I’ve read a few Karen Slaughter books almost 10 years ago and enjoyed them but with all the books on my TBR, she fell off my radar. After attending Slaughterfest in June I was keen to pick up her latest book in the Will Trent series (Number12), This is Why We Lied and thoroughly enjoyed it!

Special Agent Will Trent has just married medical examiner Sara Linton and they travel to the remote, off grid McAlpine Lodge for their honeymoon. Within hours of their arrival, Mercy McAlpine, the manager of the lodge is dead. Sara had spoken to her only hours before after an altercation with her son John, and Mercy said that all her family hated her and wanted her dead. Both her husband and dad are abusive and her mum is disappointed in her. Mercy knows a secret about her brother and her brother’s best friend has been spurned by her on more than one occasion. The family have decided it is time to sell the lodge, and Mercy is against the sale and this is what causes her son to yell at her.

Will find Mercy dying of multiple stab wounds but is surprised by her families reaction when he tells them of her death. Will and Sara soon start to uncover the secrets and lies of the McAlpine family but they are not the only suspects, some of the guests are also behaving suspiciously.

I listened to the audio book of This is Why We Lied on Netgalley and it was a brilliant book. It didn’t really matter that I hadn’t read all the proceeding books as the book works well as a standalone. With a bunch of thoroughly dislikeable characters, I really enjoyed the investigation and the secrets that unravelled - I was genuinely shocked as to what some of the characters got up to!

A fast paced crime thriller, I urge you to give this one a go. One of the best thrillers I have read this year and it has ignited my desire to go back and start at the beginning of the series!

**Listened to the audio book and read along with electronic written copy**

I have read a lot of Karin Slaughter's books and usually I am gripped from start to finish. Unfortunately I was left super disappointed by this one.
The plot itself was soooo slow, and I resented having to go back and read this book each sitting. I appreciate that this book is within a series, but I would have thought that because of that it would have made the pacing of this book so much quicker.
I found that the plot twists and the ending didn't make up for the slow pacing either.

I really did not enjoy the audiobook narrator either. They were just so whiney and screechy!

If you have read all of the books within the Will trent series, maybe you would like this book - maybe that's why i wasn't so keen.

if you are new to Karin Slaughter I wouldn't start with this book - soooo many better books by Slaughter!

This is one of those books that I just want to say - READ IT - you can thank me later 😉

Karin Slaughter is a total auto read author for me. Over the past twelve months @picco and I have made our way through the Will Trent and Grant County series and have loved every moment of them all - I actually cried at the end of Skin Privilege.

📕 “Who killed Mercy McAlpine? The next thrilling suspense featuring Will Trent and Sara Linton from Karin Slaughter, no.1 bestselling author of Pieces of Her and After That Night

Everyone here is a liar, but only one of us is a killer…"

This Is Why We Lied is book 12 in the Will Trent series - while it can be read as a standalone, you’ll want to go back and read the earlier books not only to get the backstory of Sara and Will, but it’s one of the best series you’ll read.

Expect Slaughter’s trademark twists, and intensity. A cleverly plotted and brilliant crime procedural with a shocking Flowers in the Attic-esque (but more unhinged) crazy family. Despicable characters, toxic family dynamics, domestic violence, while at the epicentre are my favourite characters Sara Linton and Will Trent - loved that Amanda and Faith made an appearance too.

I have nothing but the highest praise for this latest instalment … my only disappointment being that I have to wait for book 13!

Thanks also to @harpercollinsuk @netgalley for the ALC 🎧 Narrated by Kathleen Early, it was pitch perfect! Loved it! 🥰 Both book and audiobook out now.

This was my first Will Trent novel and I think it has intrigued me enough to start from the beginning.

I enjoyed Slaughter's style of writing, it flowed really well - I was surprised by some of the profanity though, I guess I am showing my age.

The story was good and the characters were likeable. The twists were constant towards the end and it got a little tricky to keep up with. It also got a bit dark. But it was my first thriller for a long time and I did enjoy it.

My only criticism really was the amount of dialogue. Sometimes this was constant and it got a little tedious as an Audiobook to listen to 'he said, she said' every other word. I also found some of the writing long-winded. I think the description of a lighter got a whole paragraph at one point! I think the book could have been a lot shorter if some of the waffle was taken out - it was a 16 hour listen.

I think I will check out the others in the series. Thanks to NetGalley for my copy.

Will and Sarah are on their honeymoon. Will had spent a fortune on an outdoorsy retreat at the camp he never got to go to as a child. It's a 2h hike from the road to the retreat or you need a UTV. On their first night, there are screams and a gruesome death. Whilst you may figure out whodunnit, it's unlikely you'll figure out why.

Before I start the review, I just need to say, WOW!

This is Why We Lied is the latest in the long running Will Trent and Sara Linton series. I know the characters, having read some of the series, but I am not fully up to date with it. This didn’t matter in the slightest, this book works wonderfully well as a gripping, dark standalone.

The McAlpine family have proudly run their lodge for 7 generations. They are a ‘close’ family, but the tensions within this unusual family dynamic run deep.
Will and Sara are on their honeymoon, yes, they’ve got married. They are staying at an idyllic, secluded, luxury cabin, set in thousands of acres of trees. It sounds blissful, a perfect setting for them to unwind from their stressful careers, and start their married life. Until late at night, they hear a scream, followed by a harrowing plea for help.

I listened to the audio book, narrated exceptionally well by Kathleen Early. She is a new narrator to me, but I will definitely look out for her in the future.

The characters are so well crafted and portrayed, that some made my skin itch, others increased my blood pressure to an unhealthy level, while a few I wanted to scoop up and protect from the world. The narrator’s performance heightened all of these emotions. The pitching of Bitty’s voice is perfect, it invoked in me, the same feelings that Faith had. It felt like nails running down a blackboard.

This is Why We Lied is compulsive, gripping and very intense. It is a story of long held secrets, guilt for some, and judgement by others; of small town gossip tainting lives, of never being able to escape once the die is cast.

I have to give a specific mention to the conclusion of the book, obviously without giving away any spoilers. The denouement is so horrifying and shocking. The use of the dual timeline, allows us to see the events, and feel the intensity of the emotions, alongside poor Mercy. The narration of this section is outstanding, massively heightening everything.
For me, This is Why We Lied, is a 5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️➕ read/listen, her best book; a must read for thriller lovers.

One of the best locked-room mystery/thrillers I’ve read in a long time. Karin Slaughter absolutely nails this genre in a hard-to-put-down, pacey thriller set at a lodge retreat in Nowheresville, USA.
There no shortage of suspects, or felonies for that matter, and plenty of characters who you’d just love to see behind bars. This is one of those uncomfortable stories with a plot line that will make your skin crawl and your stomach churn, so check the trigger warnings before you pick this one up as you’ll need a strong stomach - it’s a long list, but none of it felt gratuitous.
Will and Sara are on their honeymoon (I’d definitely want a refund!) and everything happens in the space of 24 hours. It’s an impressive piece of writing.
Slaughter will keep you guessing, and just when you think you have an idea about who killed Mercy McAlpine, there’s another twist (or another body), and bang goes your theory.
Ruddy brilliant.
Five big ones for Karin Slaughter and a big thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK audio for the chance to listen to an ARC, which was expertly narrated by Kathleen Early.
This is Why We Lied is out now.

I enjoyed listening to this book, the characters were very complex and intertwined, but it was quite a long thriller and did feel a bit long in places. I loved how it came together in the end, I didn't guess this ending!

This is Why We Lied by Karin Slaughter
(Narrated by Kathleen Early)

Here’s another successful thriller by Karin Slaughter. The books by Karin never go wrong. What a gripping story.

I love the complex relationship of the characters. Their secrets and here we go another locked and isolated murder case to solve. These all make the story works. I love how the author telling us bit by bit of the thriller, it’s enough for you to be hooked and kept listening to one more chapter.

It’s a relatively long thriller, about 18 hours. But it’s never dull or dragging.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for my copy.

Pub date: Jun 20, 2024

Karin Slaughter writes excellent multi-layered novels, filled with more than just the 'usual suspects' and sprinkled with just the right amount of protagonists problems thrown in to make sure you keep turning pages. She also guarantees to keep you on your toes with regard to the conclusion, because it's never quite what you expect.

Also, this might be book 12 of the Will Trent series, but it works well as a standalone and you don't need to have read any of the previous novels to enjoy it.

I know I’m super late to the party with Karin Slaughter books, this is only the second one of hers av read/listened too. I’m defo on the band wagon now tho and gona go thru her back catalogue because am weird like that lol. A real fancy pants of a book, a chonky audio I found, I liked the narrator and found then a great match for the book but needed to listen to them slower than I normally do, my Brian- about their fault! The story and plot was super catch and enthralling, I smashed in in 4 listened and usually it takes me a good week to get through an audio. Really enjoyed it and have recommended it to my book club girlies (even tho they have already read plenty of Slaughter books)

I just love the way that Karin Slaughter writes, so dark and unsettling and full of interesting and complex characters. This was a locked room murder mystery of sorts and I loved it. I will definitely be reading more Karin Slaughter books!

This book is a fun whodunit with a couple on their honeymoon. A dead body throws their vacation plans out the window. The police need to figure out who did it from a group of suspicious characters. There are family secrets, lies, and danger. I couldn't guess the killer! The book is good with lots of twists and turns. You might also like the characters and their relationships.

Always enjoy the will Trent series & this book was no exception. Fast paced, good characters & plot. Just brilliant would recommend this whole series to anyone.

This Is Why We Lied is the twelfth book in the Will Trent Series by best-selling American author, Karin Slaughter. The audio version is perfectly narrated by Kathleen Early. Atlanta medical examiner Sara Linton organised their wedding. GBI investigator Will Trent is taking care of the honeymoon and, to his surprise and Sara’s delight, has got it exactly right: a luxury cabin at a family-run, off-the-grid mountain lodge that offers hiking, biking, fishing, canoeing, gourmet meals and sunrise yoga. If only their first night swim hadn’t been interrupted by a blood-curdling scream and the discovery of a stabbing victim, dying even as Will tries to give aid.

Mercy McAlpine, currently managing the resort, has been stabbed multiple times and left on the lake shore. Neither Will nor Sara can stand by and do nothing.

It turns out that, hours earlier, Mercy reacted very badly to the plans her father has for the resort: threats flew back and forth, and quite a few of those present at the family meeting would have a strong motive for killing her. And something Mercy has not shared with anyone else, but one of the guests also might have a serious issue with her.

When a wild storm cuts off road access, Will sends an SOS to his GBI boss, and Faith Mitchell has a locked-room situation she’s always wondered how she might handle. An added wrinkle is that one of the McAlpine family turns out to be the fellow inmate at the children’s home who made Will’s life hell. Dave McAlpine, first adopted then married into the family, and now Mercy’s ex, is known to have often been violent with her, and the prime suspect in Will’s book.

Would that it was quite so cut and dried. People grieve differently, but even for such a dysfunctional group of nasty people, Mercy’s family are behaving very strangely, and when Will and Sara reveal they are not a mechanic and a high school chemistry teacher, the reactions of both hosts and guests are not exactly benign. Of course, they aren’t the only ones who have lied about who they are, or what they do.

My oh my, pre-book a chiropractic appointment before you start this one: there are so many twists, turns, red herrings and surprises, you’ll need it. Before the final, shocking reveals, suspicions of murder land on quite a number of people; Will barely escapes a burning building and going over a waterfall; Faith has an unwanted equine experience; another person dies; to their detriment, people do a lot of drinking; and Will and Sara end up with a honeymoon dinner party story to beat all.

The narrative is carried mainly by Will, Sara, Faith and Mercy, with some back story provided by Mercy’s unsent letters to her son. Faith’s inner monologue offers light relief, as does any dialogue with Amanda and, in fact, any scene that features Faith seems to border on slapstick. Karin Slaughter never disappoints.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Harper Collins UK.

I really enjoyed this audiobook - the narrator was of the right tone and pace, and kept me interested.
I haven't read many by this author and I knew this was number 12 in the series, but it didn't matter, and once I pieces some personal stories of Will together, the rest didn't matter.
Could be read as a standalone.
It kept me guessing and kept my interest.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is the 12 book of the will Trent series and I must admit I have only read or listened to the last 5 of this series and always enjoy the will and Sarah plot. The narration was very well done and I was definitely intrigued by the plot I did find it a bit long but not enjoyable at the same time. A solid 4 star read me and looking forward to the next one already.
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for this audio arc.

This is book 12 in the Will Trent book series. Karin Slaughter knows how to write a well developed twisty thriller that never lets up and keeps firing the surprises at you that your head is in a complete spin. Omg the McAlpines are a family full of many a dark secret with most members being truly detestable. Will Trent, Sara Linton, Faith and Amanda are as loveable as always and it’s just like coming home to old friends. There is a lot going on within this storyline so you need to keep your wits about you and your detective skills need to be on point. I honestly couldn’t stop listening and even though it’s a lengthy listen it didn’t feel like that. It’s a fast pace listen and the narration was very engaging. Add it to your TBR pile.

Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins UK Audio for the opportunity to read and review #ThisIsWhyWeLied

4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️


✨ domestic violence
✨ everyone is a suspect
✨detective work




✨ the story was focused on the secluded cabin and they found someone got murdered . The cabin owners daughter. She suffered a lot from being abused,rape and murder. There some trigger points here so be aware .
Everyone who’s on that retreat is the suspect. The back and forth of investigation which is quite thrilling.
I got to be honest this story was a missed for me.

✨ firstly, yes there’s is a lot of suspects . Who is it gonna be? But I get so confused with the mixed of characters and not clear .
It should’ve been a good read but it was so draggy and long.


Thankyou @harpercollinsuk for the arc copy of this book for a honest review.



🫶🏼shaye.reads

Karin Slaughter has delivered another addictive, shocking, thrilling, and riveting addition to the Will Trent series. She kills it time and time again with this wonderful and gripping series! Will and Sara are beginning their honeymoon at McAlpine Lodge, a mountain getaway. It’s a beautiful and relaxing setting until a body is found. Naturally they jump into gear trying to secure the scene, keep everyone separate, and try to determine whodunit. They will need to sift through all the secrets and lies to find their footing on this murder mystery.

The victim is Mercy, the daughter of the owners who is known in town as a troubled person stemming from things in her past. She is the fodder for all their gossip. Everyone at the lodge is a suspect. Everyone appears to have something to hide, especially Mercy’s toxic family.

As the investigation goes into high gear, the tension mounts as does the danger level at the camp. When another person dies, the stakes become even higher. People are lying left and right but who amongst them is a killer? I put on my super sleuthing hat and tried my best to do my own detective work, but never guessed whodunit! I love when that happens.

Faith and Amanda arrive on the scene and throw themselves into the investigation as well. I love their personalities, and their interactions with each other, including Will and Sara. They really are a family. Speaking of relationships, I continue to adore Will and Sara together. They continue to compliment each other and make each other stronger.

Karin Slaughter did a fantastic job of making everyone a suspect in this book. I found this book to be well thought out. Slaughter knows how to depict unlikeable and despicable characters. This book has many things going on and touches on many issues such as addiction, domestic violence, toxic relationships, and control to name just a few.

*I listened to the audiobook and thought the narration was fantastic! Very well done.

Wonderfully written, perfectly paced, well thought out, gripping and tense!

Highly recommend!