The prologue was so graphically violent I thought that I couldn't carry on. Not like warfare, this type of violence is the kind I cannot stomach. It seemed like a long time coming, but the prologue ended and the story proper began. Phew.

I am glad that I did continue with this book. I don't give up easily when it comes to reading, I'll have you know. This is the first book I have read that addresses the Covid-19 pandemic, complete with social distancing and face masks. All seems very normal and odd at the same time. The chapters start during the pandemic, obviously, and reflect on the actions of the prologue, which happened many years before. The Covid aspect was subtle and addressed well.

There is no getting away from the fact that this is a gruesome and disturbing book about severe drug addiction, rape, paedophilia, psychopaths and incredible violence. Oh yes, and murder. It reminds me of those American horror action films where death and extreme violence are normalised.

However, it is not all like that. There are some sensitive and heartwarming scenes and the (probably) only likable character is a quirky vet with the possible onset of dementia. The drug addiction aspects are explained in great detail alongside the psychological vulnerabilities of the abused women and the long term effects these have. It is the story of two sisters who suffer a horrifically abusive childhood and share a dangerous secret. When they grow up one becomes a lawyer and the other becomes a drug addict, but they go their separate ways. Until someone from that past turns up invoking the dark terror with a new added threat.

The parts that were most appealing to me that I read with great interest are the sections containing the legal procedure from the police interviews of suspects to the courtroom preparations. This is covered in great, fascinating depth. Slaughter is a very talented writer and this is a true thriller from start to finish. Her fans will love this book.

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False Witness is the new novel by one of my favorite authors, Karin Slaughter, set in an Atlanta right in the middle of the COVID pandemic. It is the story of two sisters with a secret that they have been keeping for twenty-five years. Neglected by their mother, Leigh and Callie have always counted on themselves and on each other. Twenty-five years ago, barely teenagers, they did something terrible that they have kept hidden until now when Leigh, a defence lawyer, is faced with a choice: defend a guilty man or risk that their secret comes to light and destroy their lives.

Even though the suspense of the story kept me on the edge of my seat, what I loved most about this story is the relationship – not always a healthy or functional – between the two sisters. Leigh and Callie have been protecting each other their whole lives. Forced to go to work when they were only eleven years old, their lives have never been easy. They took different paths – often self-destructives – but they were always there for each other when they needed it most.

I love Karin Slaughter. Her writing is addictive, her characters are flawed, very complex, and multi-layered, and her stories are gripping and intense. False Witness is not an easy or light read. It is dark, gritty, suspenseful, hard to read from the very beginning for its themes of abuse, addiction, and neglect, but it’s a story I couldn’t put it down until I reached that thrilling and incredible ending.

False Witness was more about the journey than the destination. It was predictable and the main 'twists' were easy to figure out. It's always nice to pick up Slaughter's books, but I much prefer the Grant County and Will Trent books over the standalones.

Thank you for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

(TW: rape, domestic abuse, drug misuse, addiction, violence, child abuse, death, sexual violence, paedophilia)

This was my first Karin Slaughter book and I was not disappointed! She writes in such a vivid way, that kept me at the edge of my seat and needing to read on. It was so well executed, the setting in a COVID stricken world was well established without it being the main focus of the story. The story felt a bit slow to get started, with long chapters, but quickly ramped up. The ending was unexpected and didn't feel rushed.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and have already bought the hardback. I would recommend this to any thriller fan, and will be trying out more of Karin Slaughter's books soon!

Another superb book from the amazingly talented Karin Slaughter, what is not to love? Brilliantly written, suspenseful and would absolutely recommend.

B.I.G. - Brilliant writing, Impressive standalone, Gruesome (at times).

We start off in 1998 in Atlanta where sisters Callie and Leigh both babysat Andrew Tennant when they were young and he was 5 years old. While Leigh (initially Harleigh) managed to avoid long-term abuse by Andrew’s father, Buddy, Callie did not. and she slipped into a menu and life of drugs. Ms Slaughter does not spare us graphic details of the effect of certain drugs on the human body.

Moving on, Leigh became an attorney and ends up defending a now wealthy Andrew who is accused of rape.

With a nod to the Dixie Chicks song 'Goodbye Earl', there are many twists and turns with Leigh and Callie having been involved in their removal of Andrew's father! No more spoilers from me as the book gathers pace towards a violent ending. Loved it!

Thanks to Net Galley and Harper Collins for the chance to read and review this book.

I love Karin Slaughter’s standalones so I was thrilled when I heard we were getting another one. From the opening chapter, False Witness is very dark and intense. I do like the way Slaughter can give such an explosive start to a book (a particular one that has always stuck with me is The Good Daughter, what a ride that first chapter was!). Sisters Leigh and Callie share a devastating secret and when someone from their past shows up and somehow knows what happened that night, they have to stop him. Another great book by Karin Slaughter. Not many twists and turns but it still kept me gripped.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an advanced reading copy of this ebook in exchange for my honest review.

I confess. I have never read any of Karin Slaughter’s other books despite being a thriller/suspense genre fan. I’m not sure why as I have heard lots of good things about her. I will definitely be reading more of her books in the future.

False Witness had me hooked from the start. The story had a bit of everything. Murder, rape, drug abuse, child abuse and neglect. At times the reading of these subjects makes me sad, however, that aside I did really love the book!

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review #FalseWitness

Karin Slaughter is one of my go-to authors, she always offers up an exciting, adrenaline-fuelled read.

This standalone novel starts in 1998 where you discover that Callie is a young girl being regularly assaulted by a violent paedophile. Callie has believed this ‘relationship’ to be a good one but one evening, after an argument and fearing for her life, she ends up killing her abuser. In shock, she calls her older sister, Leigh, who deals with the situation.

The book then forwards to present day. Callie is a heroin addict who has never healed from what happened to her. Leigh is a successful attorney who seems to spiral in a cycle of guilt and self-sabotage, is separated from her husband and living apart from her daughter.

Without giving away any spoilers, Leigh’s life is turned upside down when, having believed there were no witnesses to what she and her sister did, she finds herself being blackmailed by a wealthy sexual predator, rapist and psychopath who seems to know what happened all those years ago.

The book covers the difficult relationship between Leigh and Callie, leaves you on the edge of your seat with the tense atmosphere, stuns you with the finale. It brings a human face and story to drug abuse and is a good example of how adverse childhood experiences can impact on someone’s life.

I work in a library and Karin Slaughter is incredibly popular but I, for one, had never read anything by her. So I was looking forward to reading 'False Witness', especially as the blurb sold it so well. Alas, I gave up on it just before the halfway point. Feel bad for doing so but it simply didn't grab me. The writing is punchy yet, to me, to no real purpose because 40% in, the story seemed to have stalled. It felt as if we were on the precipice of something all the time but, whatever it was, it never came. And in the end, I got bored of waiting.

What if you thought you got away with it, but…

With the easing of lockdown, I could finally walk down the streets of Atlanta in good company. Depending on which sister I had next to me, I carried a knife or a leather briefcase.

In all honesty, I preferred the briefcase. It allowed for more organisation and rationality. But I had to admit that when walking certain streets, a knife would have been helpful.



Review

I can split the book in four level of excitement.

At the top comes the prologue. As I explain below, it’s a compressed can of surprises. I loved it.

Runner-up is the beginning. Things are moving fast, we get to know the main characters and the story gets complicated. The stakes rise and we can’t wait to see what will happen.

Third level is the ending. The unexpected change of behaviour of Walter and the actions of a reckless Callie keep the tension high until the very end.

Fourth, by a long distance, is the middle. Chapters centred around Callie are utterly boring and full of facts about drugs I did not need to know. I could have skipped whole pages without losing anything of the plot. Similarly, albeit to a lesser degree, are some lengthy scenes where Leigh assess the case from a legal point of view. Boring.

And then there is the question of the stakes. For the first half of the book, the stakes seem pretty high. We are talking either about death or prison.

Yet, thanks to Leigh’s wit, Andrew is put in a corner. It’s then that he threatens to put some evidence on the public domain.

To me, this was not enough. Notwithstanding how nasty the video could be, I did not think it was worth the life or the physical or mental health of other women. Not by a mile. And if Leigh had taken that stance, Andrew would not have risked his father’s reputation.

So yes, that left me with a bittersweet taste in my mouth.

But I looked beyond it. And once I did that, I enjoyed the book a lot.

Below, I focus on two elements of the novel by Karen Slaughter. First, I talk about the prologue, the chapter that hooked me in. Second, I present some thoughts on the setting.



The hook

Dodgy neighbourhood, dodgy family, a woman watches over a little kid who has not yet learnt to lie. The kid is so naïve and cute you want to squeeze his little cheeks and make silly noises.

The father, Buddy, comes back from work, and he wants to celebrate a productive day. He wants to have sex with her. And he wants it rough.

It’s then that a double surprise hits right in the face.

I won't spoil it here, but you can read more on learnwritingfiction.com.

The situation becomes a nasty one when an argument becomes something more serious. And things go south from that point on.

This is the incipit from which the entire novel takes its form. The actions of that evening will come back to haunt the 12-year-old girl and her older sister.



The setting

I don’t know if in the American readers’ minds Atlanta is a as well-defined as, say, Paris is for Europeans, but I struggled to see what surrounded the characters of this book.

Maybe it was the multi-faceted nature of the city that threw me off.

On the one hand, Leigh attends cosy and socially distant theatre performance at the local school. She works for a big law firm with an office in one of the high rises.

On the other hand, her sister Callie is mixed up with addicts, and lives with basically no support network.

I guess this, at least in part, reflects the inherent inequality of certain cities around the world (not only in the US).

Another interesting aspect of the setting is the contemporary events.

The Covid-19 pandemic is a persistent feature of the story. People wear masks when they meet each other, they wash their hands and keep six feet apart. Most of the times.

This is the first book I read where this happens, and I wonder how many more I will encounter in the future.

I am not sure I liked it. This is simply a personal preference, but I prefer a story set in ‘normal’ times. Maybe that’s because it allows me to hope that a ‘normal’ time can still exist.

I’m a big fan of Karen Slaughter and enjoyed her latest book, False Witness. The storyline is particularly gritty and initially I was disturbed about how horrendous the descriptions of child abuse and drug use are. However, the characters are so well created and developed that I began to empathise with them and became engrossed in their situation. Callie and Leigh are sisters who support and depend on each other. Despite their young age, they have scant experience of being looked after by their parents. Their father has gone and their mother is unable through mental illness and disinterest to be an adequate parent. They take different paths through life and come together in the book to face their past and resolve the tense and terrifying situation they find themselves in.

I recommend it to readers who like a well plotted thriller and don’t mind some very descriptive and disturbing themes.

Thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins for the opportunity to read this book.

Right this was an eye opener for me I have always heard people rave about Karin Slaughter and after reading False Witness I can understand why. I give 5 stars for the book and the cover the writing was brilliant. I would like to thank Netgalley for allowing me to review this and also Karin Slaughter for writing it. I am now a fan of her books and would like to review more of them .

Great read from Karin Slaughter.
An incident in their teenage years defines two sisters through their lives, only for them to have the consequence of it to haunt them.
Callie & Leigh have survived following being assaulted only for a family member to threaten them in later years.
Great read with twists and turns - could not put this book down.

False Witness is another dark, gripping and emotional read from one of my favourite authors. It’s going to be a hard book to review as I don’t want to give anything away.

This books follows two sisters Callie and Leigh who on the surface seem very different to each other. One is a drug addict who steals drugs from her work to sell, the other is a successful lawyer. However they have a secret from childhood that they are desperate to keep hidden. The sisters were interesting characters as they were quite cruel and ruthless in their actions at times that I really didn’t like them. However at other times they surprised me with the love they obviously had for each other and I found myself feeling a bit sorry for them as their desperation to keep their secret hidden was almost palpable.

I thought this book was a very past paced, addictive read which I found very hard to put down. It is very dark in places which won’t be to everyone’s taste but I felt these moments were balanced with the emotional storyline which stopped it becoming too much. The atmosphere in the book slowly build as the book continues and there was lots of twists that kept me guessing until the end. I thought the covid references were an interesting inclusion and made the book seem more real which made the storyline a little more hard hitting.

If you are a fan of this author’s previous books then you will love this book as it is the author at her best.

Huge thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Harper for my copy of this book.

First chapter is a gripping introduction into an incident of abuse, followed by violence culminating in a horrific death. How this links to early subsequent chapters is not at first evident as over 20 years have elapsed with characters and circumstances bearing no relevance to the early scenario. This horrific beginning followed by introduction of successful characters leading busy fulfilling lives is a gentle lead in to a thrilling and terrifying series of events that would shock even the most experienced of readers. Karin Slaughter not only writes a brilliant storyline but develops characters to such a degree that the reader understands their psyche. We the writer quickly recognise and understand the three dimensional characters that will form the good and bad in everyone. That no one knows what they are capable of until their back is to the wall and options limited. That inability to recognise and deal with true evil and debauchery is a huge problem for the characters in this story This. Book is a five star read on every level and every word of every page is integral to the horrors unfolding. The story is set during the current pandemic, the drugs addiction crisis with associated issues, moral dilemmas and weighted opportunities and choices towards the haves and sense of abandonment by the have nots. Cannot express my gratitude sufficiently or rate this book highly enough to writer, publisher and NetGalley for their ARC.

I have always loved reading Karin Slaughter’s books but I think this could be one of her best yet.
Callie and Leigh both babysat Andrew Tennant when they were young and he was 5 years old. While Leigh managed to avoid long-term abuse by Andrew’s father, Callie did not. Too late she discovered the abuse was even more sinister than anyone could have imagined .
Both had a troubled early life at home but while Leigh became an attorney at a prestigious law firm, Callie became a drug addict.
Years later a wealthy man accused of rape insists Leigh becomes his defence attorney. That man is Andrew Tennant. She has no choice but to accept his case as it soon becomes apparent that he knows Leigh and Callie’s huge and devastating secret.
They are then in a race against time to ensure their secret remains hidden but also to make sure justice prevails.
I was engrossed with this book from start to finish and the ending was full of suspense. A real page-turner.

Thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction for the arc of False Witness by Karin Slaughter.

5 star read- if you have read any of Karin's previous books you must read this you will not be disappointed by far! This was a sensational and gripping read which follows teenagers Callie and her sister Leigh they was connected to Andrew Trevor Tennant. Leigh one of the sisters now haves to defend him in a rape case/trial with other charges waiting if he is found guilty. The story is told from the perspectives of the two sisters. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rather too realistic for me to enjoy this book in the same way I usually enjoy Karin Slaughter books. Not just the very graphic descriptions of the violence but the very detailed information about addiction which ended up making the plot sluggish in parts and boring at times.
I haven’t even mentioned all the references to COVID-19 which were far too many.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

As always a fabulous book by Karin Slaughter, she never disappoints-cuts rights to the chase and gets on with it. Fantastic.