Yet another wonderful, well crafted, and presented story from Karin Slaughter which sees her departing from her regular Atlanta duo Well Trent (Georgia Bureau of Investigation special agent) and Dr Sarah Linton. In this one off novel we are introduced to the Quinns; Rusty, Gamma, and their two daughters Sam and Charlotte (Charlie) The story is told over two timelines, one set 28 years before the other. One afternoon Zack Culpepper and an accomplish invade the Quinn home where a violent and outrageous event occurs, an event that will have long lasting and damaging repercussions. Moving forward in time to the present somewhat unbelievably another brutal killing occurs, at the local school where Charlie Quinn has attended visiting her lover Mason Huckabee a regrettable one night stand.

What the author excels at his her deep understanding and betrayal of a family in crisis and their attempt to survive. Sam, although badly damaged from the Culpepper attack has managed to map out a career as a patent lawyer in New York but immediately comes to the aid of her younger sister following the school shootings. Dad Rusty is adored by them both even though his chosen occupation as a defence attorney often sees him defending the most abhorrent members of society and indeed the historical Culpeper incident was a direct result of his chosen career.

This is a novel full of mystery, ambition and emotion. It is not so much the storyline that is of importance but rather the depiction of deeply flawed and traumatized characters. At its heart is the love and need of friendship and family and how against all the evil that is present today it is possible not only to survive but to accept the unfolding of life's events however good or bad they may be. Many thanks to the publisher HarperCollins for a gratis copy in exchange for an honest review and that is what I have written.

Great character development in this interesting multiple plot novel.
Of great interest is the relationship between two sisters that have experienced
life with unusual parents, and an unbelievable violent incident.
Great read for discussion groups

I've only read one other Karin Slaughter book, "Blindsighted". Didn't rate it very well. I'm always willing to give an author a second and third chance. I am so glad I did. She gives you the small town feel and mentality of Pikesville, Georgia. She also gives you a gift in well written characters. Rusty and Gamma, parents to daughters Sam and Charlie, are actually minor characters but are so integral to the storyline. They give additional depth to these damaged sisters. 28 years ago the family is ripped apart as much by the tragedy that slams them to the ground as by the secrets about that night that each keeps. All this damage resurfaces as a school shooting opens up the old wounds. The school shooting is used as the beginning of the true healing these now 40+ year old women need to recover themselves.

Charlie is the good daughter. She keeps her secrets closely guarded by a promise she made her father. That it was kept secret has damaged all her relationships. Sam is somewhat the prodigal daughter. Disappearing into her career in New York. Karin Slaughter has given them life. The life before the tragedy as well as the healing on which the book focuses.

I do feel the ending was a little drawn out and somethings that maybe should have been left unresolved are conveniently tied off. This is a personal preference that reflect my desires as a reader. These are minor issues that do not adversely affect the plot or characters.

Twenty eight years ago, a tragic event shook the life of the Quinn family beyond repair. Sisters Charlie and Sam Quinn have since entered adulthood and have grown increasingly estranged from each other. Whilst they are each still dealing separately with the aftermath and consequences of the tragedy, a shoot out at the Pikeville Elementary school brings them together once again. But will they be able to put the past events behind them and move on?

This psychological thriller rings very true. Honest and very brutal in places, it reads as a personal confession from various viewpoints and has many twists and turns to keep the reader riveted. A very good thriller indeed.

I LOVED this book! The first book Ive ready by Karen Slaughter, definitely looking out for more. A really well written, character driven, story of two sisters and the harrowing expisode that happened when they were younger, and changed theirs lives irrecovably. . The way it affected them individually, what they had to come to terms with, what they had to try and forget. A father who was the pivotal character in the story, and from which everything was linked, caused, happened. I read the book in about three straight sittings, it had me hooked from the start. I loved the way the story evolved, and you learnt more crucial, critical facts, which made you understand the characters so much better, and the horrendous implications. For me, this was at least a 5+ stars! Thank you net galley for the chance to preview this book. I need more!

Easily a five star read for me. I loved this book. I really enjoy Karin Slaughter novels anyway and I am so happy that this one was no exception. I felt so many different emotions when I read this book and it had the immersive quality that allowed me to feel what the characters were.

i thought this book resembled the work of Tana French and that is a great thing. I found both crimes documented so riveting, and different. These crimes allowed the story to unravel slowly and the complex relationship between Sam and Charlie glued me to the page. Kelly was also a fantastic character and the twists and turns in her crime were fantastic.

The character of Rusty was fantastic to me. I would read five books about his life alone!

4.0 out of 5 stars Dark at times but still a very good read., Aug. 21 2017
By Louise H
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This review is from: The Good Daughter: A Novel (Kindle Edition)
This is at times a dark read, and definitely powerful. Generally it is well written, keeping me engaged and on edge through out. There were times when I felt the pace slowing a little, especially during some long winded conversations, but in some ways this gave me a rest from the mystery/suspense and drama in the rest of the book. It has some amazing plot twists and two stories running in parallel, one involving Sam and Charlie from their adolescence , the other involving a crime that Charlie witnesses in the present day.

It isn't a quick or an easy read but it is a very enjoyable and very worthwhile read.

I cried for Charlie.

I cried for Sam.

Never has a crime novel affected me quite like that.

And I was so sad about Kelly and furious about how she was exploited.

As indicated I really got engrossed in the characters. The storytelling was intense and atmospheric and I thought an excellent novel.

Another brilliant story from Karin Slaughter.
I thoroughly enjoyed this thriller.
The pace was excellent and I just could not put it down.
Well worth reading.

Exceptional!!! My first Karin Slaughter novel by far exceeded all expectations. So intense I couldn't put it down!

The Good Daughter is a tale of sisters Charlie and Sam, how their lives were tragically and irreversibly affected after a horrendous nightmare of violence and death hit the Quinn family.

These two sisters are damaged, flawed, yet powerful and strong.

Karin Slaughter does an amazing job of beautifully portraying the complex, dynamic relationship between sisters as well as their very different relationship with their father.

I felt SO many emotions whilst reading this, some of them uncomfortable as the book does not shy away from describing some dark, graphic and violent scenes that may be difficult for some to read, though each word being purposeful and necessary to contribute to our understanding of the brilliantly fleshed out characters.

With the themes of family relationships, grief and forgiveness, crossing over several genres of crime, psychological suspense, legal thriller as well as family drama, The Good Daughter has it all!

This one is gut wrenching, with a complex plot, unforseen twists, shocking secrets and deliciously unpredictable, it will grab you and won't let go until the very end!

Thank you to Netgalley, HarperCollins UK and Karin Slaughter for providing me with a copy of this fantastic read in exchange for my honest opinion, guaranteed I will be on the lookout for more by Karin Slaughter.

.The first thing I need to say is that this review is intentionally vague and very short. The burning question is why? Well, there was no easy way to review the book without spoiling plot twists so for that I will remain unapologetic. I want everyone to enjoy as much as I did and in this instance, in my humble opinion, less is definitely more.

I must confess that this is the first book I have read by this author but I will certainly be adding all her other novels to my list. I was gripped from the first page. The characters are multi layered, believable and well rounded. The Quinn family have faced trauma, heartache and immense loss in their lives, how will they survive when another tragedy hits the small town of Pikeville, which again rocks the family's already fragile core.

I loved Charlie, she is strong, dependable but underneath, vulnerable and troubled. Her father Rusty, the defense attorney, takes on the cases that other lawyers will not touch, sometimes to the detriment of his loved ones. He is passionate about his work, but is this devotion misplaced?

The intricacies of the Quinn family relationship weave effortlessly through this crime drama. You invest into the well-being of Rusty and his family whilst desperately trying to unravel the mystery of the shooting in the school and uncover what actually happened on that night in Pikeville, twenty-eight years ago.

From the very first chapter, you hit the ground running and the pace stays constant throughout. The ending did not disappoint, the web of intricate storylines fits together beautifully. It is graphic at times but this just makes the characters more compelling and you are swept away with the outstanding storytelling.

A gripping story from start to finish. Thoroughly enjoy the author's books and this one did not disappoint. Thoroughly enjoyable read.

I could give you a hundred adjectives describing my feelings for this book- riveting, captivating, engaging - but those words become cliches, and this book is so much more than all those words combined. As a reader of 100+ books a year, I can tell you this is the one you don't want to miss. As a writer, I can tell you this is the book I wish I'd written.

I found that I read this book more slowly than usual because I wanted to linger over the words. The imagery Karin Slaughter gives us here is truly brilliant.

The story is original and believable. We have the twists and turns that Slaughter excels at, but, more than that, we have all the human elements that make this story matter.

And oh the characters! They are complex, perfectly flawed, and unforgettable.

Have I conveyed how much I loved this book? Really, truly perfection.

This was an interesting gritty story of two sisters who suffered a harrowing episode in their past and how it completely changed their lives. Great characterizations and a pacy dialogue.. Emotional and disturbing! A great read.

It's testimony to Slaughter's deft characterisation that despite my guessing who did it and why a few pages after the killing event, I carried on reading.

Although Slaughter has been accused of focusing too much on graphic depictions of violence in her books (something that male authors seem to get away with rather more), what we have here is a female perspective on violence committed against women and it is right that this should disturb us. The consequences of the acts of violence experienced by Sam and Charlie Quinn take a wrecking ball to their domestic, emotional life and as readers we are not spared the consequences of this.

Charlotte and Samantha Quinn live in a cabin on the edge of Pikeville with their mother. Dad is a notorious defense attorney - hardly ever home, too busy standing up for truth and justice and no respecter of persons - he'll defend anyone.

Their domesticity, as it is, is shattered one evening by an invasion of the most horrific kind. Thugs at the door, with malicious intent. Both girls take off, eventually, on foot into the woods, the thugs in pursuit. There more horrors abound, and eventually, it's over.

28 years later, and it's still not. Charlie and Sam are still scarred. Charlie has followed in Rusty Quinn's footsteps, to some extent, and Sam and Rusty now need her back in Pikesville.

There Charlie and Sam must face their ghosts, their demons and some of the self same people who are still mocking them and calling them names, Seriously.

With a name like Slaughter, Karin lives up to it in the gore department. The body count is not for sissies, and neither are the various methods of torture.

Fortunately, to go with that is an epic plot - all over 500 pages of it were as gripping and enthralling as those that had gone before - and characters that make you want to move to Pikeville.

Sam is the impulsive, get-on-with-life, who gives a damn younger sister, and Charlie is the older, wiser, face down everything with courage person. I loved them both. Them and their not so Atticus Finch father. And the essence of a good Karin Slaughter book is these perfectly captured imperfect people. They bounce off the page with their snarky comments.

It's not often that I give a Karin Slaughter book fewer than 5 stars, and this is no exception - its jam packed with all that makes these books thoroughly enjoyable and unputdownable. even without Will Trent.

This is a standalone book and is a great introduction to this author if you haven’t read any of her books yet. The Good Daughter is not a fast-paced thriller. It takes its time exploring social, political, and familial issues. The tensions and abiding love of family are perhaps the main themes of the story and, as such, it is very character driven. It’s definitely a slow-burning thriller but the ending is fast-paced and unpredictable.

A defence attorney makes an interesting point of view in a crime thriller. It’s easy to revile these people but this book helps you understand their motives for doing what they do. Rusty especially is a complicated man and easy to disparage because of the clients he defends. However, I came to understand his motivations for choosing this job and the justice he hopes to achieve. Charlie and Sam were definitely the most interesting characters. Their intelligence and strength were admirable, and I quickly became invested in them. The relationship between the sisters was nuanced, and it was easy to identify with the connection they shared. Being disabled myself, Sam’s disability also rang true. Her anger and frustration were understandable, and the limitations of a small town when dealing with disabilities were, unfortunately, all too recognisable.

I loved the atmospheric setting of a cloyingly rural small-town in Georgia. It’s the type of place where everyone knows everyone else’s business, and tensions are quick to escalate. The violence was dark and harrowing at times, and even graphic, but it was never gratuitous and I felt it was necessary to understand the characters. The reveals came thick and fast towards the end and there was a huge twist that I never guessed. This was one of those books I couldn’t put down and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who loves crime thrillers.

Being the daughters of the eccentric, brilliant Gamma and the champion of the underdog, Rusty was never very easy! When Samantha and Charlotte were teenagers there lives were torn apart by the brutality of two men. These events sent Sam as far away from her family as she could get and kept Charlie local and working alongside her father.

Twenty eight years later when Charlie is a witness to another horrific event the battle for the the truth begins. -
the truth of the present event and the truth of that fatal night so many years ago.

This book gradually reeled me in. I wanted to know more about these characters and I wanted them to survive against the odds. This book deals with a lot of uncomfortable subjects and it doesn't pull its punches. This all made for a riveting read. I kept having to read one more chapter to get closer to the answers.

Definitely a five star read. Thanks Netgalley & the publishers for being responsible for my lost sleep!

I’m probably in the minority here but I do prefer Karin Slaughters standalone books to her Will Trent series. The last book of hers I read was Pretty Girls back in 2015 which just blew me away and got the full 5 stars from me. The Good Daughter has been garnering praise from fellow bloggers so I just knew it was one I had to read!

I would recommend not reading any reviews (except this one ofcourse!) before heading into this one. The reason being I actually read a review that I thought had a spoiler in it which did ruin one of the twists for me, so that what should have been a jaw dropping moment became an awaited moment instead. Saying that, there were plenty of other plot twists in this epic legal thriller to keep me on my toes. It’s quite a long book at over 500 pages but it didn’t feel like it as the pages flew by and I actually managed to read it over two nights, not wanting to leave these wonderfully fleshed out characters alone.

The first few pages here were very powerful and rather tough to read at times. Both crimes here, the one involving Charlie and her sister Sam 28 years ago and The middle school shooting, were very hard hitting. Graphically and invasively described, neither of them are for the faint hearted reader but they are both gripping in their emotional impact projected on all those affected. Charlie was a wonderfully complex personality and at times watching her, I felt like I was watching a car slowly sliding down an icy road, unable to stop the resulting crash I knew awaited her. This was a woman on the edge and as her character developed, my expectations of her changed constantly as did my overall perceptions of what would be the eventual outcome. I was pretty far off the track to be honest, but I had become so involved in the plot that I hadn’t even formed any solid opinions about the outcome, I just let the character led drama wash over me, flooding me with some very dark and disturbing images.

The small town mentality was perfectly brought to life here without too much stereotyping of its local population. But it was the themes of family across all of the plot threads that really brought this town to life for me. Rusty and his understated affections, the parents of school shooter Kelly with their quiet determination of her innocence and the convincing relationship between two teenage sisters who have no idea how the events of one day are going to unfold, changing the dynamics of one family forever.

The Good Daughter was well worth the wait for me. Karin Slaughter really throws everything she has into her books, evoking emotions where you least expect them, building them up to a strong and shocking climax. And as this intensely disturbing and traumatic page turner unfolded, I wanted it end but didn’t at the same time. A gripping and skin crawling thriller recommended for fans old and new.

I just loved this book. I love Karin Slaughter and she has one hell of a good imagination. I just don't know how she comes up with all those jaw dropping twists. This is a very dark, gritty and graphic read. It is a very tough subject matter. It is very well written and like all of her books the characters were done so well. This is the first book in the Good Daughter Series