Karin Slaughter is the first author I have come across who has actually been brave enough to set her book during the Covid-19 Pandemic. This gave the story extra gravitas, the mention of masks, sanitiser, extra space and the washing of hands really resonated with the time we are living through at the moment.

The only complaint I have is that I found the murder scenes a bit too descriptive, but then that is what Ms Slaughter is famed for, not being gentle with her readers.

This is a book about the invisible cord that binds two sisters together and what lengths they will go to, to protect each other. Leigh is a lawyer, with an estranged husband and a beautiful daughter. Callie is addicted to drugs and although she has tried rehab etc she knows that she cannot live without some form of substance, not for the high but because it dulls the pain of what she endured as a child. Both sisters pinched a little piece of my heart.

This book is certainly not an easy read but, as always, this author has written an extremely dark and twisted intelligent thriller which will keep you awake at night!

For me, this was a book that dealt with challenging themes very well. It was a good insight into what it is like to live with an addiction, but I felt there was too much endless and repetitive detail which made the novel overly long. It’s the first book I’ve read that includes living through the pandemic but think it would have been better without that. Most of us want to get away from Covid, not constantly read about it. The story was harrowing and gory at times, but I felt emotionally involved with the main characters, Leigh and Callie, and read long into the night to find out how the story ended. The plot was good, and it was a decent read. However, I was surprised and put off by the number of errors I found, eg ‘He wrapped one hand around her the neck.’ A good proofread is needed! Apart from that, it was just OK. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read it.

“Andrew knows the girls better than I do. I was still in nursing back then. I worked nights. Leigh and her sister were the only babysitters I trusted”
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My first ever Karin Slaughter and WOW where have I been!? Instant fan and I will definitely be diving into her back catalogue after this brilliant read!!
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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 …
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From start to finish I couldn’t put this book down! There wasn’t a moment for me that lulled, I was completely sucked in from the get go and all the characters felt so wonderfully fleshed out that I could see them perfectly in my minds eye. I would say at times there was violence to a level I wasn’t expecting, but that’s not me criticising, more giving a heads up that if that’s not your thing, this may not be the one for you, but if that doesn’t bother you too much it’s a rollercoaster of a thriller that will keep you up late reading till the end!
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Thanks so much to Netgalley and Harper Collins UK for the ARC!

Karin Slaughter is one of my favourite authors, however I wasn't as enthralled with this book as I am with her others.

It was a really good read, but I just felt it wasn't as gripping as her others I have read. I wasn't keen on having the pandemic included in the story, for me reading is an escapism so I didn't want to be reading about something that is currently very real and happening now.

However, I would definitely recommend this book. Maybe I am being too picky as I hold this author on such a high pedestal.

I tore through this! This isn’t my usual style of thriller (as I usually like a who done it ) and you know from early on who the suspect is, however I really enjoyed this. This is a story of two sisters who are confronted by their past, when one of them has to defend an adult whose father they share a turbulent history with.

My favourite part of this was the relationship between Callie and Leigh - they have such a strong, convincing bond.

It is a very dark novel, and a little gory at times, but it deals with its challenging themes very well, and these are central to the narrative and the motives of the characters. I also thought it dealt beautifully with the ideas of guilt and forgiveness.

I’m aware it was a conscious choice of the author, but at times the COVID-19 experiences were a little hard to deal with but only as they took me out of the story as it made things feel a bit too close to home. I think this is something that will be important when we are out of the pandemic though, as people may be more comfortable with the topic when lockdowns are a bit more part of history.

This is my first Karin Slaughter book, but I actually have a few in my house that I was gifted and I will definitely be diving into those now!

Hard hitting, thought provoking and a real insight into what it is like to live with an addiction. Difficult to read at times due to the nature of what the characters were going through nevertheless a great read.

Karin Slaughter's Grant County/Sara Linton/Will Trent series of novels are something that I eagerly look forward to, especially as similar authors novel series seem to go stale/hit a wall when they get to double figures. False Witness is a standalone and comes from a different angle from the norm, so it's not a forensic/police procedural. This time the focus is on a wealthy serial-rapist & abuser playing cat & mouse with his lawyer, someone he has history with. There are elements of "Jagged Edge" as the lawyer & her sister use their street smarts to protect themselves & their family from the predator. It is a page-turner but I wasn't totally convinced by the climax & question how you can manipulate a rapist when it's down to power & control. I also wonder if the lawyer will become a new character in the normal series too?

False Witness by Karin Slaughter was a gritty full-on read. Sleaze and extreme violence are detailed throughout, painting a vivid picture of the life the two young sisters Leigh and Callie experienced. To be honest it was a bit much for me overall. I found the intensity and prolific foul language off-putting but I acknowledge the reality of the world Callie in particular inhabits and the normalcy of this baseness. The sisters are both easy to like and their moral and legal dilemmas well conveyed so that you feel their desperation. Their mother has no redeeming traits and her selfish, cruel behaviours and parental neglect and abuse pulls the sisters closer together, leading to their intense and unbreakable commitment to each other. Their childhood charge Trevor, now Andrew, has grown from early indicators of a sneaky and cruel personality into a full-blown calculating psychopath. His darkness and acts of moral turpitude are accentuated when put alongside the kindness of significant others in Leigh and Callie’s life. Walter, Leigh’s husband, has a gentle, loyal and forgiving nature and Dr Jerry, Callie’s boss, demonstrates unwavering acceptance and genuine sacrificial paternal love for Callie.
The psychology of grooming and of destructive guilt is very skilfully managed by the author. The book keeps an intensity of pace throughout and I like that the ending didn’t feel rushed. Overall this is a great read for the genre but not for the faint hearted. The subject matter is horrific in its substance, detail and impact and Karin’s writing stays with you so do practice self-care to maintain balance.

As a huge fan of Karin Slaughter I was really looking forward to this - it didn’t disappoint in many ways. It was well written and a really interesting concept having it set during the pandemic - however the subject matter was really tough for me to take at times and made me so uncomfortable at times.

From, for me, a slowish start where I didn’t warm to the main characters to an ending that I just could not put down. This is the first book i have read that has included the pandemic as part of the story (the author includes notes as to why this was done). The ending is totally gripping and also made me wince at times. A great read.

I was really looking forward to reading this novel as I have read all her previous books but I am afraid it fell way short for me. It was a very slow burner and I did not believe two teenagers could cut up a body and dispose of it without being found out.. It was just not a page turner and felt it was a slog to finish. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it.

This was my first read that was set in the pandemic and Karin slaughter got it all spot on. This is a very dark novel that doesn't pull any punches. It deals with some highly distressing subject matter: abuse, pedophilia, addiction etc. Incredibly well written with well developed and multi faceted characters. Whilst there's no mystery as such it's a real page turner with a satisfying, credible ending. I enjoyed it very much and demolished it in an afternoon, such a page turner!

I received a free copy of #FalseWitness from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. @fictionpubteam

A stand-alone thriller, the author talks about the pandemic, governments non response or inability to handle it, the death tolls etc in a very serious manner.
There are though graphic descriptions of violent assaults so people need to be careful while reading it. The gritty storyline has been well plotted with good characters.
Now I felt some parts did drag with the descriptions getting repetitive or too much at times. It did distract from the main plot.
But overall a decent read.

I think judging by the Goodreads page for False Witness, I am one of the only people that had not read a Karin Slaughter book prior to this one! She seems to have a very high reputation among the crime thriller community and upon reading this one I can totally see why. Don’t worry though – this book is a complete standalone story and so a great entry point to Slaughter’s writing for the uninitiated!

False Witness is a twisty read on a very grim subject which is full of tension and very well paced. Slaughter seems to be an assured author who knows exactly what she is doing and it really shone through in her writing. The characters all felt realistic and well-rounded, I particularly liked sister Callie who is flawed but trying to do the right thing. Her character arc felt a little predictable but it she has a good journey throughout the story. Andrew was also such a creepily drawn character and the scenes within the court room and Leigh’s office felt so tense and troubling! I also liked the main character of Leigh, although she comes off as confident and knowing what she is doing in life, she has a hard background and often shows just how out of her depth she is which kept her relatable.

My one nit-pick of the book is that I didn’t believe two teenage girls would be capable of chopping up and disposing of a body as well as cleaning the crime scene thoroughly without anyone noticing. The person they killed is described as a ‘mountain of a man’ and this just didn’t sit well with me. It’s one of those plot points you have no choice but to suspend your disbelief for and if you are able to do that then you can sit back and enjoy the rest of the book.

I was a little apprehensive reading a book that is set in the Coronavirus outbreak and subsequent lockdowns. I understand that it will be a staple of newly published books at the moment, but when I realised it did elicit a certain amount of eye-rolling. Although Karin mentions in the authors notes at the end she wanted to show how relevant the topics discussed were to today’s society I fear that actually it’s just meant that the book has become dated rather quickly. Some sections already felt written in the past and some of the mask etiquette used in the book isn’t quite correct. As the pandemic doesn’t directly impact the plot I perhaps would have left it out on this occasion. There are also some specific phrases which are repeated over and over again but hopefully these will be sorted in the final edit before publication.

Overall False Witness is a great twisty story that keeps the tension high. Thank you to NetGalley & Harper Collins UK – Harper Fiction for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I’m afraid to say this book wasn’t for me.
I’d really wanted to read a Karin Slaughter book for some time, so I was really excited to see her latest available on NetGalley. It was the perfect opportunity to give her a try!
I’m not sure if I just picked the wrong book to start with (according to a lot of other reviews, this wasn’t her best) or whether I just couldn’t get used to her writing style.
There were lots of moments where I just didn’t know what was going on. I found everything too descriptive and found my mind wandering as it was boring.
The main problem I had was the representation of COVID. I’ve been so thankful to many authors over the last year for continuing to write as though it never existed. Don’t we all wish it hadn’t?! However, Slaughter decided to include it in all its goriness in this book. It wasn’t just mentioned; it was rammed down our throats. I often felt like I was being preached to over mask-wearing, washing my hands etc. I’m afraid when I read a book; I want to escape from reality and forget all the horror going on in the world. In addition, when reading a thriller, I want to imagine that such terrible people, horrific circumstances couldn’t really happen in the real world, but when the current reality is intertwined with the imaginary, it doesn’t calm my mind and doesn’t make for enjoyable reading. I wanted to escape, and I couldn’t whilst reading this. If I wanted to read current events, I’d have read the news!
So, I’m sorry, but I didn’t enjoy this book one bit. Maybe I need to go back and read one of her older books to really get a feel for her writing without the COVID element.

In their teens Leigh and her sister Callie were shockingly connected to Andrew Trevor Tennant. Leigh now has to defend Andrew in a rape case with other charges waiting in the wings if he is found guilty. The story is told from the perspectives of Leigh and Callie. Haunted by something they did as teenagers, sisters Leigh and Calli have chosen very different paths in life; Leigh is a defence attorney with a teenage daughter and a good relationship with her ex-husband. Calli has nothing but a dependency on drugs.

When Leigh is asked to defend a wealthy man accused of rape, she’s pleased to be given the highest profile case in her career to date. However, when she meets her client, her past comes crashing back to meet her, and the safe life she’s worked so hard to build, is suddenly in jeopardy.

This novel is definitely a rollercoaster of emotions, with well-developed characters, who might not do what you want them to, but their actions are understandable based on their history. Slaughter has taken some challenging topics and produced an interesting story, with visceral descriptions that make it easy to imagine.

The novel is set during the current pandemic, and I liked how it’s referenced, with the differences in court procedures and characters needing to wear masks etc. I know some people didn’t like this because they wanted escapism from Covid, but I liked how relevant and ‘now’ the book therefore becomes. It was nice to give it a specific time period, especially when some writers usually avoid doing this in case it makes their novels irrelevant.

There are a lot of violence and graphic scenes in the novel, which I can imagine some people will find difficult to read and might be triggering for others. Although it was hard to read at times, I don’t think it was used gratuitously, but there to forward the story and give insights into certain characters.

I did think the novel was overly long however, and she repeated a few ideas when it really wasn’t needed. She isn’t normally one for overdetailing, so I’m not sure what happened here. I just think if it had been skimmed a little, it would have flowed better and kept a better pace.

Not one of her best, but still worth a read if you want something gritty, harsh and unapologetic. Thank you to Random House UK and Netgalley for an eARC of this book in return for an honest review.

It’s no secret that I am a huge Karin Slaughter fan, so I was thrilled to start this book. As usual, Karin doesn’t disappoint. This book is brilliantly written in Karin’s typically dark and hard-hitting way. It contains triggers and deals with some upsetting topics like child abuse, sexual assault, drug-taking etc. The characters were well written and human. They weren’t perfect and made some terrible choices. There was no mystery on who the bad guy was. It was clear from the start but what was mysterious was how our two very flawed leads and their family would escape the clutches of a baddie who always seemed to be two steps ahead of them. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and was satisfied with the ending.

I received a free copy of #FalseWitness from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! @fictionpubteam

Anyone who's read a Karin Slaughter novel before will know well that they all need a blaring siren for a trigger warning. Abuse of all kinds and brutal violence are the backbone of her thrillers and False Witness is no exception, you'll need a cast iron stomach.

I'm a die hard fan of the Atlanta/Grant County series but False Witness is another stand alone novel. Centred around two sisters, Callie and Leigh, the story is told from their POVs in a dual timeline, before and after the event that destroyed their lives.

Slaughter gripped me immediately with a shocking misdirection and from there I could not put this book down! Nobody writes an antagonist quite like she does, the unflinching examination of psychological torture cuts even deeper than the violent scenes described.

The most remarkable thing about Slaughter's writing is the depth of emotions she wrenches out of me. My cold dark heart shed a few tears over False Witness- specifically an unexpected scene with an elderly veterinarian, now that part is a real gut punch. There's a perfectly executed balance of both the best and worst of humanity in this novel. For all the evil and abuse there is as much love, innocence and loyalty to be found amongst the pages.

As I've mentioned in previous Slaughter reviews the truly horrific scenes are always written past tense during the protagonist's discovery, I'm quite sure I couldn't handle a present tense first person account of such atrocities.
The heinous events elicit a visceral reaction to the perpetrator and endear the reader to the saviour in the scenario which in this case is Leigh, a defense attorney. But this time there's a catch, this time our protagonist isn't the hero we might expect.

Now Leigh has to strive to defend Andrew, a man she knows is guilty, whilst protecting herself and her sister from a terrible secret that only the three of them know. The risks are insurmountable, how will she save her career, her sister, her LIFE without freeing a violent rapist?

Love Karin Slaughter books. False Witness is another fantastic read. I liked the sisters in the book who have a big secret. The book started off slowly but once it built up I was hooked. Great plot and a roller coaster ride emotionally.

I have read most of Karin Slaughter’s previous novels and have loved every one of them and this was no exception. False Witness is the story of two sisters, Leigh who is a successful defence attorney, and Callie who is an addict. They have a dreadful secret together of something which happened when they were young and have managed to move on from this although Callie is the one who seems to be suffering the most.

One evening Leigh is called into the office by the head of the law firm she currently works for and comes face to face with the Andrew, or Trevor as he used to be known, and his mother who have both changed names and Andrew knows their secret. He threatens to disclose everything to the world and the police, which would put them in prison. Andrew is charged with serious sexual assault and rape and wants Leigh to defend him.
The two sisters and Leigh’s husband, Walter, fight back against Andrew and his girlfriend, Sidney in a fast-paced read which covers some serious issues surrounding dysfunctional families.

Many thanks to NetGalley, HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction and Karin Slaughter for my ARC of False Witness in return for my honest review.
Excellent from start to finish. Highly recommended.