False Witness is a standalone crime thriller that takes place during the Covid-19 pandemic. I wasn’t sure I was ready for a book set in the pandemic but it was very well done !
Leigh Collier and her sister Callie are both haunted by traumatic events from their youth. Whereas Leigh became a self sabotaging type A defense attorney at one of Atlanta’s prestigious firms Callie became an addict. Leigh tries helping her sister but addiction doesn’t work like that and it is well portrayed here.
⁣
One day, Leigh is assigned a case by one of the naming partners of her law firm. The client is the heir of a prominent Atlanta family and accused of rape. His trial starts in 6 days. He specifically requested Leigh be his attorney, and he does everything he can to push Leigh to the limit. But what is she missing ?
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Leigh needs her sister and needs them to access their shared buried trauma. They worked together to save each other from pure evil when they were younger, can they do it one more time? ⁣These two estranged sisters are pulled back into each other’s lives. I couldn’t stop listening it was absolutely captivating but no spoilers here !

A word of warning, this book is not for everyone, there is gruesome violence, it is quite dark, it gets very twisty and there is heavy commentary on women not being believed about sexual assault.

Kathleen Early‘s narration for the audiobook is fabulous ! Each character was clearly defined and articulated !

Are you ready for books to be set in the pandemic ? I wasn’t sure but it was actually interesting to see the switches in the procedural system at the different times in the pandemic addressed !

Karin Slaughter has done it again. I'm a HUGE fan and this book just confirmed my love for her writing, her characters and her ability to express human nature in the most raw ways. This book has the graphic descriptions that I've come to expect and crave from Slaughter's writing. It also has the bond of sisterhood that is weaved into many of her books. The story itself is compelling and the characters have depth and development that makes their story come to life. I loved that this story unfolded in the time of the pandemic. While it was in no way in the forefront, it was still a side character that helped carry the themes of injustice along with it. The one piece of this book that has stuck with me the most is how well Slaughter represented addiction through the character of Calli. Her storyline opened me up to a reality of high-functioning addiction that I haven't really understood well and brought with it a new level of compassion for those who find themselves tangled in such a deep cycle of pain. This one gets 5 stars hands down!

This, of course, is another stunner from Slaughter’s recent release.
She did a fabulous job at incorporating our world as it is now with the ramifications of Covid still going on.
In her trademark style, she has completely flawed characters that have done some not-so-good deeds, but for good reason & you find yourself rooting for them anyway.
These characters are human & placed in horrible situations that have you questioning what you would do in their shoes. These characters also suffer majorly for their choices, developing addictive habits & not being able to carry on a normal life due to mistakes & childhood traumas.
Kathleen Early, as always, is the perfect narrator for this book as she always is for Slaughter’s books. Her way to capture the voice of Slaughter’s words and perfectly give her characters their voice is stunning, making her one of my favorite narrators.

Back with a thrilling new standalone, Slaughter does not disappoint with False Witness. Leigh Coulton is a middle of the road defense attorney which is exactly what she wants, to be looked over, until a high profile client request her by name. With ties back to her childhood and the night that drove her apart from her sister, Leigh has to dig deep in to the past and reconnect with her sister in order to save their future. Like all of Slaughter's titles, False Witness is impossible to out down with well-crafted characters and plot twists that keep you tuned in till the credits track. Kathleen Early gives another stellar performance as she continues as Slaughter's regular narrator. Following in line with her other standalones, False Witness is a bit more gritty, even on par with the graphic level of Pretty Girls (another favorite of Slaughters).

“Leigh rarely considered guilt or innocence. Most of her clients were guilty as hell. Some of them were nice. Some were assholes. None of it mattered because justice was blind, except when it came to the color green…It was better to be guilty and rich than innocent and poor.”

“Cash was like sex, you didn’t talk about it unless you weren’t getting enough of it.”

Leigh Coulton has worked hard to build herself what looks like a normal life. She is a defense attorney with a daughter doing well in school and a very civilized divorce. Then a case lands on her desk defending a wealthy man accused of rape. But when she meets the accused she realizes it is no coincidence that he has chosen her. He knows her. And he knows what happened twenty years ago, a devastating act of violence that Leigh has been running from ever since. If she can’t get him acquitted, she is going to lose much more than the case.

Ooooh my Karin Slaughter is ᗷᗩᑕK guys. There is no other author that comes to mind that can write a chapter so violent and gory that I physically recoil in the best and most twisted way. God I have missed her!

The story and the character development was great! I think the book was just a bit too long, though, with veryyy long chapters. I found myself multiple times almost wanting to fast forward to just get to the meat of the story. The audio though?? Fab! The way Kathleen Early performed the murder scenes…just wow. An absolutely perfect depiction full of gut wrenching emotion. It is not every day that an audiobook has you feeling some type of way..in the best possible ways but with the worst possible subject matter.

My only gripe is all of the covid references. Too soon, girl, too soon. I understand why she added it after hearing her explanation at the end of the book. But, we’re still in the thick of it and, as a first responder, I just do not want to read a book and be immersed in what I see every day at work. So I say again, 🤏🏻 too soon. At least for me.

Thank you to Netgalley, William Morrow Books, Blackstone Publishing, and the author for this ALC in exchange for an honest review.

CW: pedophilia, rape, sexual assault, drug use.

I did not really like this book. I am a huge fan of Karin Slaughter, she is one of the few auto-buy authors for me, but I just didn’t like this one as much as I’ve liked her others.
Some aspects I didn’t like: it is set during the current pandemic (I am living through it and I don’t want to read about), aspects seemed very unbelievable (the good guys kidnap and torture a private detective who was also a victim of the main bad guy, and they just get away with it), at the end everyone dies (okay, not everyone, but a good portion of the main characters).
I felt the ending was not satisfactory, there were a lot of questions left unanswered. This was a long book and a lot happens in it, but it felt like maybe too much was happening, it couldn’t all be resolved.
There is also a lot of violence towards women. I know this is a thriller and that should be expected, but it seemed like a lot. Maybe it’s because it was the narrators who had and were experiencing the violence or maybe I’m just getting tired of it always being women experiencing the worst that men can do…
I did appreciate the authors note at the end.

Really really great thriller/mystery. There’s so much I want to write about but then I don’t want to spoil even a second of this book. Lots of unexpected twists and turns even within the first few chapters. I listened to the audiobook version and this narrator did a wonderful job with all the different characters.

*Trigger warnings- Sexual Abuse, Mental Health, Drug Abuse.

This was my first Karin Slaughter book and I was not disappointed! It definitely won’t be my last by her. While the chapters were long and the subject matter was very heavy and at times graphic, I loved how descriptive the writing was. I felt fully immersed in this story the entire time and needed to know what would happen next. I really like alternating timelines, which this book had, and the dynamic between these characters, some of which were super creepy. The last quarter or so of the book was a bit of a wild ride and it went in unexpected directions and I liked it! My one issue with this book was SO much Covid talk. The author provides an author’s note as to why, but I still just think there was an overuse of mentioning masks throughout.

**Lots of TW for this one: sexual abuse (of a minor), addiction, drug abuse, murder, violence, graphic scenes

I thought the narration of this book was fantastic! The narrator did a great job switching voices for characters and keeping with the suspenseful vibes of the story. I would absolutely listen to more books narrated by her.

If you’ve ever read a Karin Slaughter book before, then you know how dark and messy things can get. This one was exactly what I expected from her – it was gruesome and violent, intense, distressing and just perfect for when you want a really heavy, heart-quickening thriller.

There were so many triggering situations going on, too many for me to list them all here. Just keep in mind entering this that this is not a light, pleasant murder mystery that you read on a long afternoon and forget about as soon as you put it down.

If you want to see my much more in depth review, you can check it out on my book blog NovelOnMyMind.

Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for providing me with an audiobook version of False Witness by Karin Slaughter in exchange for an honest review.

Happy Pub Day: False Witness by Karin Slaughter

This book is a thriller not a big mystery so you know who committed the crimes fairly early in the book but that is more than okay. You get loss in the psychological chess game that the killer is playing and you're constantly invested in both protagonists - Leigh & Callies' safety. Part of what this book examines is what lengths ordinary people will go to to protect the ones they love.

There are so many social topics covered in this book especially the blatant sexism and misogyny that exists in our society. How women and girls are treated and sexualized is part of the subtext of this brilliant book. I love that Ms. Slaughter also talks about racism, poverty and other social justice issues in a way that feels organic to the story.

Thank you @Netgalley and @blackstonepublishing for this wonderful ALC.

I enjoyed this masterfully created and powerful book. I am a huge fan of Slaughter's book and once again she's done a fantastic job. I think this is definitely her best work yet. She's a master at creating complicated and yet realistic characters.

I absolutely love her writing style and she just has the ability to create a scene where you can visualise it.

Leigh and Calli are both survivors of trauma and now as adults, Leigh has turned her life around and became a lawyer. Her younger sister Calli however became a drug addict. Leigh's life turns upside down when she meets some one from her past.

Leigh's in a tough position and has to fight hard for her career and family without exposing her past. From the first page you are hooked on and the final twist at the end is just Karin Slaughter's style.

I don't want to giveaway anything but this one is a must read. You will not be disappointed.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to review!

It’s #thrillerthursday and I’ve got a great recommendation for you. Karin Slaughter’s new release, False Witness, is 🔥🔥🔥

I’ve chatted before about my love of a great hook, but what about the great final line, that Breakfast Club Judd Nelson fist pump that nails the ending? (If you have zero idea, what I’m talking about, please immediately go watch Breakfast Club and send me a DM) Also, I’m not sharing what the final line is, but, once you read it, let me know if you feel the same 😉

Not only was I hooked from the beginning and glued to all 435 pages, but Leigh’s final comment of the book made me slam the cover shut with an “omg, perfect”.

I’m not saying that there aren’t triggers in here. There are. Karin Slaughter is always brutally honest in her writing regarding drugs and violence. If that’s not your thing, this probably isn’t your book, but, for all my thriller-loving friends, you need this book. Trust me.

Thanks to @karinslaughterauthor and @williammorrowbooks for my beautiful finished copy. Thanks to @netgalley and Blackstone Publishing Audio for my advance audio version, which is narrated by the super talented Kathleen Early.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CRpB0eSLwxp/
@girl_loves_dogs_books_wine

Leigh and her sister Callie seem like a lesson in opposites, Leigh is a successful defense attorney with a beautiful daughter and a sort of ex-husband, Walter, she still gets along with (I was rooting for them!). Callie is a junkie, and has been for years, doing anything to chase that next high, but they’ve been forever bonded by more than just blood. While Leigh seems to have it all together, and Callie’s life has leveled out a bit, all could unravel when Leigh’s is forced into defending Andrew Tenant, the accused, in a brutal rape case. These sisters, while estranged would do anything for each other, but that’s put to the test when Leigh discovers just who Andrew is and what he knows about their past.

I love Karin Slaughter’s stories; I’m enthralled and in awe of her talent every time I pick up one of her stories! False Witness was a pulse pounding, suspenseful plot, and I didn’t want to stop listening! Even when I’d have to (since I need sleep to work!) I spent a good amount of time lying awake and thinking about Leigh, and Callie and how it would all turn out! Their story broke my heart in parts, but even with the intensity and grittiness of the story the love between these sisters and their people (Walter, Maddy, and Dr. Jerry) warmed my heart. There was even a bit of humor to offset some of the tension. I wanted these two to kick some ass and conquer!

Kathleen Early’s performance was fantastic! She narrates Karin Slaughter’s Will Trent series, and several of her standalone novels so I’m familiar and a big fan. Will Trent is one of my all-time favorite mystery/thriller series’ and it wouldn’t be the same without her narration!

I received an audiobook of False Witness by Karin Slaughter for review provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

What a ride. There are so many things I enjoyed about this book.Definitely recommend if you’re into fictional true crime books. I was on the edge of my seat, trying to figure out what was going to happen; just when I thought I had it figured out another plot twist. I really loved the sister dynamics of Leigh and Callie. How Leigh was so protective of Callie and would go through any lengths/ costs to save her.

I liked how Slaughter includes social and political aspects of current times in this book. It was seamless how it intertwined with the characters and purpose in the story. The author’s note at the end sums this up perfectly.

There are definitely TW in this you should be aware of sexual assault, drug use/addiction, pedophilia, graphic description of violence.


Blurb:
He saw what you did.

He knows who you are …

From the New York Times bestselling author of Pieces of Her and The Silent Wife, an electrifying standalone thriller

AN ORDINARY LIFE …
Leigh Collier has worked hard to build what looks like a normal life. She has a good job as a defense attorney, a daughter doing well in school, and even her divorce is relatively civilized—her life is just as unremarkable as she’d always hoped it would be.

HIDES A DEVASTATING PAST …
But Leigh’s ordinary life masks a childhood which was far from average … a childhood tarnished by secrets, broken by betrayal, and finally torn apart by a devastating act of violence.

BUT NOW THE PAST IS CATCHING UP …
Then a case lands on her desk—defending a wealthy man accused of rape. It’s the highest profile case she’s ever been given—a case which could transform her career, if she wins. But when she meets the accused, she realizes that it’s no coincidence that he’s chosen her as his attorney. She knows him. And he knows her. More to the point, he knows what happened twenty years ago, and why Leigh has spent two decades running.

AND TIME IS RUNNING OUT.
If she can’t get him acquitted, she’ll lose much more than the case. The only person who can help her is her younger, estranged sister Callie, the last person Leigh would ever want to ask for help. But suddenly she has no choice …

Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. I had no idea what to expect going into this but I was hooked from the first chapter. There are so many details to this book and I don’t want to give any of them anyway but I was just totally intrigued by each passing chapter to see what would happen next. I love Karin Slaughters writing style. The amount of detail she puts into her books makes it so easy to picture the entire book playing out. The only one tiny thing I wasn’t crazy about was the amount of Covid talk throughout the book. Reading is my escape from the real world and I felt like it was brought up a lot throughout the book. That did not effect my rating or how much I love the book. False Witness has definitely left me with a book hangover. Also as a PSA there so many trigger warnings. If you think of trigger warning this book has it.

False Witness is the latest from @karinslaughterauthor and it’s oh SO good. I listened to this at work over the weekend, ignored all of my coworkers, and got completely sucked in by this dark and gritty stand-alone novel.
I love Will Trent and his books so much, but I thought this was excellent. This narrator is brilliant. She completely takes the listener in with her voice and made this even better.

Quick Synopsis: False Witness centers around Leigh Collier, who has worked really hard to be a successful defense attorney, and everything seems fine until she is asked to defend a wealthy man who is accused of rape. She soon realizes that there is a reason why she is given this case and now she must confront her deep dark buried past, including asking the help from her estranged sister, Callie.

My thoughts: This was my first book by Karin Slaughter and oh boy, what a wild ride! I went into this book blind, not knowing what to expect. The plot was so twisty, diabolical but good! Leigh and the accused were like playing mind games and definitely had me at the edge of my seat! This case also caused Leigh and Callie in such a difficult situation and I was rooting for them the entire time!

I liked that the story is set during pandemic time which is relatable - mask wearing, hand sanitizers, social distance, etc …

This story is dark, brutal and has graphic scenes of drug use and violence. The ending was an unexpected one but perfect.

I switched back and forth between the digital copy and audiobook, and I enjoyed both! The narrator did an incredible job and her voice was distinct enough to distinguish between different characters.

In a nutshell, this was one heck of an amazing story! A must read if you like a twisty, disturbing and fast-paced thriller!


CW: Substance and alcohol abuse, violence, rape,


Pub. Date: July 20th. 2021

***Thank you William Morrow Books, Blackstone Publishing, author Karin Slaughter and NetGalley for this gifted reading and listening copy.***

From my blog: Always With a Book:

I absolutely love Karin Slaughter’s books, as dark and chilling as they tend to be, and this latest one is no exception. It was one of my most anticipated reads for this month and it totally delivered, as I suspected it would.

This latest story is a stand-alone, which I know Karin Slaughter more for. I have only read one of the books in her series, but her stand-alones to me are where she excels! And this one is all about sisters – my absolute favorite kind of relationship to read about. Callie and Leigh have a dark secret that manages to creep into their present.

This story delves into some pretty heavy, dark topics, topics that might be off-putting to some, but if you are a regular reader of this author, you know what you are likely getting into. If you are new to this author – be warned, this book is not for the faint of heart.

What I loved is that the twists start almost from the get-go and never stop. There are some pretty shocking ones and some minor ones, but they manage to keep you on your toes and flipping the pages. It’s a fast-paced book and between the twists and the pace, I was all in. I also loved the character development. I felt that over the course of the book – and let me just say – this is a big book! – we really get to know them. They are flawed and fallible and you can’t help but want to root for them, even though they make some questionable choices.

As she had done with her previous few novels, the author actively chose to mark the time of this book. She set it during the pandemic, though it is set in the latter part of it, not at the onset. While this is not a main focus of the book, it does play a hand in how certain things are done and I think the author handled it well. She does address her reasoning for including this in her author’s note, so be sure to read this.

This was such a complex, at times violent, crime novel, and yet, it’s also an emotional story at times, too, diving into the complex dynamics of the sibling relationship and the emotional toll that addiction takes on those we love. Being a fan of this author, I loved it, but I know this book might not be for everyone, so proceed with caution. If you like thrillers with a dark, gritty vibe, pick this one up.



Audio thoughts:

Even though I only listened to the last half of this novel, I had no problems jumping in midway. Kathleen Early is such a talented narrator and she does such a fantastic job with the voices that I was able to easily adjust to her narration without any issues. Her pacing and intonation were spot on and she infused just the right amount of emotion and suspense into her voice as needed. She really did a great job bringing this book to life!

𝘞𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘥, 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤!

Dark, disturbing, graphic and impossible to put down, what a wild ride. You need a strong stomach for this one, but if you can handle it it’s totally worth it, I loved everything about this book!

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 NetGalley 𝘢𝘯𝘥 Blackstone Publishing 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘈𝘓𝘊!

False Witness by Karin Slaughter releases tomorrow July 20, 2021.

𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦: 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬, 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘩𝘪𝘤 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘣𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘮𝘦, 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘥𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴.

https://www.instagram.com/booksandcoffeemx/

False Witness is the new stand-alone book from Karin Slaughter. This is a review for the audiobook version.

"Two sisters, Leigh and Callie, committed a crime years ago to save each other from a predator. They thought they were free and clear. But someone from the past is acting like they know what happened. Now Leigh must ask her sister for help to save herself and her family."

Slaughter gives us another wild story. The tension is high throughout the novel. You are always wondering if the next page will be the one where the sisters' secret is made public.
There are characters you want to protect - Leigh and Callie - both abused by the father of a kid they babysit - both affected for life from the abuse.
Buddy is a character you want to see punished. No sympathy for him even after what happens. Slaughter gives us a horrible character hiding in plain sight.
A son who wants revenge. One sister who can't beat her addictions. Another sister full of guilt. And a crazy, psychotic girlfriend/fiance/wife.

Slaughter chose to use the current pandemic situation as the setting in this book. She gives an explanation for the WHY in the acknowledgements. I thought that it did not help the story other than to place it at a specific time. She also gives a lot of drug addiction statistics that tend toward overexplaining. Again - doesn't add to the narrative. She also addresses this in the acknowledgements.

Slaughter gives us a wild ending. And there's an interesting twist that was unexpected. I hope we get to see Harper and/or Maddie in a future book.

Great audiobook performance from Kathleen Early. Slaughter fans should like this new book from KS.


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