Title: This is Why We Lied
Author: Karin Slaughter
Publication Date: June 20, 2024
Rating: 4/5 stars

Love this author and this book. Full of twists and turns and kept me wanting to read more.

I read and loved “After that Night” (Will Trent #11) last year. At that time, friends on goodreads did inform me that I should start with the Grant County series and then move to the Will Trent series. While there are many books to catch-up on (which I certainly will), I jumped to this one when I saw the chance. This, like the previous one, has a great plot, strong procedural work and excellent character development.

Will, special agent with the Georgia Bureau of investigation, and Sara, medical examiner are just married and on their honeymoon to the Alpine family lodge. This is a much recommended large beautiful place run by the McAlpine family since generations. Guests are encouraged to take in the beauty of nature and Wifi is generally disallowed. There are 4 families currently at the lodge (others being Frank, Keisha, Drew, Monica, Landry, Gordon), besides the family & people who work there. Cecil (Papa), is the oldest member, currently confined to a wheelchair after an accident. His wife is Bitty. Their children are Mercy & Chris. Dave, after a difficult childhood, landed up at the farm when he was young and is taken in by the family. Dave & Mercy were married, and have a son Jon. They are now separated. Delilah is Cecil’s sister and had tried to take custody of Jon after Mercy was in a serious accident, and had addiction problems. Cecil and a few others are in favour of selling the place, and a couple of potential investors are also visiting. Mercy is dead against the sale, and insists she will do her best to stop it. Dave and Will had as children being in a home together and had seen a lot of bad times. Dave turned into a bully (he was called ‘Jackal’), and derisively called Will ‘Trashcan’. He recognizes Will immediately when he sees him.

But a quiet honeymoon it is not to be for Will & Sara – one night as they are relaxing near a pond, they hear a scream. They split up, unclear where the scream came from. Will hears more cries and finds a cottage on fire and Mercy McAlpine in the water, blood oozing out of her body. He later realizes that she has been stabbed multiple times, and also hurts himself as he touches the knife still in her body. She whispers a few words to him and dies, which do not help in understanding who stabbed her. Will and Sara swing into action, assembling all the people and interviewing them after revealing their identity. Will also gets in touch with his boss Amanda, and work partner Faith Mitchell who come over. They convince the local Sheriff that they be allowed to be involved in the case.

Will, Sara, Amanda & Faith uncover a murky story with several happenings of the past leading to the murder of Mercy. If the previous book explored Sara’s past traumas, this story does that with Will. The methodical way in which the team pieces together the full story makes for great reading. There are triggers – abuse & more, but it does not get very bad, and should not be a problem for most readers.

I absolutely love Will and Sara’s character – both finding love & purpose to rebuild their lives and help others. The contrast in their characters is excellently developed, Will – dyslexic in childhood, reticent and poor with small talk, brave; Sara – more open & social, as focused on her work and strongly supportive of Will.

There are some twists at the end, which I felt were unnecessary and do not add much to the story, but decided not to reduce my rating for it.

I think I’ve read most of the books by this author and I don’t think this is the best one but having said that I love the ongoing saga between Will and Sara . There were plenty of interesting stories about the family and the various guests , enough to keep you guessing throughout the book . I must admit I didn’t expect that ending either . I think fans of this author will love this book and wait with bated breath for the next instalment . 4 stars from me

This Is Why We Lied is book 12 in the Will Trent series, and if I thought its predecessor was as dark a book as one could possibly read, well I seriously underestimated Ms. Slaughter. The depravity of some of the characters is off the scale.
Will and Sara have finally tied the knot, and are about to start their honeymoon at a cabin retreat in the mountains. Will has arranged everything, from their luxury accommodation, to a variety of
outdoor activities. What he didn't anticipate was a murder. The victim is Mercy McAlpine, the manager of the retreat, daughter of the owners.
It seems just about everyone in Mercy's family had a motive for murdering Mercy, and all of the guests appear to have something to hide.
As usual there are more twists and turns than a mountain road, and a red herring or two to contend with. The final reveal, when it came, left me reeling. I did NOT see that coming.
This book is deeply unsettling and upsetting. I found myself crying for Mercy at one point.
My only peeve is the "tender" moments between Will and Sara. More thrills, less mushy moments please.
Many thanks to HarperCollins UK and Netgalley for the digital ARC in exchange for this review.

There aren’t enough stars for this book, I couldn’t put it down!
Sara and Will were amazing as usual, I love their relationship; they listen and respect each other no matter what is happening around them.
This book dealt with abuse, it was quite harrowing at times, but it was done well and wasn’t glossed over.
The story was amazing, it was emotional and fast paced. I thought I knew who had done it and then something else would come up and I’d believe it was a different character.
I know when I see the author is Karin Slaughter that I am in for a good read; I want to read it all over again!

Karin Slaughter has become an auto-read author for me and this book shows exactly why.

What we basically have is a locked room mystery, on a mountain where pretty much everyone is hiding something and most of them have motive to want Mercy dead. Slaughter weaves her story with such ease I just couldn’t stop reading every time I picked it up.

It’s very much a case based book. Poor Will and Sara are supposed to be on their honeymoon and end up getting embroiled in the case so there isn’t much going on for them personally in this one. I do always find it interesting when we meet characters from Will’s past so that was good for me.

There are twists galore, not all of which I saw coming, I’m not gonna lie. Slaughter’s writing just has this incredible way of drawing you in and just when you think you’ve figured out what’s going on she throws something else in the mix.

I really felt for Mercy. The more that was revealed about her life, the sadder I felt for her. It’s hard to say too much really without ruining the story.

There’s a lot of great moments between Faith and Will as well. I love their dynamic. Although now I’ve started watching the tv version I have to keep reminding myself that book Faith is very different to TV Faith!

There are a lot of issues covered in this one that could be very triggering for some people. There’s lots of instances of abuse (physical, sexual and emotional) and domestic violence and although Slaughter doesn’t write this in a sensational way and it is handled quite sensitively I would imagine it could still be quite triggering so please be mindful of that.

If you’re a fan of crime thrillers I would highly recommend this. I have no complaints at all.

Title: This is Why We Lied
Author: Karin Slaughter
Publication Date: June 20, 2024
Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Huge thanks to Netgalley and Harpercollins UK for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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

There are so many triggers in this story. So, proceed with caution. Karin Slaughter's mind went to dark places writing this one.

GBI Agent Will Trent and Medical Examiner Sara Linton have finally tied the knot, and Will has arranged a surprise honeymoon at the McAlpine Lodge. On their first night at the lodge, Will and Sara hear screams and find Mercy McAlpine, the lodge manager, dying in her own pool of blood. They started down the horrific path of tracking down the killer while learning sickening tales of decade-long lies, deceit, and secrets kept hidden by the McAlpine family.

I may have guessed the killer fairly early, but it takes a long time to figure out the 'why?' because there are so many red herrings and layers of suspicions to navigate through. Every little thing seemed to have a purpose, and the plot was well-planned. Karin's development of characters was exceptional, enabling you to create your own conclusions about them based on their shortcomings and standpoint. Slaughter has undoubtedly has a niche when it comes to dark themes and disturbing topics.

The only issue I had was that the book felt unduly long, with constant references to the lodge, weather, cabin, Will's hand, and other details. Though that was just my personal take, I felt that the book was overflowing with descriptions that could have been omitted to make it shorter.

All things considered, I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys complex thrillers that will leave you gasping for air and questioning morality.

GBI agent Will & Sara are newlyweds on honeymoon in a remote mountain location. When the manager of the holiday homes gets brutally murdered, Will and Sara get to work on finding the killer. But it isn’t as clear cut as things first seem and a whole host of secrets are uncovered along the way…

Ooh this was twisty and really kept me on my toes! Full of really unlikeable characters and a tragic backstory, I was fully behind Will and his search for the killer. My heart ached for Mercy and what she’d been through.

It is a slow burn and I typically like my thrillers a bit faster paced, but the storyline kept me interested and I was so invested in getting justice for Mercy.

Trigger warnings: domestic and sexual abuse (including that of children)

Another hit from Karin Slaughter, as normal never fails to disappoint, excellent character and storyline and fantastic twists and turns. Thoroughly enjoyed

The story begins with Will and Sara on their honeymoon trekking to a mountain resort miles from anywhere, enjoying the sense of peace and isolation. However, when Will discovers that Dave, who tormented his childhood works at the resort he is bitterly disappointed. He hoped to have left his past behind.

When Dave’s wife Mercy, is brutally murdered, there are various suspects. Mercy had worked hard at the resort, making it successful hoping her son Jon would eventually take over. Unfortunately, Dave, her abusive husband, and father are determined to sell the resort and Mercy’s refusal leads to the crime.

Arriving at the scene, Will and Sara are determined to find out what happened and who is responsible. The story goes back in time before the murder, leading up to the crime. The book is about families and relationships, some toxic and abusive. Characters are well drawn, all have secrets in their past which are graphically explored. The story deals with childhood abuse and domestic violence, which is graphic and compelling. I felt empathy for Mercy, who was working hard to provide for her son Jon, also Sara and Will are strong, positive characters, though others are self-serving and deceitful.

This is a brutal, hard hitting page turner which had me gripped from the first page. Karin Slaughter is expert at delivering suspenseful, gripping thrillers, and this is one of her best.

Will and Sarah are enjoying their honeymoon when it’s suddenly interrupted by a deafening shriek. This is the start of unravelling the mystery of who murdered Mercy. The story goes back into the pov of Mercy, which made me feel quite connected to her along with the letters she has written. This is a very dark mystery that exceeded all my expectations.

Many thanks to Net Galley & Harper Collins for this ARC.

Another excellent book by Karin Slaughter. I have read all of the Sara and Will series. They do not disappoint and would highly recommend them.

This is why I love Karin Slaughter!! She takes a hard hitting story line of domestic and child abuse and mixes it with romance and humour. Ever since Triptych i have been a huge fan and this latest does not disappoint.

Loving the development of Will Trent and Sara Linton's relationship. Just brilliant.

If you like your thriller with a side of character development then this series is 100% for you!

Gosh this is a page turner, very dark, very twisted and utterly unpredictable. It’s my first Will Trent but it won’t be my last although I did have to shut my eyes at some of the descriptions of abuse and slaughter. A very good plot that worked.

This Is Why We Lied is the twelfth book in the Will Trent Series by best-selling American author, Karin Slaughter. 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.

Karin slaughter does it again and I’m not sure how she can make so many books with some many ideas that have me hooked. If you haven’t read the rest of the will Trent series then I would a suggest to do so but it’s not essential. I loved the slow paced of this novel and how it the characters develop throughout the story. The ending had me gripping my seat in anticipation. Loved it

“This is Why we Lied” is the very definition of a page turner. Great pacing and an excellent mystery made it very difficult to put down.

The story is at times horrific and sad and Slaughters character work really makes you hate them or feel sorry for them…..or both on occasion.

Fans of Will and Sara will know what to expect but i think it works as a good jumping on point for newcomers also as any backstory is well explained.

I think any fan of a good thriller will enjoy this book immensely.

Thank you to Harper Collins and Netgalley for the ARC

Once you get over the ick of Sara Linton and Will Trent being ridiculously loved-up and unable to believe their luck at snaring each other, on their honeymoon, this is a fine read.
A crazy family who own a lakeside resort and their mysterious guests are the suspects in the murder of one of the family. But whodunnit?
This is really twisty and turny and it’s also well-characterised: I just wish Slaughter hadn’t layered on all the lovey-dovey stuff…
Highly recommended: a masterful thriller.

Amazing, gripping read that kept me guessing. Twists and turns round every corner. Would highly recommend.

Brilliant! Fast paced, multi-layered with plenty of twists and turns to keep you hooked! Couldn't put it down and one of those books that I couldn't stop thinking about when it ended.