Amazing ! Love reading books by Karin Slaughter, you always know it will be a great book ! And you will not be disappointed ! this is a stand alone book, about two very different sisters, you get into the characters very early on,, didn’t want to put it down!

Sisters Leigh and Callie have a secret in their past, something awful. Fast forward to the present day, when Leigh is a successful lawyer. She has to take on a client who has committed multiple rapes, but discovers that he was a witness to what Leigh and Callie did all those years ago. He then manipulates them to try and get away with his crimes.

This was a brilliant book with an excellent plot, but definitely not for the faint-hearted!

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction, for an advance reader copy in return for an honest review.

A new standalone from Karin Slaughter. Leigh Collier is a defence lawyer and brought in to represent a rape defendant at the last minute. She soon realises she knows this defendant and is worried a deep dark secret from over 20 years ago is going to unravel her world. Leigh has tried so hard to step aside from her abusive, dysfunctional childhood and is now a successful lawyer with daughter and technically, still a husband.
Leigh enlists her estranged junkie sister, Callie when she realises the defendant knows what they did all those years ago and is seeking revenge.
True to form, a gripping thriller from Karin Slaughter with some hard hitting characters.

I love Karin Slaughter and have read all her books, I love the Will Trent series and he will always be my favourite Character but her stand alones are always amazing too, The Good Daughter is one of my all time favourite books. This one did not disappoint, while the subjects of child abuse, drug addiction and torture are hard to read you find yourself having to read to find out what happens to Leigh and Callie, you become so invested in the sisters and their relationship and you will them to come through it all, I love Karens gritty writing style, she has touched on so many social issues throughout her stand alone books and this is the first book Iv read which touched on Covid while not being “all” about it, it didn’t overpower the story, Karin will always be an author I wait with baited breath for her next book so here’s to the next one
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the privilege of reading this early proof!

I haven't read Karin Slaughter in ages and I forgot how good the writing is. Very well developed. I really enjoyed how she built in the last year into the story line but as an adjunct and not a main player.

I got really engrossed in the story and needed to know how it ended.

There was great character development and the plot although simple to follow was well developed with some twists in there which I was not expecting.

I was given an advance copy by netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely my own.

I can't say I enjoyed this brilliant book as enjoyment signifies taking pleasure in something. However I can say I was totally hooked from the first sentence to the last. Karin exhibits such a depth of knowledge of both child sexual abuse, rape and addiction that I can only imagine the depth of research she did into these dark subjects. The pain and horror engendered by the distressing subject matter was mitigated in part by the characters of the loving Dr Jerry, the loyal Walter, the sisterly bond between Calli and Leigh plus the delightful depictions of animals. I literally wanted to shower and surround myself with puppies in order to banish the images burnt on my brain, so powerful is Slaughter's prose. The setting of the story amidst the pandemic added another layer of oppression and seemed quite symbolic. I can highly recommend this book albeit with a warning that it will make you want to cry, shout, scream!

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book.

I really liked the relationship between Leigh and Callie and how current events were incorporated into this book.

First of all would like to say thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have read quite a few of Karin Slaughter’s stand alone books and was exited to see what new story was about to unfold. This book deals with two sisters both of which have to overcome a dark history in there past to move forward with there lives. One became a lawyer whilst the other still struggled facing her demons (trigger warning to anyone that this involves drug abuse). Somebody from the past comes back to haunt them and use his knowledge of previous events to manipulate the sisters into helping him get away with a series of violent rapes.

I don’t want to say too much about the plot as I think everyone should be able to experience this book without having anything spoilt for them. The only downside to this book was that it was quite slow to get into and wasn’t till I was about halfway through that it started to pick up and I couldn’t stop reading until I had finished! Another negative was that the book was based during the COVID 19 pandemic we are currently in and I was sick of reading about masks by the end, I understand the reason why she included it as it is such a big part of our lives but for me I want to read a book to escape from what is going on in the world and not be reminded of it. I didn’t expect the ending of this book at all but I liked that it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows for the characters because life isn’t like that. The bond between the two sisters was so well written and especially the ending made me want to go hug my sister and tell her how much I love her.

Overall this book was a good read but there are some strong trigger warning that should also be added with this book as details of sexual abuse, drug abuse and addiction, rape are all key parts of this book and will be uncomfortable for some to read.

Karin Slaughter is one of my top authors, so I was thrilled when I got a copy of her latest stand alone novel, ‘False Witness’, to review.
In short, it’s a hard hitting story about two damaged sisters who had survived their horrific past when some 20+ years later a ‘trigger’ will resurrect their shocking secret, forcing them to outwit the dangerous game they now find themselves in.
In typical Karin’s style it’s another rich in character, fast paced ride involving a lot of violent and disturbing acts, however, Karin expertly manages to throw in moments of humour and sensitivity too and that’s why she is the Queen of thriller writing.
It was interesting to read why Karin chose to include current day issues which is a first for her and she explains why it was important for her to do so.
Unsurprisingly I loved ‘False Witness’ but it’s definitely not for the feint hearted.
Big thanks to Karin Slaughter, HarperCollins and NetGalley for this eARC which I chose to read in return for my honest review.

Karin Slaughter knows how to write the perfect twisted page turner. I loved the complex relationship between the sisters that are so similar and different. Although, Dr. Jerry was my favorite character in the book and I just wanted to squeeze him.

It was also the first book that I’ve read with covid included in the story line. It wasn’t distracting, but I think will be interesting to look back on.

Karin Slaughter is one of my all time favourite authors and I really enjoyed reading this stand alone novel.

We follow sisters Leigh and Callie from back in the day when they were groomed by a horrible man. Then one night something happens to one of the young girls and it ultimately ends up in murder. The sisters have a deep dark secret and the story flashes back to the past and based also in the present.

The book does take place during these weird times of covid and I did feel like the use of the pandemic was used excessively throughout the novel but its not really off putting when reading.

The story is dark and covers subject matters that some people may not like but the overall story is a really good plot and worth a read.

Thanks for an advanced copy of this book for my honest opinions.

📚 Book Review 📚
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I’ve been reading and loving Karen Slaughter for years and this stand alone novel is no different to the other brilliant books she’s written. An unbelievably tense, severe page turner that took into account the pandemic we have all been living through alongside the twists and turns of the complex characters and their issues.
A must read for crime/ thriller fans
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I haven’t read many of Karin’s books but this is the book that encouraged me to seek others out. Sisters Leigh and Callie did something terrible two decades ago – and they’ve paid for it every day since. Going in separate directions, rarely meeting up, their lives tarnished by the role each played in ensuing a violent end, their past is set to come back in a big way thanks to Leigh’s work. Now a successful lawyer, though with an estranged husband and daughter, she’s forced to take on a new client. Which is bad enough, until she realises who the client is and what they could contribute to That Night all those years before. And quite clearly, the client is willing to hold everything against Leigh and Callie if he doesn’t get his own way.. This handles so much ‘big’ themes beautifully, and doesn’t sensationalise or over dramatize. The dialogue feels real and the sisters’ relationship feels authentic, a true sign of Karin’s talent to craft a puzzling, detailed story.

This is a dark story. Karin Slaughter has never shied away from the depths of the adversity her characters face. Child abuse, adult survivors of rape, people in positions of power who abuse that power to extreme extents. These are all fairly common themes in her books. But, False Witness feels even darker.

Callie and Leigh are sisters. On the surface they are very different people. Callie is a drug addict, at her best when working part-time at a vet surgery where she steals maintenance level of drugs and sells them locally. Leigh is a lawyer at a prestigious firm, while she’s separated from her husband she loves him and their daughter dearly.

But, they have a huge secret in common. A secret that someone else knows, and could tear their lives apart if he shares it.

As always it is the strength of Karin Slaughter’s characters that this book finds it’s hook. The desperation and determination shared by Callie and Leigh had me rooting for these characters despite their bad decisions.

Yet there was also a big distraction - Covid and the pandemic loomed large over these pages and it really put me off. At one point it felt like every second page was referring to face masks or hand sanitiser. And, every time they were mentioned it pulled me right out of the story. In a note at the end of the book the author explains why she felt the need to make the pandemic part of the setting, but I really wish she hadn’t. Hand washing, face masks and physical distancing should be left in the real world, reading is how I get away from that.

A good story, but would have been better without so many Covid references.

I have been reading Karin Slaugher's books for over a decade now, and have been a huge fan since the very start.
False Witness is one hell of a book, it covers some very difficult topics, but has been written with sensitivity and not over exploited them, just for the sake of it; i.e. sexual/drug abuse.
It's fast paced, clever and possibly the most intense book I've read in a long time. If I could give it 100 stars, I would, it really is that good!!

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC. Karin you have done it again your books just get better and better. Different to your other series but just as good Cant wait to read more

False Witness, Karin Slaughter 5/5

Leigh has worked hard to build her life. She is a DA, she has a daughter doing well at school and even her divorce is going well... but Leigh is hiding a devastating past and a case is about to land on her desk that will blow open a secret she has kept for 20 years.

The Queen of thrillers has returned with another brilliant page turner. False Witness brings us Leigh and Callie, sisters, two strong complex leads who Slaughter develops beautifully as the novel unfolds. You pull for both sisters to succeed. Slaughter also continues to tackle social issues in her novels with her usual care nuance. Slaughter who often deals with violence against women really understands exactly how to write about it, she knows how women are affected, how women react. It is never gratuitous. Slaughter is always one of the smartest thrill writers out there and False Witness is proof of that, this one is difficult to put down and the final pages left me with a tear. Shes written countless novels but Slaughter never loses the dark, smart plots, characters and turns that keep readers picking up.

I have just finished False Witness and... wow! Karin Slaughter is yet to write a book that I haven't enjoyed.

If you're a fan of the Will Trent and Grant County series, imo False Witness had a really different feel, but was equally as enjoyable.

We follow the lives of two sisters, Harleigh and Calliope, as events unfold during their adult lives, coloured by the trauma both suffered during childhood. The story develops fairly slowly and is written from the perspective of each of the sisters. Calliope in particular was so witty and funny, I really felt that I cared about her throughout the book (and her Cat of course!).

I loved the way this book dealt with current social issues, such as the coronavirus, the "me too" movement, addiction and poverty.

With the coronavirus particularly, it didn't feel like this took away from the story at all, but it added a current feel to the writing, as if you could imagine the story happening in 2021. The references to the coronavirus, in terms of the characters wearing masks, didn't take away from the "thriller" feel at all, and I was still on edge wanting to know how the story would end (particularly during the last 100 pages or so!).

The way child sexual abuse is addressed was insightful and emotional, and I really felt for the characters in terms of the blame and guilt that they carried with them, throughout their lives. However, despite the deeply emotional undertones, Karin Slaughter still manages to make the reader smile (particularly with Calliope's witty comments!).

Thank you Karin Slaughter - please never stop writing!

Trigger warnings for rape, child sexual abuse, addiction and drug use.

A much anticipated Slaughter stand-alone that kept me well and truly hooked. Leigh is a sassy defence attorney who gets a request to represent a high profile client accused of rape. She's read about him in the paper and can't understand why he would request her, until she walks into the conference room for the first time and realises that she knows him very well. And he knows an awful lot about her.

Leigh and her sister Callie (endearingly short for Calliope but pronounced Callie-ope as their mother didn't understand how it was supposed to be pronounced) have been running from their past for a long time and are brilliant characters. Leigh is outwardly poised and powerful but incredibly vulnerable. Callie has coped with the assistance of opiates and a myriad of other drugs (CW: in addition to the usual Slaughter violence, there are graphic descriptions of intravenous drug use - I'm not squeamish but in the last chapter there was a scene that even made me grit my teeth!).

I am a huge fan of Slaughter's writing and really enjoyed this. I felt for the characters, particularly Callie, and adored her relationship with Dr Jerry. It wasn't quite as twisty and turny as some of her books are but there was a few solid surprises thrown in. It was more an exploration of what you would do to protect the people you love and the morality of decisions you make. It's also set in current time, so is full of references to masks, Covid-19 and the impact of that on the community/country.

All in all an excellent thriller - not my favourite of hers but a brilliant read that made me abandon all other reading plans!

I received an advanced copy of False Witness to review. It's a stand alone novel.

This is Karin Slaughter at her finest! Superbly written and set in 2021.

False Witness is about two sisters who had something horrific happen to them in their past. It comes back to haunt them 20+years later.

The speed in which False Witness progresses is phenomenal! The twists and turns had me guessing and turning the page. Not once did I feel lost or I'd missed something. Karin Slaughter knows how to carry a story with speed without losing a drop of plot.

The way Karin Slaughter writes had me transported! Whether it was to a nicotene and smoke stained room or a vet practice, I was there.

The characters are so well developed, you feel as if you know them personally. The relationship between the sisters is bittersweet and beautiful.

I read this in 5 hours. I could not put it down. There were scenes where I smiled and laughed, scenes where I exclaimed out loud and scenes where the tears flowed. For a book to do that, it's something special. Karin Slaughter knows what she's doing and she does it well!

False Witness is a must for any Karin Slaughter fan.