Karin Slaughter continues to get better and better and I cannot put her books down! She writes with such enthusiasm and passion and everything is incredibly realistic, it’s like you are actually there in the novel. Her plots twist and turn and keep you guessing until the very end. I cannot wait to read her next novel.

An interesting concept and I liked the focus on the present and past mysteries, but the descriptions of living through a pandemic took me out of the story when I was looking to immerse myself in the pages to escape it.

Another fast and furious compelling read from Slaughter, this one set in Covid times. Dark and distressing in places as it covers some difficult themes. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is one of the most anxiety inducing books I have read in a long time!
In the present Leigh is a successful lawyer, her sister a drug addict who tries to hold it together but fails. Leigh is called to work on a specific case that links back to their childhood in a horrifying twist.
The emotional and empathetic writing around those events made the horrors bearable to read about even as you check your door locks and hold your children closer.
The tension surrounding the drip fed revelations by the client in the present day and the revisitations to past events by both women from their own perspectives alongside the way they try to handle the threat will keep your heart racing and your brain screaming for the right outcome.
A fantastic read.

WOW!!! What a book, I absolutely loved it. I could not put this book down and it had me gripped from the first page. I have read a lot of Karin Slaughter books and just when you think she can't get any better, I can honestly say this is her best yet. Totally blew me away!

Dark thriller which I found engaging but quite depressing.

Taking place during the current pandemic in Atlanta, this novel centres around two sisters, Leigh and Calli, one a low-flying lawyer in a big firm, the other an addict. Their past comes back to haunt them in a story involving rape, murder and other violent acts. The book is character-driven rather than packed with action scenes. It’s not particularly uplifting at any point but engages the reader successfully: you want to know how it all plays out - and I learned a lot about how addiction works. Recommended especially if you’re a fan of Karin Slaughter.

Sisters Callie and Leigh murdered a man - Buddy - who abused them as children babysitting for him.
Callie grew up to be a drug addict and Leigh, a lawyer.
Now a serial killer is at large and Buddy’s son is a suspect. He employs Leigh as his defence lawyer, to win his case and prove his innocence.
So ensues a game of cat and mouse.
Slaughter really gives the narrative time to breathe and we get to know and care about the sisters.
But this thriller is also pacey and full of twists and turns.
It might not be the novel for those who prefer plot to character development but it really worked for me. I was rooting for Callie and Leigh, and a surprise ending came as a bit of a bombshell.
Recommended: every Karin Slaughter novel is a bit different, but this is another good one.

This is Karin Slaughter at her best!!

Unbelievable book!! Absolutely loved this one, might even go as far and say it´s the best one yet from Karin!

From the moment you start reading you are compelled to keep going, an absolutely masterful storyline, completely up to date, as this was written during the Covid pandemic with compelling characters with whom you connect with immediately.

I´m not going to give away the storyline but you are taken on a rollercoaster of emotions which leave you breathless and in awe of the writing.

I can´t praise this book enough. You simply have to read it!

My thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for giving me the opportunity to read and review an advanced copy.

It’s been a good few years since I’ve read a Karin Slaughter novel and I’m not sure why. This is a belter of a book. With a lot of the novel set during the Covid pandemic there are regular references to how this affected peoples lives, but neatly intertwined within the storyline, almost as an aside. I had my doubts about all the pandemic references but the book is set during the worst of the time and I accepted it as part of our history. The main theme of the book is child abuse and how it affected two girls, sisters. Both are riddled with guilt but deal with it in very different ways.

Briefly, babysitter Callie endures months of sexual abuse by Buddy, but one day she fights back. Thinking she has killed him she calls her sister Leigh to help her. But Buddy isn’t dead and Leigh finishes the job. After hiding the body and cleaning up the girls carry on with their lives. However, their lives are very different. Callie goes off the rails becoming a drug addict whilst Leigh goes off to college and becomes a lawyer. But they are always inextricably linked - by what they did and by their love for each other. When their lives are threatened again, this time by Leigh’s client she is defending on a rape charge, the sisters are reunited. But for how long?

My heart broke for both the girls, but particularly Callie who struggles her whole life, with pain, self loathing, drug addiction... The author has documented their thoughts and feeling in a manner that will touch even the most hardened of hearts. Ok so they are not angels but their early lives were traumatic. Whereas the two men, Buddy and Andrew, are both despicable individuals I really hated. This is simplifying the story but without giving spoilers I can’t say much more. A really great book 5*

My thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins for the chance to read this ARC.

Very interesting storyline, you will be rooting for the two main characters despite their faults. My favourite character though was the vet, what a wonderfully written depiction of a minor character. There were, however, times in the book that I found myself almost bored, some of it is quite repetitive and you just long for the story to progress at a quicker rate. Despite this, the book is a good read and I'm sure will be a bestseller.

This book doesn’t mess around it throws you right into the drama of a horrific incident that sets the novel up for a dark and sometimes explicit but definitely gripping read. This book is brutal. Its brilliantly addictive and fast paced storyline, alongside really well thought out characters, make it one of the best thrillers I’ve read for a while. What this book also manages to do though alongside being a cracking good thriller it also gives a social commentary on life in America particularly during the pandemic which in itself is fascinating as a backdrop to the story.

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.
This is a great story with lots of twists and suspense.

Massive fan of Karin Slaughter and thought this was her best stand alone book

Two sisters - completely different life styles
Brought back together due to there past
loads of twists and turns, hidden secrets

Absolute nail biter of a book

READ IT

Thank you netgalley, Karin Slaughter and Harper Collins UK

This is a dark book without a single important character likely to be endearing. The two main characters are sisters, Harleigh and Callie. They were abused as babysitters at an age when they shouldn’t have been in charge of the boy later known in the book as Andrew, another psychopathic criminal. One becomes a defence lawyer, a job to which she is totally unsuited. The other remains a drug addict. It is a book about murder, drugs and deceit. It is fairly obvious how it is going to end. When reading it, the best approach is to skim. There is endless detail about drug addiction and the Georgia legal system which fills the book out but adds little to the story. By the time Andrew is an adult, he, like his father, is an abusive and manipulative sexual predator. He is added to the list of unattractive characters.

I am always excited about a new book from Karin Slaughter. She has never written a bad book, but this is up there as one of her best! The plot was well paced and the characters were exceptionally well written! In fact Callie may be one of the best written character's in history. She was absolutely real to me. I loved it even though it kept me up well into the wee hours!

I am a massive fan of this author & this certainly didn’t disappoint. I would recommend this book to anyone.

When Leigh (a high flying lawyer) is asked to represent a new client her past along with her sister Callie's, begins to catchup with them both. A well written book about a very harrowing subjects. Although set during the pandemic, it is not the Covid crisis that drives the story along. Well observed and great detail interwoven into the plot. I could not really see where the story would end as there seemed no way out of their predicament.
Thank you to Harper Collins UK and NetGalley for the advance copy of this book.

I’m a huge Karin Slaughter fan and this book did not disappoint.

Callie and Leigh are sisters leading very different lives but tied together by a traumatic upbringing. When Leigh is summoned to represent a new client, she is horrified to realise that her past is catching up with her. Can she protect Callie and her own family?

With a Karin Slaughter book you always get meticulous detail and this book is no exception. It’s hard reading in places and the content is often harrowing in the extreme. Even when you can see where a twist is coming, the writing is excellent draws you in engaging you in the process.

I liked the characters and particularly the relationship between Callie and Leigh and also Callie and her boss. They were both really special and felt realistic and appropriate.

It’s a solid, well written thriller and I could hardly put it down! I heartily recommend this to lovers of the genre. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for my copy of this book.

Slow to start but wow what a read! So exciting though incredibly violent. The compassion for Callie was perfectly written and the relationship between the sisters brilliant.

I’ve never read anything by this writer before. Wow! Foolish me. But also yes! I can now buy all her books and feel that lovely feeling when you know you’ve discovered a new author that you love. This is brilliant and a strong 4/5.