trying to fix our emotions as our judgement gets flipped upside down more than once.

The plot is well imagined and played out. There are enough clues along the way for the average crime thriller reader to make the case but yet the predictability does not take away the enjoyment of solving the clues and waiting for the ending.

I suffered some disappointment because the e-copy was not formatted greatly. There were issues with sentences literally running into each other because there was a lack of spaces after punctuation marks which slowed my reading progress. There were too many to count and I hope this is something that is rectified before the final print.

This novel is suited for a mature audience who are not going to shy away from the horrors of violent sexual assault, drugs and foul language. There is graphic detail about 'shooting up' including the cooking process and how certain crimes were committed so bear this in mind.

With the errors ironed out, I would give this book a 5/5 for the intrigue, level of mystery, and the well-roundedness of the characters and variety. I love seeing the effect that one secret created and I think other crime thriller readers will too.

Gripping Thriller. Leigh is a lawyer about to meet the man she is tasked with defending against charges of multiple rape. Only it becomes clear he is the little boy she and her sister used to babysit. And there is a lot to come out about the death of his father and how Leigh and her sister moved on. Crafted and wonderful writing. This is well paced and plotted.

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 always hoped it would be. But Leigh's childhood was tarnished by secrets, broken by betrayal and finally torn apart by a devastating act of violence. Then she gets a case to defend a wealthy man accused of rape. A case that could transform her career, if she wins. But when she meets the accused, she knows him and he knows her.

This is a new standalone from the author that's tense, pacey and filled with twists. The characters are well developed and believable. I liked the relationship Leigh had with her younger sister Callie who is a drug addict. They both share painful memories. The story is set around the current pandemic. There were parts of the book where i was on the edge of my seat. The story does cover paedophilia which some readers might not like.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #HarperCollinsUK #HarperFiction and the author #KarinSlaughter for my ARC of #FalseWitness in exchange for an honest review.

A very good thriller that I didn’t want to put down.
Well written characters and a good plot. Not an easy read and being set during the COVID-19 pandemic give it a sense of reality. An emotional rollercoaster ride. I loved it.
My thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Oh wow. I hardly know where to start to describe just how much I loved this book. I went from holding my breath one minute to barely being able to control my fury the next. The author really knows how to tug on the heartstrings of the reader, I needed to have my box of tissues at hand and even found moments of wry humour to smile at. No wonder she is one of the top authors in the crime/suspense genre.

Leigh and her sister Callie are not bad people – but one night, more than two decades ago, they did something terrible. And the result was a childhood tarnished by secrets, broken by betrayal, devastated by violence. Years later, Leigh has pushed that night from her mind and become a successful lawyer – but when she is forced to take on a new client against her will, her world begins to spiral out of control. Because the client knows the truth about what happened twenty-three years ago. He knows what Leigh and Callie did. And unless they stop him, he's going to tear their lives apart.

This is a book you do not want to put down so you 100% need the time to dedicate because you will not want to stop! This is a very good thriller that keeps you guessing right to the end!

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

I thought this book started really well and apart from a brief lull part way through, it soon rallied and hurtled to a climatic ending. I loved the characters (well most of them) and their back stories and was really rooting for the “goodies” to come out on top. It’s hard to write this review without spoilers but what I can say is what a fantastic read!