Pieces of Her

Another standalone from Karin Slaughter and possibly one of my favourite books of hers so far.

A cross between a fast paced page turner and insightful psychological thriller, this was one I read fast, so caught up was I in Andy's story as she tries to put together the pieces of her Mother and discover the truth about her background. 

We have past and present colliding as Laura saves the day but in doing so exposes herself to some dangerous people. Daughter Andy gets caught up in the aftermath, sending her on a scarily dangerous road trip to answers.

As we learn what secrets lie in Laura's past it is utterly compelling, often edge of seat thrilling and beautifully plotted to keep things unexpected and addictive. 

As usual Karin Slaughter brings huge depth to her characters and sets the scene with aplomb. Pieces of Her is an incredibly powerful novel exploring themes of family and human nature, as such it is hugely fascinating and just proves that this author is right at the top of her game.

Brilliant crime fiction. Highly recommended

I have to say I’m a Karin Slaughter, having read and loved all her previous novels. Pieces of her is excellent. Andy is in a diner with her mother Laura when a shooter comes in. From there Andy’s view of her mother changes and sets out to find the answer of who her mother was. Told from two POV, Andy in the present and someone from the past. Will Andy uncover her mothers past before their future is destroyed.
How good was this? Well I was sat on my lounge floor just past midnight waiting for My Kindle to have enough power to turn back on so I could read the final chapter as I has read for so long the battery had run out.
Karin’s Next novel will be at the top of my to read pile and if you haven’t read any of her books yet this is a brilliant one to start with!

Great novel. Initially threw me with the trip back in time, but enjoyed watching the story unfold using the mother/daughter viewpoints. Great twists, keeling the reader guessing to the final pages

Laura has a past that she has kept hidden for thirty years. One day she is attacked in a diner with her daughter and it is captured on a mobile which is then sold to the media. Her face is all over the news. It won't be long before they come for her. Laura has to protect her daughter at all costs.
Laura is attacked in her own home and her daughter Andrea walks in and saves her mother by killing her attacker. The last words her mother says to her is she has to make her way to a storage unit in Carllington and RUN. Andrea is now on a journey where she finds out that her mother is a liar and a killer. By the end of her journey she will realise what a mother will do to protect her daughter.
This book was rollercoaster of a thriller. I loved it.
I would like to thank the author Karin Slaughter, Harper Collins UK and Net.galley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for giving an honest review.

The story is told from two very different points of view, Laura’s in 1986 and Andrea’s in the present day bringing together a plot so full of twists and turns that it leaves you checking back through the book to make sure you’ve got the storyline straight!

This isn’t your typical Karin Slaughter book, no gruesome murders and psychotic serial killers on the loose this time. This time the storyline is slightly more sinister in some respects, dealing with a wanna be cult leader and the power of people’s believes, how far human nature can be manipulated and how far we are willing to go to protect our children, family and loved ones.

1986 – Martin Queller, head of the Queller Healthcare and Queller Correction and his 3 children, Jane (Jinx), Andrew, Jasper and Andrew’s best friend, Nick Harp – charming, handsome, charismatic and full of ideals wanting to change the world, and the only way to change it is to destroy it first.

2018 – Laura and her daughter Andrea, a quiet family living by the sea until their world gets spun on its axis by getting caught in the middle of a shooting in a restaurant. As they witness people getting shot Andrea freezes and fear paralyses her, unlike her mum! Laura protects her daughter by putting herself in the line of fire and the situation resolves in a way no-one saw coming!

As Andrea begins to realise there is more to her mother than she knew, the only way to keep both herself and her mother safe is to dig back through a past that she never knew existed.

Switching between past and present the truth slowly starts to unravel and the two timelines start to come together in ways you probably won’t expect!

As I’ve already said, this book is unlike her previous novels, taking a more political, morel path dealing with corruption, terrorism and family bonds which all in all made for some really good reading but for me personally this isn’t her best book! Sorry! My heart is still back in Grant County!!

If you are new to Karin Slaughter’s work then you will want to go back and read the rest of her novels after this one, and trust me, they are definitely worth reading! Or if you are already a fan of hers you will love this book and it goes to show the level of talent she possesses!

At first, I wasn't really sure if I was going to like this book, especially not when the POV changed and we went back into the past. I didn't like Jane's chapters that much, but throughout the story, I learned to appreciate the backstory. In fact, near the end, I kind of wished the story had been from her POV instead of Andy's. Not that that part of the story was boring, I just realised I wanted more of Jane's story instead of Andy's. In the end, I really enjoyed this book and I definitely recommend it to everyone who wants a thrilling story that keeps you up until way past your bedtime when you need to get up early for work the next day.

My thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for an ARC.

Karin Slaughter is one of my favourite authors. From Blindsighted to The Good Daughter, which is my favourite book, I always know I’m never going to be disappointed.

Having said that, I did struggle with the first part of Pieces Of Her.
Andrea & her mother, Laura, are at the mall when a moment of violence changes everything. Hours later, with her mother all over the news, Andrea begins to question everything she knows about her life & Laura.

Set in the modern day, with flashbacks to 1986, we start to pick up the pieces that link the two stories together & by the second part of the book, I was hooked. One moment I was reading it thinking, ‘hmm a bit bored of this book’ & then wham, it took over & I was complaining because my dinner break was over, I had to go back to work & I didn’t want to stop reading.

So you need perseverance with this book, plough through because it is worth it.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for a copy of this book.

Karin Slaughter you've done it again. Absolutely, fab.

I really didn't like Andy at the beginning but by the time she's on the run I kind of like her and she grows on you. But Laura............... loved her from the beginning. The story is fast paced, detailed and has you on the edge of your seat. You really need to go and buy this for your summer read!

5 starts from me

Karin Slaughter books are very moreish, and Pieces of Her is no exception.
After six years of McJobs in New York, Andrea has come home to live with her mother. She has a job as a police despatch officer, and is meeting her mum for a birthday meal in the local diner. Her mum, Laura, is a doctor.
A gunman comes in, quickly killing two people. He intends to commit ‘suicide by cop’, thinking Andrea is a real police officer. Instead, Laura springs into action and prevents the gunman from any more killing. In doing so, she demonstrates a set of skills no one knew about.
In that instant, their lives are changed forever. Life becomes very dangerous, and Andrea must go on a journey to find out the truth. She won't know who to trust, or where is safe.
This is a terrific thriller that left me glued to the page. Four stars.

Fantastic book which kept me gripped throughout. A thriller of a ride from a top-notch author. I loved this book and couldn't put it down. A compelling plot with incredible characters. Definitely would recommend. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me review this book.

Karin Slaughter is one of my favourite authors, and I was extremely grateful to have the chance to read this book early. It became clear quite early on that this story would be different to many of her other works, and it took me a few chapters to get into the rhythm. Once I did I really enjoyed the story. The back and forth between timelines, and blurring of lines between good guy and bad guy. The characters felt vivid and real, which is a skill Slaughter never fails to amaze me with. Another great stand alone from one of the genre’s best.

This is a stand-alone book and is a clever and complex thriller.
Andrea is with her Mum when there is an attack in the mall and her mum's reaction is a massive shock to Andrea.
After the attack her Mum tells her to leave and head towards a storage unit, and not come back until she tells her to.
Andrea is confused and angry that her mum seems to be pushing her away but begrudgingly follows her instructions.
Alongside this story we have flashbacks to 1986 where another shocking event took place and shaped the lives of a small group of people.
The two stories tie in together at the end and build up to a breath taking conclusion.
This is a really clever story and I highly recommend it.
Thanks to Harper Collins and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

What if the person you thought you knew best turns out to be someone you never knew at all?
Andrea Cooper knows everything about her mother Laura. She knows she's spent her whole life in the small town of Gullaway Island; she knows she's never had any more ambition than to live a quiet life as a pillar of the community; she knows she's never kept a secret in her life.
But one day, a trip to the mall explodes into violence and Andrea suddenly sees a completely different side to Laura.
Twenty-four hours later, Laura is in hospital, shot by an intruder who's spent thirty years trying to track her down. Now, Andrea must go on a desperate journey to follow the breadcrumbs of her mother's past. If she can't uncover the secrets hidden there, there may be no future for either of them…

Wow!! What a story..... I didn't know what was going to happen next!

I felt that the book gave enough background to make me feel that I was going though what Andy (Andrea) was experiencing with her. I genuinely couldn't wait to see how this ended and I can honestly say that I wasn't expecting it.

The storyline is great, it is written from two points of view at times but it is not in the least bit confusing and helps to build the story up to come together.

Honestly loved it!

My thanks to Harper Collins U.K. for the opportunity to read and review this novel in advance of publication.

I have loved Karin Slaugher’s novels for some years including her series and more recent stand -alone novels. Once again she has written a novel that grabbed my attention from the outset and held it. Her characters are very vivid and while flawed (there were times I was yelling at Andy for some choices she made) very easy to care about. There were also quite relevant themes linked to aspects of business and politics.

So yes it certainly is bound to be topping bestseller lists. Given the plot I would recommend readers avoid spoilers. I would guarantee it will be a thrilling ride.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the book in exchange for an honest review.
Pieces of Her is a masterclass in storytelling, written by Karin Slaughter. The book is a totally engrossing read, the best parts are the way the story goes backwards and forwards to 1986 and then 2018 and you suddenly realise what the book is about.
I will let the next reader find out for themselves.
Highly recommended.

A perfectly written book by Karin Slaughter.
A Daughter uncovering her mother's past, plenty of lies, secrets, twists and turns to keep you captivated.

Not my favourite from the author, but definitely worth a read.
Thank you netgalley, HarperCollins and Karin Slaughter for allowing me to read and review this book.

I was really excited to start this book by Karin Slaughter, set in the 1980's and the present day told in two parts.

This tells the story of mother and daughter, Laura and Andrea, who whilst out together are caught up in a shooting in a coffee shop. Their whole life is turned upside down and Andrea soon realises her life as she knew it was a lie.
A bit of a slow starter it soon picked up pace and kept me reading until the end.
Thank you to the author, Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read in return for a review.

I had high expectations of this book as l have always enjoyed this Author and l was not disappointed a real complex tale told in retrospect and present lots of characters needing concentration but great storyline and worthy of 5 star ⭐️

I love Karin Slaughter and have read all her books. This book was slightly slow and repetitive in parts but a rollercoaster most of the way through. Took me a little longer than usual to get into than her other novels but once the pace picked up I was hooked and very much look forward to her next one. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it.

Wow! What an absolute gem of a book this is!

I have to admit to finding it a bit difficult to follow initially but I am so glad I persevered, because what a book it turned into.

It is very well written with a very clever plot. It is a thriller that will keep you turning the pages and make your heart beat just that bit faster. Suspenseful, intriguing and compelling.

Don't think about it, add it to your to be read list as soon as possible, you won't be disappointed!

When I got this from NetGalley in exchange for a review, I was so unbelievably excited. Way too excited for a normal person. I **LOVE** Karin Slaughter! Her books are the highlight of my reading calendar.

I knew going in that I would love this book, however, I didn't realise I would love it this much! It is full of twists and turns, and suspense, and emotion. There's humour. There's 'eh?' moments. You can't put it down because something is always just about to happen!

In Pieces of her, we meet Andy: a thirty one year old sponger, living in her mum's garage, working a job she doesn't particularly like, and generally not having much direction in life. And then we have her mum Laura, who has survived cancer, got a professional, established career in speech therapy and wants more for her daughter than what she currently has. On Andy's thirty-first birthday Andy and Laura experience one of the worst things you could in today's world- a mad man shooting up the restaurant they are having birthday breakfast in. What happens next changes Andy's perception of her mother forever.

Karin's writing here is as excellent as usual, she weaves her words so we can get into the mind of the characters right from the start. We know what Andy is feeling when the gunman enters the breakfast diner and wreaks havoc on those innocent people, we can feel the pain Laura is feeling when Andy has to rescue her in her own home. The violence is graphic, the descriptions all to real. It is scary but thrilling and you just want to read a little bit more before sleep. Then a little bit more in your lunch break. When your boss has to remind you that there are still 4 working hours left in your day, you know it's good.

With The Good Daughter (Karin's last standalone) I wanted more once I'd finished - in a good way, I really wanted a series from it. I feel the same with this. Karin's standalone's are AMAZING, but as a series?? Yes please.😊

I would say this is my favourite read of 2018 so far. It's heart wrenching and it's raw.

Oh and Pieces of her is also being developed for television.... just, yeh, that! 😊

Laura is the mother who will do anything at all for her daughter. The lengths she has gone to become more apparent as the book progresses and I found her character to be really psychologically interesting. I found that the sections of the book that explored her life were by far the most thrilling.

By contrast Andrea is the daughter who really doesn't know her mother at all. she is quite an immature character, drifting through life with no real ambition or purpose. She is reactive, rather than proactive, and this becomes all too apparent when she is forced to go on the run after "a very bad thing" happens to her and Laura. Whilst on the run she discovers more about her mother's past and her own childhood and this brings more danger into her life.

A Karin Slaughter book usually grabs me from the first sentence, squeezes my heart, constricts my lungs and ratchets up my stress levels until I almost can't take any more. Reading her books is akin to riding the most exhilarating rollercoaster known to humankind. This book did grab me at certain points, but there were also a lot of slow sections and I'm surprised to note that this took me 4 days to read. I would still recommend it though, because it's Karin Slaughter!

Thanks go to the publishers and net galley for the advanced copy in return for an honest review.

As always, Karin delivers a masterpiece! I wa hooked from the first page ‘til the last! My only compliant is, Karin needs to write more quickly...I need another book, soon!

Having read The Good Daughter by Karin Slaughter I was looking forward to this book and think it's even better which I wasn't sure it could be, really glad to have got that wrong. Andy (Andrea) is the only daughter of Laura and looks to Gordon her step Dad and her Mum's ex as her real Dad as he is the only father she has ever know. She returned home from New York which had never really worked for her to help look after Laura when she was diagnosed with Cancer, that's what I thought cheery start but don't be fooled it is anything but what you'd expect because the drama starts very quickly when a gun man lets loose his load where mother and daughter are have a spot of lunch on Andy's birthday. So obviously this is a birthday that will never be forgotten and a life that will never be the same. In order to protect her 31yro girl Laura steps in between the gunman and Andy and ends up killing the Gunman. Then things escalate very quickly as the body count increases and the clueless Andy has to learn more about life in a week than the whole of her previous 31 years. That also includes who she is and well you need to read it because this is one of the best thrillers to come out so far this year in my opinion that is. I'm very grateful to NetGalley for my copy and whatever they are charging on release it more than worth it. This thriller will keep you going right up to the last page and it will be impossible to predict even for those that cheat and jump to the end because without the rest of the story you will not have a clue what is going on as it twists and turns doubles back and then takes a new path. Don't take my word for it you really need to read it and every page., Well that's my thoughts anyway.

A great read with lots of twists and turns. It tells the story in two parts what was going on in the eighties and also current day. The only reason I gave this four and not five stars is that I found it a bit slow to get into at first. This is the first book of Karin’s I’ve read but I’ve just bought the good daughter to read next.

Karin Slaughter does it again. Always brilliantly written, this is one of my favourite books this year. I loved reading about the mother\daughter relationship.

Im used to Karin’s books being rather more sinister like Pretty Girls or The Good Daughter, you won’t find that with Pieces of Her. It’s more of a thriller that swings from past to present telling an intricately weaved story of a mother and daughter relationship

The alternating chapters from the past and present let you slowly piece together the story and its eventual outcome. .

Pieces of Her is a slow burn but is still a page turner.. . Just when you think the chapter might be dragging on too long, Karin changes the direction of the story and the characters involved so you never can predict the next twist.

Bring a big fan of Karin Slaughter, I was very excited to receive ‘pieces of her’ and I was not disappointed.

This is a thriller about the relationship between a mother and daughter and how much you really know about a person.
Laura and her daughter Andrea have a very close mother/ daughter relationship, but are also very independent women.
An incident takes place during a birthday celebration that leave one of the pair frozen in fear, and the other deals with the incident with calmness, defusing a dangerous situation with the authority and precision as someone who was military trained. This leads the other to wander how much she really knows about the other.
A fast paced and exciting book, which kept me hooked all along. A brilliant stand alone novel.

What an amazing convoluted book ; I just loved it. The past aligning with the present made it possible to make initial guesses of what had happened but the story itself developed in a way that new aspects kept arriving which made me rethink time and time again. The characters are so well described that they are real people covering the full gamut of society from ultra rich to relatively poor, strong characters and weak ones all intermixed with a highly emotional charged story. A fantastic author with the ability to string along until the ver6 end of the book.
L intermixed

What an absolute pleasure it was to read 'Pieces of Her'. A race against time,a conspiracy plot,a family drama or a daughter trying to understand her mother,the story was all of these and more.
This is one of the best Karin Slaughter stories I have ever read ,it is involving,emotive and resonant.
Andrea(Andy)has her whole.life turned upside down when her mother and her are involved in public incident. The witnesses who filmed it send it into a viral frenzy that alerts people who have been searching for Laura,Andrea's mother,for thirty years.
Neatly moving back and forth between Andrea and Laura's stories,between past and present,each woman is piecing together who they were and who are they are becoming.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Hodder for allowing me to read this in return for an honest review.

Karin Slaughter has written another brilliant book. I was hooked from the start. There is a lot to the plot and the whole book is really cleverly written. All the details of Laura's secret life have been so carefully thought out and they are a riveting read. I read this book in one sitting. I had to know who Laura really was and what the ending would be. I would definitely recommend this book and any other book by Karin Slaughter.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

When I first started reading this book I wasn’t sure if I was going to like because it kept flashing back in time, with two different points of views, because of this I struggled with the first half of the book. However, as I carried on reading all the pieces of the story come together nicely and I raced through the second half of the book.

The writing style that Karin Slaughter has used makes the book easy to read. I liked the way the characters developed along with the storyline and everything becomes gripping.

I would have liked to read more point of views from some of the other characters as well. It might just be me being picky about it, as apart from that one thing I personally couldn’t find any other fault.

If your looking for thrilling psychological book then this is the book for you.

I would like to thank NetGally and HarperCollins UK for my Advance Digital Review Copy in return for an Unbiased review.

Being the worlds biggest Karin Slaughter fan I will struggle to be objective.
Told in duel times, the book starts with Andy and her mum Laura having brunch when a teenage gunman enters the restaurant and starts shooting. Pieces of Her follows Andy as she escapes across the country to save her life and flee whoever is after her. Slowly discovering and piecing together Laura's life before Andy and the huge secrets she has been hiding for 30 years.

I love all of Karin Slaughter's books; the writing is always so easy to follow with brilliantly developed characters and gritty, gripping storylines... and this is no exception.
I realise that this book if 500ish pages but I would have loved more... more of Andy, more of her cross-country journey, more of the side characters and less of the 30-year-old storyline, I'm sure that just goes to show how much I loved the characters, but that is the reason I am giving this 4 stars instead of 5.
But what another great read by the one and only KS!!

This is a good stand alone book', at times it is brilliant. It is set partly in the present, and partly in the eighties. However, this is never confusing. I have given only four stars because at times Andy makes infuriating, stupid decisions; and occasionally it is a bit repetitive and long winded. This does not stop it from being a gripping read!

Karin Slaughter never disappoints; whether it is writing her Grant County or Will Trent series or standalone novels like Pieces of Her.

A trip to the shopping mall with her mother Laura turns Andrea’s world upside down. They are caught up in a shooting incident which ends with Laura killing the gunman. Andrea thought she knew her mother but had never seen this side of her character. Laura then tells Andrea (Andy) to get out of her life, to run to Idaho and not return until she is told it is safe to do so. However she overhears a conversation between her mother and a man, it seems, was sent to kill her. This gives her a name and a clue to the fact that her mother is not who she seems. Andy sets off on a road trip to uncover her mother's past.

Fast paced and moving between the 1980s and the present day this is a novel about corporate greed, manipulation, politics and ownership. While Andy is rather weak and indecisive at the beginning of the book while she learns about her mother she also learns a lot about herself and the inner strength she didn't realise she had. Highly recommended.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you.

Karin Slaughter gives us a thriller that explores the role of the mother and the mother-daughter relationship. Andrea 'Andy' Cooper is an unambitious woman who has largely gone through the motions of living. She never completed college and she has barely been engaged in any personal relationships. Unhappy in New York, she returned home to nurse her mother, Laura, through the worst of her breast cancer treatment. She has no impetus to create an independent life for herself, and is secure in the knowledge that she knows Laura inside out, a pillar of the community, an ordinary woman and everyday mom. Whilst in a diner, a young shooter, Jonah Helsinger, blasts away a mother and daughter, lining up a frozen and immobile Andy as his next target when Laura steps in front of her, telling him to kill her instead. What follows next is captured on mobile video footage that goes viral nationwide, showing a composed Laura killing Helsinger with his knife whilst suffering serious injuries herself. Andy is shell shocked at this picture of her mother as a ninja, with the media referring to Laura as a killing machine. Who is this woman masquerading as her mother?

With unexpected and horrifying events occurring that hint at Laura's clandestine past, they bring a whole heap of danger in the present, as a disorientated Andrea initially heeds Laura's advice to leave town, go to a storage unit and then head to Idaho until it is safe for her to return. Andy is to make no contact with her or Gordon, the black lawyer she considers to be her father. However, Andy's intense curiosity about Laura has her picking away and peeling away at her mother's past that slowly begins to be revealed through the dual narrative of a younger Laura. Andy's foray into the past brings danger to her and others. It pushes Andy from a woman who has merely reacted to events in her life, to a more independent person as she is forced to handle a world that has gone crazy on her. What Andy does know indisputably about Laura is that she will not let anything happen to her beloved daughter, and she will go to any lengths to protect her. Will this allow her to accept the pieces of Laura she comes to know?

At first when I had read this latest offering from Karin Slaughter, I was not sure how I felt about it. Upon reflection, the more I thought about it, the more I liked it. The focus on the maternal instinct, how far will a mother go for a child is beautifully illustrated here. Whilst perhaps far fetched here and there, I was willing to let that go for the fascinating creation of Laura and her dramatic past and that of Andy, walking on territory that she could never have forseen. I think it would be well nigh impossible to say that we know all the pieces of anyone we are close to, and true to that adage, Andy does not find out everything about her mother. An interesting, different but nevertheless gripping psychological thriller. Many thanks to HarperCollins for an ARC.

I've loved Karin Slaughter's books from about the age of 16/17. They've always pulled me into the story like a moth to a flame. The gripping words, the twists, the turns and the anticipation keep you hooked right up to the very last word on the final page.

This is different in many ways to the author's other books. It's still crime, which is brilliant because I can't imagined Karin Slaughter writing anything else, but the concept is different; the whole story is. From the point of view of not law enforcement, or anything to do with them, is brilliant. The whole subject was so brilliantly portrayed, so amazingly thought out, researched and put together that I found it pretty damn tricky to put down.

But, this is the first book from this author where I've found something I really didn't like... the characters in this book have the annoying inability to finish sentences, I want to throttle all of them!! Andrea was the worst for it. Not only did she not ever finish a sentence until the epilogue, mainly, but she never really answered anything or spoke to anyone and when she did it was two words then stop. It was quite irritating to say the least and I think that ruined a bit of the story for me; though not enough to not give 5 stars!

The characters themselves were well written, incredibly well put together and had personalities of the smartest of humans. Not only that, but Nick AKA Nickel, was so well written; his manipulation, his maniac tendencies made for quite an interesting character. Couldn't stand Paula AKA Penny worth a damn but she was fun to read about.

Karin Slaughter put a lot of effort, research and thought into this story and pulled it off well. Absolutely AMAZING read and I really wish I hadn't finished it just yet!

I really enjoyed this book, I’ve been in a bit of a reading funk lately and haven’t been able
To get into anything that I’ve started to read. But this book, as is the usual for Karin slaughter sucked me in within the first few pages. I really enjoyed the dynamic between mother and daughter, and the fact that it was an ordinary person who was trying to find out what had happened to her mother as her past was slowly revealed.it was a nice change to the normal police trying to catch the bad guy storyline... I read it within two days, and would definately recommend it.thank you to net galley for enabling me read this as a preview.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this amazing book

karin slaughter can write a book that keeps you reading till the early hours and makes you feel as if you have been on a rollercoaster ride...

this book starts off slow and then suddenly wham you wonder if you are reading the same book as its so full of action and intrigue...

a story that has everything...several forms of abuse, tension, violence and betrayal...and how one person can manipulate another and then finally the victims who survive barely....

a brilliant one of book by this author

A fantastic read. Thoroughly enjoyed this and it is not something I would usually pick up. Will look for more from this author in future.