If you're looking for a book that will keep you awake whole night, look no further than this book by Karin Slaughter. The Good Daughter is seriously good. The author is a well know mystery and thriller writer, but this book is the first I read by her. I will soon read something by her, because if all her books are so well written and thought out, then I'm in a mystery reader heaven. And hell at the same time, because Slaughter is really mean to her readers. She makes us read all the disturbing and horrifying details of a crime, not once but thrice. From different points of view, but every time with excruciating details.

The Good Daughter examines quite a few important aspects of our life - family, trauma, grief, love. First, we learn about the scary past. And then we learn about a scary present. Character development is exquisite, and I have no words on how impressed I am. The dynamic between characters, the awkwardness, love, hate, anger, disgust, you can feel them yourself. It all works perfectly together. The author created strong and flawed characters, that are too real.The book is filled with sadness. Grief and trauma and one of the main issues of the story, they drive the plot. I was hard for me to read some of the more heartbreaking and horrifying stories. Slaughter is not only mean to her readers, she is an embodiment of evil to her characters. Throughout the book, she hits them and hits them again with more and more destroying events and news.

I'm deliberately trying to avoid providing any information about the story. I prefer to know nothing about a thriller I'm about to read. It's just much more fun when you have a chance to learn all the details as you read, and don't look forward to when stuff mentioned in the blurb will happen. If you're willing - trust me and read this book.

I’ll start by admitting that I love Karin Slaughter’s books. I’ve been an avid reader of hers since the Grant County series began way back in 2001. Check out “Blindsighted” and you’ll be on the right path. She just has a way of writing about damaged Southern folk that is so vivid that you feel like you’re right there in the dustbowl with them.
The Good Daughter is a new standalone novel. Set in a small town called Pikeville, the book begins with a tragedy. A mother is killed in her own kitchen. Her two daughters are forced out into the woodland surrounding the house at gunpoint. One daughter makes a run for it and escapes. The older daughter is shot in the head and buried in the forest.
Twenty eight years later Charlie works with her father at his law practice in Pikeville. Rusty is still ornery and unpredictable – loved and hated by his neighbours – defending abortion centres and convicted killers alike he has made his mark on the area.
Charlie has rebuilt her life in the town after recovering from her dreadful childhood ordeal. Estranged from her husband Ben she is questioning everything and not finding many answers. An early morning errand stop at a local middle school finds Charlie in the middle of another blood bath. A student with a gun shooting at staff and students alike leaves the whole town devastated. When Rusty takes on the role of the spree killer’s defence attorney all of the carefully erected psychological barriers start to fall away. Can Charlie cope when the truth about what happened to her starts to emerge?
This is a gripping thriller, full of twists and turns. I had guessed part of the twist but the main denouement knocks you for six. Its a shame that it is a one off novel because I was really enjoying the characters and the setting. Pick it up for your holiday reading now. You won’t regret it.
Supplied by Net Galley and Harper Collins in exchange for an honest review.
UK Publication Date: July 13 2017. 512 pages.

When I was offered an advance copy of this novel, I was hesitant. I've read some of the Grant County series, and found them to be quite 'samey', but as The Good Daughter was touted as a stand-alone novel, I thought it would be worth a try. I'm very glad that I did.

The story weaves back and forth between 1989 and present day, telling the story of Charlotte and Samantha Quinn, and the events that irrevocably changed their lives. Nearly thirty years ago, they were the victims of violent crimes that tore their family and lives apart. Now, Charlie is involved in a school shooting, and her estranged sister is dragged back into the family and small town she thought she had left behind forever

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

To be published in numerous magazines in September: Charlotte and Samantha Quinn's lives are changed forever when a violent crime destroys their family. 28 years later, Charlotte is working as a defence lawyer. She finds herself embroiled in a tragic event that leaves the town reeling, and the memories she’s tried so hard to bury come rushing back. Gripping.

Possibly the best book ever written by this author - a brilliant plot with so many unexpected twists and characters that jump right off the page. Hard to say too much without spoilers but basically if you enjoy gritty crime with depth then this is the book for you.

I thought I'd spend 10 minutes reading the start of this book before I went to sleep.Big mistake!I couldn't put it down! Completely gripping start to a book.Thoroughly enjoyed it the whole way through.Loved the characters and brilliantly written.One of my favourites this year.Triptych is the only other Karin Slaughter book I've read(also good), but will definitely be reading more.

I'm almost ashamed to say this is the first Karin Slaughter book I have read. I have friends who are big fans of her novels. They've recommended her books to me several times. I should have listened to them! I got completely engrossed in this one.

A family are torn apart by a brutal and terrifying attack on their home. The mother is shot dead, the father, a criminal defence lawyer, who wasn't at home, is left devastated. One teenage daughter is left mentally broken, the other physically broken.

Twenty eight years later one of the daughters, Charlotte, finds herself first on the scene of another horrendous attack that affects the whole town, this time a school shooting. Two people are dead, one of them a child, and a 16 year old Goth, Kelly Wilson is sitting with a revolver in her hand. The sound of gunshots gives Charlotte flashbacks to her mother's brutal murder and the terrible assault she and her sister suffered.

Charlotte is a defence lawyer like her father but although they work in the same building she does not work for her father. And she doesn't take on the same type of cases. Unlike her sister, she has a some kind of relationship with her father. She's remained in Pikeville because her husband Ben liked it there, although they have been separated for several months. Ben is an assistant district attorney but he appears to be a good person.

Her father Rusty, takes on the Kelly Wilson's case. He's quite a complex character. He always does what he thinks is right but I think he takes risks too. He is assisted by his long term secretary Lenore who is quite a character too. He also manages to get Charlotte to help him with the early formalities of Kelly Wilson's defence. He isn't particularly popular around town as he believes in justice for all and will represent anyone accused, no matter how awful the alleged crime. A lot of people hate him for the cases he takes on. At the time of his wife's murder, they had recently been forced to move to another property following an arson attack on their home.

Meanwhile Samantha, the older sister, is a very successful patent lawyer living in New York but she struggles physically with problems that are a direct result of her injuries sustained in the horrendous attack. She has no contact with her father or sister and knows nothing of what is going on in their lives. Although her father sends her a regular voicemail, she never responds. She's never returned to Pikeville even when her business takes her within 2 hours drive of the town.

It's a wonderful, multi-layered plot about two sisters with completely different characters, both lawyers but practising in difference areas of law, and their relationship (or non-relationship) with each other and their father. There are two horrendous events separated by twenty-eight years. How are they linked? Apart from Charlotte being there, are they linked?

It's a dark and brutal story. It's never boring. The author brilliantly weaves an engrossing story linking two brutal attacks twenty eight years apart.

I like that both girls' stories are told from each one's point of view both in the past and the present. There are chapters headed, “What happened to Samantha”, “What happened to Charlotte” and “What really happened to Charlie.” I feel it's an interesting device. I was slightly confused at first and had a feeling of deja vu as I knew I had read that part before, but it seemed to work. You read about a brutal, life-changing attack; then when you come across it again later in the book (almost identical words but with differences) the attack is even worse than you first thought. It certainly ramps up the tension and fear.

When the father ends up in hospital again with serious stab wounds, thought to be because he was representing the teenage school shooter in court, Charlotte who was already fragile, just can't cope. Her husband makes contact with Samantha and there is an attempt a some kind of reconciliation between the sisters. There are some recriminations and words but ended up investigating the school shooting case on their father's behalf. That is definitely not the end of the story.

There are a couple of excellent twists to the story leading ultimately to a shocking revelation. I really didn't see that ending coming.

For me, this book definitely gets 5 stars.

Initially I struggled to get into this book and the characters. I couldn't figure out where it was going. Once I did get into the book I was gripped and read until the early hours of the morning. It was sad it was funny, complex characters of two sisters who'd been through a very traumatic early life brought together again.
I loved Rusty and both Charlie and Sam grew on me.

Twistier than a slinky, this is a brilliantly written, well paced book.

I do read a lot of psychological thrillers, most of which are very good, having been recommended to me by people I trust. But only about 1 in every 20 of these is anywhere near as good as this.

Every time I thought I knew what was happening, something would come along to subtly or severely change my perception. Throughout the exploration of the excellent plot, the key characters were developed appropriately, and I look forward to reading more about them in future books.

I won't say more because anything will give away some of the pleasure of being surprised. Just go and get this book, and clear your weekend because you're not going to be able to put it down.

My first Karin Slaughter book and although I found the events from 1989 disturbing, I was really glad I kept reading.
In 1989 two men enter a house, shoot the mother and abduct the two teenage daughters.
Fast forward 28 years to a middle school shooting where two people are killed and a Goth girl arrested for their murder.
What follows is a complex weaving of lives changed, lies told and unsaid apologies brought together in a courtroom drama. To say more would be spoiling the book as unravelling the truth from lies, hero from villain is always a great pastime.

Unlike other reviewers I wasn't drawn into this book straight away. It took until at least a quarter of the way through before I would have found it impossible to put down but after that it was an absolute winner. Charlotte and Samantha's life is destroyed when their home is burnt to the ground and then their new home is invaded in a terrifying attack. Twenty eight years later Charlotte witnesses another brutal attack, the origins of which can be traced back to that awful night so long ago.
This book is so clever, it avoids the big twist and instead reveals layer upon layer of the story, revealing what exactly happened both nights so gradually that I found myself almost reliving the girls ordeal. Rusty is an amazing character, easy to love and hate in equal measure and once I realized that 'Gamma' was their mother and not their Grandma things made a lot more sense!
I'm a big fan of Karin Slaughter and her latest does not disappoint.

Karin Slaughter's standalone novel The Good Daughter is a riveting read. Set in the small town of Pikeville it brings with it all the small town 'closeness' (for better or worse) present in such communities. Sam and Charlie are sisters and living with the havoc that this 'closeness' can bring. Rusty, Sam and Charlie's father is the local Defence attorney and believes strongly in justice for all, this is, of course just what a good Defence lawyer should believe and Rusty is one of the best. He defends all comers be they murderers, rapists, petty thieves etc. This has won Rusty many enemies which not only resulted in the family home being burned down but also with Sam and Charlie witnessing Gamma, their quirky and intelligent mother being shot to death and leaving them both with their own demons to deal with.

28 years later the sisters, both lawyers, are living separate lives but when Charlie witnesses another brutal shooting, this one involving the local head teacher and a small child .. well, things 'come a cropper' and both of their carefully constructed existences are 'torn asunder'.

This is an excellent book, I have read some of Karin Slaughter's previous offerings and always enjoy them but tend to dip in and out, not anymore, I am now an avid Slaughter-ite. The Good Daughter is intelligently written, it's grown up, the characters are brilliantly flawed (except for Ben, I think he may be just perfect) and the plot is appropriately tricksy. A heartfelt thank-you to Netgalley for providing an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

A rivetting crime story (even the repetitions are gripping) focusing also on family's dysfuntions, intertwined with memory as it is coloured by violence and love. A stalwart campaigner as criminal lawyer Rusty, who we hardly see, alienates wife and daughters are brings murderous violence down on all their heads - we are living the aftermath with the survivors and what it has done to them - after dreadful loss. All of them are high-powered forensic specialists as either lawyers or investigators - and the men in the daughters' lives play important roles - the truth 'outs'only in the last pages and you are held until that last moment.... I was unable to put it down. SHe is a bestseller and she lives up to it here.

A multi-layered novel, with echoes of "To Kill a Mockingbird".

The central crime isn't what it appears; the clues are there and I found it quite easy to deduce the twist. To be honest, it's simplistic compared to crimes in her other novels and it's conclusion feels rushed. It's almost incidental as the real focus is on the dynamic between sisters - Samantha and Charlotte - and their father Rusty and how they coped (Or didn't) with the brutal murder of their mother and it's aftermath.

You draw conclusions about each of them only to find them challenged later in the story.

All in all, not quite up to the authors usual standards, but still enjoyable.

I was a little hesitant to start this book after the last Karin Slaughter book that I found to be overly gratuitous. I need not have worried, this book was a welcome return to form.

A shocking and life changing event 28 years in the past still reverberates in the lives of the sisters Sam and Charlie, their father Rusty and the small town of Pikeville. The book is just perfect at summing up small town life in America; everyone knows you and your business (and if they don't, they just make it up and it becomes truth) which is both a blessing and a curse.

A tragic event in the present brings the two sisters back together, and secrets that had long been packed up and hidden away are slowly and painfully revealed. The plot is intricate and so taut it meant that I really couldn't put the book down. The plot reveals are never at the expense of the wonderful characterisation though, even the peripheral characters are well drawn and fully realised.

I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this book to anyone looking for a crime novel that is a cut above the rest.

Thank you to net galley and the publishers Harper Collins for the ARC in return for an honest review.

Brilliant,intriguing,and utterly fantastic read this book in two sittings.

Excellent book. Great storyline and wonderful main characters. I would recommend this book.

Karen Slaughter does it again! A brilliant stand alone psychological thriller that I couldn't put down. Fans of Karen and this genre will love it.

This is the first Karin Slaughter book I have read and I really enjoyed it. Will definitely be downloading some more!

I am huge fan of Karin Slaughter’s novels: Grant County; Will Trent; and the standalones. The Good Daughter did not disappoint as an addition to the standalones. The author just has the knack of drawing you in to the extent that you have to turn page after page.

This is the story of two sisters, Sam and Charlie, who faced a traumatic event twenty eight years ago which left their mother dead and the two sisters, emotionally, and in one case physically broken. Sam moves away and Charlie stays in their hometown of Pikeville. A small place where everyone knows each other’s business and their father remains the controversial defence attorney. The incident is told from both sisters’ perspective.

We re-join theirs stories in the present where they are told from both the sisters’ viewpoints. We start with Charlie (her character reminds me of Lena in other novels) who witnesses a double shooting at the local middle school. The aftermath of this event is played out between the two main characters, their father, their father’s personal assistant and the young girl accused of the shootings.

The novel explores how Sam and Charlie can begin to rebuild their relationship so long after the event which drove them apart for so long. The relationship between sisters is a regular theme in Karin Slaughter’s books.

There are a number of satisfying twists and turns which lead to the conclusion. I would recommend this book.

ARC received from NetGalley and publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you.