(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)

Sisters. Strangers. Survivors.
More than twenty years ago, Claire and Lydia's teenaged sister Julia vanished without a trace. The two women have not spoken since, and now their lives could not be more different. Claire is the glamorous trophy wife of an Atlanta millionaire. Lydia, a single mother, dates an ex-con and struggles to make ends meet. But neither has recovered from the horror and heartbreak of their shared loss—a devastating wound that's cruelly ripped open when Claire's husband is killed.
The disappearance of a teenage girl and the murder of a middle-aged man, almost a quarter-century apart: what could connect them? Forming a wary truce, the surviving sisters look to the past to find the truth, unearthing the secrets that destroyed their family all those years ago . . . and uncovering the possibility of redemption, and revenge, where they least expect it.

After reading Cop Town not that long ago, I was intrigued by the thought of another stand-alone novel by Karin Slaughter. And this was a better book than Cop Town, all across the board.

What makes this book better? A number of things to be honest:

1) The characters. Claire and Lydia are excellent characters and pretty much the main reason this book got 4 stars. I just took to their story so easily that I found myself becoming emotionally attached. And that is pretty hard to do with me. I read a lot of books, a few at a time, and characters rarely grabbed me the way these two did.

2) The mystery: I felt this drew me in quicker, and with more suspense, than anything Slaughter has previously done. The connection between the two events, separated by 25 years, could have been either a stretch, or just eye-roll worthy - but, no, this one had a great hook and was well-worth the wait for the reveal.

Not much more you could possibly want, right? Great characters and a mystery that hooks you in. Well, the other thing I do like is excellent pacing and this book failed just a bit for me. Felt a bit too much up and down with its plot...but that really is a pretty small complaint, really.

A strong, standalone novel that should be read. Give it a go!


Paul
ARH

I finally read my first Karin Slaughter book, and I’m so glad I did! I debated on this book many times. I was honestly scared to read it – I had heard it was pretty sick and twisted. And that is all true, but it was worth reading. My only gripe was the length. I felt like many things were drawn out too much and weren’t necessary to the story. Besides that, this book is excellent, and I will definitely read more by this author in the future.