Another cracking Will Trent and Sarah Linton story based in the beautiful mountains at a remote family run lodge. The family McAlpines that own and run the the lodge are about as dysfunctional as you can get. Will decides to take Sarah to the lodge for their honeymoon but it doesn’t take very long for them to become involved in a gruesome murder. A great read recommended.

Wow! Another brilliant addition to the Will Trent series!

Everything you've come to expect is here - twists and dark themes abound. This book will be much more enjoyable if you read the series in order (and really the series starts with the six Grant County books.) If you've read her other books, you know that the book contains difficult topics - drug and alcohol abuse, domestic violence, child abuse. It is realistic and unflinching.

Will & Sarah are staying at a lovely, remote lodge in Northern Georgia for their honeymoon. They have to hike in and the resort is mostly off the grid. No wi-fi (for guests) and only a few spots with any cell service. This is the perfect set-up for what is essentially a locked room mystery. The mountain lodge is run by Mercy McAlpine and the other members of her family (her mother, father, ex-husband, brother and son). When Mercy is attacked and murdered, Will & Sarah become ensnared in the investigation. Everyone is a suspect and there are plenty of secrets and misdirection. In addition to the family, there are the other guests that hiked into the lodge. Eventually a few of the other regulars in the series are also involved, including Amanda and Faith. I suspected some of the solution but the ending was shocking and creepy.

Will & Sara are a great team and it was great to see them in a different setting. Will's past also figures in the story as the ex-husband was also at the same Georgia children's home when Will was there. I can't wait to read the next novel in this series.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins for allowing me to read this ARC! Thanks to Karin Slaughter for continuing to write about difficult subjects and wonderful characters!

Quote I liked:

Everybody romanticized country living until they needed internet and healthcare.

Although I'd never read anything by this author and the fact it was number 12 in the series, it read as a stand-alone book. Thrilling and slightly creepy at times I enjoyed this one very much. Eager to read her others now. My thanks to netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

4,5 stars

Oh, brace yourselves, folks, 'cause yours truly decided to dip a toe into the Will Trent ocean for the first time! I know, I know—starting at the end is just how I roll. Who needs logic, right?
But the good news is: you can totally read this as a standalone!

This book took me on an emotional rollercoaster! One minute I was cracking up, the next I was bawling, then feeling a bit queasy, and finally, just plain mad.

The McAlpines? Easily the most twisted family I've ever come across in a book. Slaughter threw in every possible sin except for the kitchen sink! My heart went out to poor Mercy.

Will and Sarah are on their honeymoon in a cosy mountain lodge, all set for some wedded bliss—until a heinous murder crashes the party.

And voilà, we have the perfect locked-room mystery.

Turns out, everyone from her family to some guests had a good motive for wanting Mercy gone. As Will digs into the case, the chilling horrors of Mercy’s life are revealed, leaving the reader absolutely petrified.

I'd slap a solid 5 stars on it if I hadn't cracked the killer's identity right away. Seriously, Will, it was so obvious even my cat could've solved it!

Aside from that, it’s a gritty crime thriller delving into some very dark themes. Slaughter’s writing is as razor-sharp as ever, maintaining its edge right up to the final page!

This book is really interesting, poor Mercy McAlpine - she had such a terrible life and then, a terrible death. And instead of helping find out who did this to her, her awful family close ranks and won't co-operate with the investigation. Lots of people have motive but who killed Mercy?? Her ex is a dangerous man, a womaniser who has beaten and abused her. Her Dad is a tyrant. Her Mother is a terrible woman who cares more about keeping everything quiet, than finding out who murdered her daughter. So, its up to the GBI agent Will Trent - who is there on his honeymoon with his wife, Sarah, who is a doctor - to try and solve this murder. With bad weather making it difficult to get off the mountain, will they solve this murder in time and find out what actually happened to Mercy??

I’ve only read a few Karin Slaughter books and have really enjoyed them. I did enjoy this one but, for me, I found it dragging a little and a bit slow. It only really gets going in the last 20%.

There is a few topics covered in the book which some readers may be sensitive to.

This is part of a series, however it is not necessary to read the earlier books.

Many thanks to #NetGalley and #HarperCollinsUK for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

One toxic family. Eight suspicious guests. Everyone is guilty. But who is a killer?
Welcome to the McAlpine Lodge: a secluded mountain getaway, it’s the height of escapist luxury living.

Except that everyone here is lying. Lying about their past. Lying to their family. Lying to themselves.

Then one night, Mercy McAlpine – until now the good daughter – threatens to expose everybody's secrets. Just hours later, Mercy is dead.

Brilliant from beginning to end 😍

I didn't realise this was book 12 in a collection featuring Will and Sara. It wrong footed me. I've seen sensational reviews for this but sadly it didn't work for me. It felt long and drawn out and really dragged

This is a story with more grit than route 66. An absolute mountain of different characters, all with flaws, personal demons and if their last name is McAlpine, rotten to their very core.

It was hard to go back to normal life after reading a few chapters of this as I was so taken with finding out whodunnit, and disgusted by the acts of some people and rooting for the good guys to get a move on and sort everyone out that I was very distracted indeed.

Karin Slaughter has been a fave for a while, devouring most of Sara's books and a couple of Will's. This is on a bit from those earlier titles and I see that I'll have to catch up on all of those prior to this one.

All in all, a solid read with more twists and turns than a carousel riding on a rollercoaster.

Thanks to Netgalley and the author and publisher for a chance to read the book. All opinions are my own.
This review has been added to Storygraph and Goodreads already and will be added to Amazon this week.

"You've got a limited number of suspects trapped in a remote location. That's some Scooby Doo shit."

GBI investigator Will Trent is on his honeymoon with his new wife Sarah at a remote family-owned mountain retreat in Georgia, when Will finds the property manager Mercy McAlpine stabbed multiple times, and taking her last breaths. With a storm cutting off the property from the road and the only way up or down being a long hike, it's clear to Will that someone on the mountain was responsible. The question is: was it someone in her awful family or one of the guests?

As Will and Sarah begin to tease apart what could have happened, they realise everyone on the mountain has a secret and has been lying. Why did one of the guests check-in under a false name? Why did Mercy's family protect her abusive ex-husband? Why was Mercy so dead set against selling the lodge for profit? The more they dig, the fewer answers Will and Sarah find.

This is my first Will Trent thriller and I'm sorry I didn't start at the beginning of the series, not because this can't be read as a standalone (it can) but because I wish I could have seen the two main characters develop. Will's stubbornness makes him a frustrating character because it gives him myopia when it comes to the investigation, but Sarah balances him out.

My heart broke for Mercy and everything she'd been put through in her life. Just when you think it couldn't get worse for her, it does. The author puts this character through A LOT!

This is a great whodunit/locked-room mystery, with an interesting cast and a fast-paced plot that will keep you guessing. I didn't figure out who the killer was until it was revealed which, to me, is the mark of a good thriller.

However, be warned: the subject matter is very dark and involves both sexu@l @ssault and domestic vi0lence so check trigger warnings.

I used to love Karen Slaughter when the Dara wa with Jeffrey Toliver but obviously the author has moved on and I’m the stick in the mud who can’t. So for this gory thriller I found too many red herrings and a fairly obvious who done it unless I was just lucky in my early guess.

I am so emotionally invested in Sara, Will and Faith at this point that I would probably read about their grocery shopping and be content. That aside, this was still a kickass installment in the series. Agatha gone much, much darker. I fell for all of the red herrings, it’s true. It all clicked for me the same time that it clicked for Will. The family in this book is so disturbing and complex, it was fascinating. I couldn’t stop reading.

I loved the map inclusion and the setting as a whole. It really fit the storyline perfectly.

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins publishers for an #ARC of #ThisIsWhyWeLied.

Trigger warning for DV and SA.
This is my first book to read in the Will Trent series, so I was going in without character backstories. This didn't really matter as the necessary was filled in for the reader as required. I found the book slightly dragged, and the chapters very long. However as a whodunit mystery as a whole, it was excellent. The author kept me guessing until the very last minute. Only marked down on the length and the excessive descriptions of directions at the lodge, I couldn't follow it to be honest.

I love this series featuring Will Trent and Sara Linton .
The way the Author tackles the issue of dyslexia is so sensitive ,
highlighting the emotional baggage that can accrue ,and the many
remedies at hand to aid the affected person manage everyday life - well done

Will and Sarah have finally married and Will has chosen an out of the way
mountain retreat as the honeymoon destination .
The retreat is owned and managed by Mercy and her family , who within twenty four hours of
their arrival is found dead - murdered .!
As they investigate all manner of lies , secrets and childhood cruelty and abuse comes to the fore
.......... where will it lead them before they discover the identity of the killer ?

This is yet the latest book in this series and it does not disappoint .
The pace is fast , full of twists and turns , a real page turner . However I did find
all the emotional introspection by Will threw me a little - I had thought that
he had become able to put his past childhood traumas and abusive first marriage in the past
That being said it is probably more true to real life than a story that shows instant healing .
I look forward to reading more from the Author - whichever series she writes next

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

#ThisIsWhyWeLied #NetGalley
Her best.
One toxic family. Eight suspicious guests. Everyone is guilty. But who is a killer?For GBI investigator Will Trent and medical examiner Sara Linton, McAlpine Lodge seems like the ideal getaway to celebrate their honeymoon. Set on a gorgeous, off-the-grid mountaintop property, it’s the perfect place to unplug and reconnect. Until a bone-chilling scream cuts through the night. Mercy McAlpine, the manager of the Lodge, is dead. With a vicious storm raging and the one access road to the property washed out, the murderer must be someone on the mountain. But as Will and Sara investigate the McAlpine family and the other guests, they realize that everyone here is lying….Lying about their past. Lying to their family. Lying to themselves. Who killed Mercy McAlpine?It soon becomes clear that normal rules don’t apply at McAlpine Lodge, and Will and Sara are going to have to watch their step at every turn. Trapped on the resort, they must untangle a decades-old web of secrets to discover what happened to Mercy. And with the killer poised to strike again, the trip of a lifetime becomes a race against the clock.
Karin Slaughter is getting better with Will Trent. I love this series.
Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK Harper Fiction for giving me an advance copy.

Loved, loved, loved this book. Will and Sara are on honeymoon at a remote camp. What should be a perfect time soon turns into a nightmare when one of the owners is murdered, dying in Will's arms and the main suspect is someone from Will's past. As we are transported back in time to revisit the hours leading up to Mercy's murder, we also find out more about the demons from Will's past. As ever, Karin Slaughter kept me up very late as I couldn't bear to put the book down. Needless to say, I had to read this in two sittings!

A 'locked room' murder mystery full of gore and troubling themes that Karin Slaughter is apparently well known for including in her work. Georgia Bureau of Investigation workers, Will and Sara, are on their honeymoon at a hike-in, hike-out lodge in Atlanta. On their first night they find Mercy, lodge manager, brutally murdered. The suspects include the others guests, the lodge workers, and the owners - who also happen to be Mercy's family.

I somehow completely missed that this book is part of a series! Book 12, no less. It makes so much sense now looking back! But it's important to mention that you definitely do not need to have read the others to enjoy this. The backstory was easy to follow - though I did wonder why so much focus was given to Will's relationships with his colleagues.

Overall I enjoyed the novel. It had lots of interesting threads to follow and it featured a diverse range of complex, realistic, characters. There are some heartbreaking elements and a heck of a lot of traumatic, disturbing content. Trigger warnings include abuse, violence, sexual assault, sexual abuse, incest, and substance abuse.

Unfortunately, I guessed the ending at the beginning so I found it a little lacklustre. I also found that there was a bit of repetition, particularly when focusing on the landscape, that could have been cut. Disturbing content doesn't generally turn me off a book, but I found here there was little resolution in relation to the darkest moments, and that DID turn me off.

It's a good read and I would recommend it to those who enjoy gritty, dark, murder mysteries. If I come across another in the series, I would be happy to give it a go.

There are typos on pages 39 (hik7ers), 97 (forgenocide), 98 (your), 373 (Pippa pig).

💭 ᴍʏ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛꜱ:
WHAT A RIDE. I was instantly hooked. It takes hold of your life for a bit. At every chapter my suspicions were turned. Nothing was what it seemed. It was disturbing, thrilling and a hard to guess mystery. I loved the connection of Wil with Sara, it gave a more humanistic view to the story. That not only evil exists. If I had the time I would have easily binged this in one day, it kept pulling me back to the story.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🤓 ʀᴇᴀᴅ ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ʟɪᴋᴇ:
Multiple POVs
Continued suspense
Edge of the seat thriller
Secluded environment
Quick read

❌ ᴛʀɪɢɢᴇʀ ᴡᴀʀɴɪɴtɢ:
Sexual assault
Domestic abuse
Incest

ꜱʏɴᴏᴘꜱɪꜱ:
𝘞𝘦𝘭𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘤𝘈𝘭𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘓𝘰𝘥𝘨𝘦: 𝘢 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺, 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘭𝘶𝘹𝘶𝘳𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘌𝘹𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘓𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘵. 𝘓𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺. 𝘓𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴.

𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵, 𝘔𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘺 𝘔𝘤𝘈𝘭𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘦 – 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘥𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘳 – 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺'𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘴. 𝘑𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳, 𝘔𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘥. 𝘐𝘯 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘢 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘦, 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘮𝘶𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘞𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘛𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘚𝘢𝘳𝘢 𝘓𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰𝘯 – 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘨𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘦𝘹𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘉𝘐 – 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘺𝘮𝘰𝘰𝘯. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘸, 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘢 𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘬…

This latest instalment to the popular Will Trent series doesn’t disappoint. Great characters, old and new, intriguing plot and plenty of action.

This Is Why We Lied is the twelfth book in the Will Trent police procedural series by Karin Slaughter and although it can be read as a stand alone I recommend reading reading the previous books for the back story.
Will and Sarah have finally got married and Will has booked an amazing mountain top retreat for their honeymoon. After hearing a scream they find the owners daughter dying from multiple stab wounds.....
This is another brilliant addition to this series and like the previous books it is very well written with a richly developed plot and characters.
Highly recommend!