Another Karin Slaughter book that I loved. I love her writing style and I appreciate that she gets staight to the point

Many thanks to HarperCollins and Netgalley for an ARC, in exchange for an honest review.

Before you start this, the latest standalone by Karin Slaughter, make sure you have enough time to finish it. You will not want to put it down. Karin Slaughter is a master (or should that be mistress), when it comes to storytelling. She somehow moves the story on at such a pace, but at the same time builds up the tension. I don’t think there were any extraneous words in this. Every one of them was needed.

False Witness is not for the squeamish, there is a whole gamut of unpleasant and distressing topics, from paedophilia, and substance abuse through to murder. Despite the distress these topics can cause, they didn’t feel out of place in this compulsive and engaging story of actions and consequences with a deeply troubled and emotional sibling relationship at the heart of it. As always, a truly emotional book to read, but at the same time, you will be gripped, pulled in and not let out till the end. By which time you will go through the whole range of emotions for the Leigh and Callie the two main characters, and completely revolted by Buddy and Andrew. Karin Slaughter excels at writing sensitive subjects in her stories and this one is no different.

Leigh and Callie are sisters, but each has taken a different route through life and have totally different approaches to life’s challenges. They are both moulded by emotive events and memories from the past, which may or may not be accurately remembered. There are parts where you just have to hold your breath and some part’s that are shocking, even for hardened crime novel readers.

The portrayal of the characters is extremely well told, you feel the cold, calculated and malevolent manipulation of Andrew, the fear, guilt and panic of Leigh and Callie’s troubles and pain.
As always, a powerful story about the family bond. Arguably her best novel to date, definitely her best standalone. My new top book for 2021 and no doubt about joining several other KS books in my all-time best list.

Leigh and Callie are sisters, who have long held secrets which they though were so deeply hidden they'd never be discovered, but sometimes those are almost guaranteed to re-emerge. Neither woman has escaped unscathed from a past marred by the type of violence and betrayal which never leaves you.

Now when, for Leigh at least, life is good, both professionally and personally, it seems as if everything they have endured is about to come back with a vengeance that could destroy everything unless they act first. They are dealing with people who have as much to lose as they do and it could well be a case of being the last one standing.

This isn't an easy read as there are areas within it which will unfortunately resonate with many women. Along with the violence, rape allegations, and drug use, pedophilia and child abuse are all an integral part of the storyline. This is a long book although not overly so considering the areas it covers.

It seems wrong to say I enjoyed this as it is a traumatic endictment of the lives of too many people and left a definite impression on me. I am however, glad I read it
as it was a well written book which worked.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the opinions expressed are my own. I would only recommend this book if you can cope with reading fictionalised interpretations of the topics covered in it.

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 NetGalley for providing this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I must confess, I have only discovered Karin Slaughter in the last year. The silver lining to this, is that I have a large back catalogue to happily devour. When I get the chance to read this author prior to publication, I jump at the chance.

Even before the first chapter, False Witness takes you straight into the story, and within those first few pages, you will have your assumptions twisted completely around. Giving you notice of where, and how the book will take you. It isn’t dual timeline, but initially you are looking back time wise, to the night that all of their subsequent lives stem from. The incident has long reaching effects, that prove impossible to ignore or hide from, even decades later.

The story is very dark, it follows two sisters, Harleigh and Calliope. At this point I feel I need to give a couple of trigger warnings. Firstly for child sexual abuse, and secondly for substance abuse. Both are referred to throughout the whole story. Having said that, there are light, gentle moments within the book. The conversations between Callie and Dr Jerry are lovely, and in the last instance, very moving. Callie’s humour shines through the pages, very often used by her to deflect attention away from hard to have conversations.

As Karin mentions in her acknowledgments at the end of the book, she specifically wanted False Witness to be anchored in the COVID pandemic. Though it doesn’t directly impact the story, it does make the events feel very current and relevant to our communal experiences in the last 15 months.

I am a fan of the author, and don’t shy away from gritty, hard hitting reads. Though in this instance, the child sexual abuse I found very hard to read, so find it very hard to say I enjoyed the book. I was gripped, and was very eager to find out if justice would be served. 4* from me.

Possible spoilers

Karin Slaughter has a knack of writing characters that you cant help but feel invested in.
Here,the star of the show is definitely the broken Callie. In permanent pain and an addict. Shes down and shes been out,but shes a fighter.
The relationship between her and her sister,and also Dr Jerry has some genuine touching moments.
Theres also some high tension in the book,graphic descriptions of rape and some seriously disturbed individuals.
As always it was a hit with me.

Also,how lovely to actually read a book that feels current in terms of coronovirus.
Masks are the norm and it's good to have them mentioned.

I'm always excited to pick up a Karin Slaughter thriller as I know I will be kept in suspense and guessing right till the end.
False Witness did not fail, a gripping suspense, tense scenes and an amazing relationship born out of hardship. Leigh and Callie are sisters from a broken home, Leigh is forever Callie's protector and saviour as Callie's life spirals downwards. Addicted to drugs and trying to dumb down the demons that haunt her from the past, she lives each day as it comes until Leigh turns up with news that shoots Callie back into the past and right into the middle of her nightmare. Can Leigh rescue her again ?

It's hard to write this review without giving away any spoilers but essentially this is a story about survival and how 2 people move forward from the same tragedy. Leigh is a successful defence lawyer and her path crosses with her past when Andrew becomes her client. Who is he and how does he know so much about Leigh and Callie? These are all the things Leigh must work out and protect her family at all costs.

Thank you to netgalley for this ARC. Karin Slaughter did not disappoint once again.

Ps.This book should come with a trigger warning that it contains grooming, rape and murder.

A masterful thriller but not for the fainthearted. A deprived childhood teaches the two sisters to rely only on each other, and Leigh does not hesitate to help when Callie finds herself in serious trouble. Whilst Callie remains haunted and slips into a life of drugs, Leigh forges a successful career and tries to put the past behind her. But somehow their harrowing past catches up with them. Cleverly set against a backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemic. This is my first book by this author but I would love to read more.

This was my first Karin Slaughter book and I was really looking forward to reading it since I’ve heard so much about her books. But overall it left me a bit disappointed.
I thought this book was an OK read. The story was good and held a bit of suspense but I thought it rambled a bit. There were paragraphs and paragraphs about the Covid-19 situation and other things as well which were repeated quite a bit. It could have done with a bit more editing.
Thank you HarperCollins UK for an advanced copy of this ebook and giving me a chance to review this book!

Not for the faint-hearted.!
This book is dark, compelling and graphic and seems all the more real set up to date in the midst of the pandemic. The story follows the lives of two sisters whose entire futures were changed forever by a tragic event in their past.
Be prepared to be shocked, scared, upset, intrigued and relieved, a real rollercoaster of emotions!

Karin Slaughter writes consistently great books and this continues that trend. Great characters, suspense, thrills and the odd twist or two. Recommended.

Yet another stimulating book by this author. I think this is the best one that I have read by her. The story centres on two sisters, Leigh and Callie. Years ago when they were in their teens something really bad happened to them which would change their course of life altogether. One sister did good but the other was dragged into a life of habitual drug abuse. Fast forward and what happened that night comes back to haunt them when Leigh is asked to take on someones case.
Can they ever get free or is what they did so bad there will never be no happy ending.
I would highly recommend this and any other book by this author.

I am never disappointed by a Karin Slaughter book, and this was no exception. Tense, gripping, and I just couldn't put it down.
I recommend all of Karin Slaughters books. False Witness is an incredible addition to her works with Characters you invest in.

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

omg where to start with this book without giving out spoilers

a courtroom drama
two sisters, one a lawyer the other a surviving drug addict

but their lives are forever changed the day they babysat for their neighbours son

omg i cant even begin to tell you how brilliant and gripping this book is and how you lose hours because you cant put it down....

one of the best books i have read in a long time

Karin Slaughter is a prolific writer who has received much critical acclaim, both from readers and from fellow thriller writers, so I was glad to be granted an ARC for her latest standalone novel, so I could get to know her writing style. Unfortunately, I think this will remain the only Karin Slaughter novel that I have read. The novel started off promisingly when it introduced protagonist Leigh, a hardworking lawyer and mother to a young daughter, who has managed to separate amicably from her husband. Outwardly settled and capable, when Leigh starts work on a harrowing rape case and comes face to face with a man who she thought she had left behind in the harrowing days marked ‘childhood’, that the many hard-hitting themes of this novel begin to unfold. I am afraid that for me, the plot relating to teenage Leigh and her sister was just too implausible, and the writing veered too frequently between potboiler-style, unedited sentences and graphic violence. I think it is important that harrowing contemporary issues receive literary treatment, but there are other authors who manage this more skilfully and sensitively, and their novels are all the richer for it. Nevertheless, I would like to thank the publishers and NetGalley for the free ARC that allowed me to produce this review.

First let me say that I am a huge Karin Slaughter fan. The Grant County and Will Trent series are amongst my favourite books in this genre. Her stand alones are a bit more hit and miss for me. I enjoyed The Good Daughter but really disliked Pieces of Me.
This one falls somewhere between the two. It's an arc so I don't have a problem with spelling mistakes or typos etc. I think some editing is needed as it is a little repetitive at times.
My main problem with it though is that the original crime, or rather the cover up, is just too implausible for me. I just don't believe that two teenagers could do what they are supposed to have done. Belief suspended, I did enjoy the rest of the book although Callie is by far the most interesting character so I'd have preferred her to be the main character. I found Leigh a bit irritating.
Not her best I'm afraid.

I am usually a big fan of Karin Slaughter’s work, loving the Grant County and Will Trent series of books. In the meantime she often writes standalone novels which I generally look forward to greatly and are in some respects more enjoyable than the two series she is world.famous for. But for some reason, this time I found this standalone to be something of a disappointment.

False Witness is excellently written and meticulously researched as you would expect, however sadly for some reason I found it very difficult to relate to or even like any of the characters involved and it was really difficult to get into the novel. I am sure this is a one-off and I will find future Karin Slaughter novels as good as ever, but this one was not for me I’m afraid.

My thanks go to Harper Collins UK, Harper Fiction for allowing me to read a copy for review.

This is the first book I have read which is set against the backdrop of the pandemic, which makes it feel very immediate and realistic. The story is about a terrible crime committed by two teenage sisters in the past which they have tried and failed to put behind them. One sister, Leigh, has become a successful lawyer, the other, Callie, a drug addict living on the fringes of society, with the past firmly behind them until Leigh takes on a rape case which connects them to the events of two decades ago. The story is dark, compelling and suspenseful and the reader is kept engaged throughout. With thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for an advance copy to review.

A satisfying rollercoaster of a book with plenty of drama and tension. Raises lots of questions about how choices made as adolescents do and should shape our lives. Kept me up late reading to the end.

This book was instantly gripping and I binge read it in two days. I was desperate to find out all of the secrets and I was left totally shocked at times. The characters were well written and I thought the author captured well the intricate relationship those who have been abused have with their abusers; the confusion, jealously, love, hate, enjoyment and dislike. Great story and very enjoyable read 5/5.