Member Reviews

This Is Why We Lied by Karin Slaughter
I give this book 4.5 stars.

One toxic family. Eight suspicious guests. Everyone is guilty. But who is a killer?
Poised to strike again, the holiday of a lifetime becomes a race against the clock…

This is book 12 in the brilliant Will Trent series, every book is a totally different story which makes this another fantastic read.
A remote setting,a honeymoon and a murder. Everyone is a suspect staff,family and guests,can Will and Sara uncover the truth. The author’s attention to detail and multi layered narrative is engaging and I was questioning everything and everyone as secrets were revealed and the story became more dark and complex. I love Will,Amanda,Faith and Sara as characters in this ongoing series and Karin Slaughter is a talented author.
With thanks to Netgalley,Karin Slaughter and HarperCollins UK, for my chance to read and review this book.

Was this review helpful?

The series continues with investigator Will and Medical examiner Sarah finally get married and on their honeymoon in a remote resort when Mercy the woman who runs the place for her family since her father had a stroke is found murdered and all the family have secrets and everyone is lying.
There is a storm coming and the resort has no internet reception so they have to solve the case and quickly until the rest of the team can make it up the mountain.
The resort layout was a bit confusing and difficult to remember but a good story.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC and I give my honest review.

Was this review helpful?

Will thought he was going to enjoy a peaceful honeymoon with Sara, but come on we all knew that wasn’t going to happen didn’t we! This book covers a LOT of dark subjects which sometimes makes for uncomfortable reading. The story itself was complex with lots of twists to keep you guessing, and as always it was brilliantly written.

Was this review helpful?

I haven’t read anything by this author before and had no clue that this book was part of a series which definitely says this works as a stand alone. I will of course now have to go back and read the rest of the series. I loved the relationship between Sara and Will but apart from them there were some truly terrible and unlikable characters. A tale full of twists and turns that at times you don’t know who is telling the truth. A dark novel that keeps you guessing as more secrets emerge. I did find some of the descriptions of the locations a little tedious but overall a great read.

Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins for this ARC

Was this review helpful?

Having not read majority of the books in the Will Trent Series I do feel I'm missing some backstory. But at the same time you can read these as standalone which is good.
Overall I did enjoy this book. While I wasn't captivated I was still intrigued to see where it would go.
The main twist caught me off guard. While I had guessed something I certainly did not see that coming. I was left feeling uncomfortable.

Was this review helpful?

Honestly, Karin Slaughter is my most anticipated read of the year, every year, without fail. Again, she does not miss the mark here. Fast paced, heartbreaking story that is fantastically carried by Will and Sara, and returning with Amanda and Faith, all is well in the world.

Slaughter manages to write horrific stories that never come across as gratuitous, has excellent humour when it suits, and has such solid pacing you always fly through the books. Good twists and turns, and I thought it was sweet how she squeezed in a reference to the Will Trent television series, well played.

As always, highly recommended.

Was this review helpful?

5 star reads are few and far between, but you're nearly always guaranteed one when you pick up a Karin Slaughter book. I have followed the Will Trent Series for years, and it has never disappointed.
In book 12 of the series, Will and Sara are married and off on there honeymoon. Will has planned a lovely surprise destination, which is very remote. The book starts off with the murder of Mercy, the manager of the camping facility. It then goes back to before the murder, and we discover that this is not going to be a clear cut case, for many people have a motive to harm her.
Like previous books in the series, it is fast paced, with lots of twists and turns. It also deals with some heavy issues, which I think we've all come to expect from Karin Slaughter books. She is an absolute master at weaving together crime thrillers. If you've not read any of the series before, you could jump right in with this one and I'm sure you would thoroughly enjoy it. However, if crime thrillers are your thing, I highly recommend checking out this series from the start. For anyone familiar with the series, this is a must read.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for providing me with an ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to Netgallery and the publisher for this ARC. The publication date is the 20th June! This is the latest instalment by Karin Slaughter and what a cracking page turner it was! This book had everything a thriller should be dark, suspenseful and extremely twisty!

A great read that kept me guessing until the very end and wow I was gobsmacked by the ending like what it was unbelievable! I’m thinking of it long after I’ve read it! 😊

Was this review helpful?

Another epic installment in the series, This is Why We Lied is the 12th book featuring Will Trent.

While it’s not essential to read them all in order (I actually haven’t) it probably makes sense to know a bit of Will’s backstory from previous books.

TW for this book - violent murder, incest, domestic abuse among others

This is fantastic meaty story centred around Mercy McAlpine who greets Will and Sara on their honeymoon. Mercy is found murdered, stabbed to death in a truly brutal attack. Will (obviously) finds her and within a few hours of arriving is embroiled in a murder enquiry with more twists and turns than a Swiss mountain pass. Why did Mercy’s family dislike her so much, what are the mountain lodge guests hiding, what happened to Gabbie?

This book kept me truly enthralled through the whole thing, it is long and I do think lots of it could be glossed over but several things that I did really enjoy:

- the level of detail particularly in parts like the contact lens solution, the post mortem and others. Karin Slaughter really does go the extra mile in terms of the reader’s experience.
- Faith - love her character in this book especially
- Dave - I may not have liked him but his character is fantastic, layered and hateable from the off but so well thought out.
- The sheer amount of times I thought I had it figured out before the end only to be proved wrong.

Thanks to Harper Collins and NetGalley for the ARC.

Was this review helpful?

This latest Karin Slaughter books has many of the hallmarks of her earlier books but it's not her finest work. It's very dark, and also oddly long - so even though the story starts with a murder and then circles back round to end with the resolution, it feels like a slow read.
It is atmospheric but there's not a huge amount of character development. Solid read but I think could have been pacier and more pithy.

Was this review helpful?

This is a murder mystery set in a remote hotel, where a crime-fighting couple have accidentally turned up on honeymoon.

The book plots the course of the investigation as all the guests and owning-family are put under the microscope.

A good book with lots of twists and turns.

Was this review helpful?

Why oh why have I not read all of this series? Picking up this book gave me a swift reminder than I need to read more of them. I just love the way that Karin Slaughter writes, so dark and unsettling and full of interesting and complex characters. This was a locked room murder mystery of sorts and I loved it.

As always with this author, it is a long book, but never boring or drawn out. Will Trent and Sara Linton are on their honeymoon in a remote cabin retreat. No wifi and limited phone service. A break is just what both of them need. But their honeymoon is cut short when one of the family that run the place is murdered. The pair cannot stand by and do nothing, even when Faith and Amanda arrive. The big problem they come across is that any of the family or other guests could be the killer. There are plenty of reasons for any of them to want Mercy McAlpine dead.

What a dysfunctional family!! Not a nice one amongst them. So many lies, so much happening behind each others backs. It was truly awful to see how they behaved and acted towards each other. The ending was shocking and emotional. Superb writing.

Thanks so much to Harper Collins UK for the advanced copy to read. Publishes on June 20th.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you NetGalley for this advance reader copy in exchange for my free and honest review. If there were ten stars available for this novel, I would give it all ten. This was my favorite of the entire Will Trent series so far. The setting and details were phenomenal. As always, Karin Slaughter knocked its out of the park but this one was outstanding.

Was this review helpful?

The latest in the Will Trent / Sara Linton series does not disappoint and leaves the reader second guessing right until the very end. When Will books a luxury cabin in the wilderness for their honeymoon he doesn’t anticipate that his past will come back to haunt them.

Totally engrossing as with all the books in this series, read them all.

Was this review helpful?

This is the next story starring Will Trent and Sara Linton. We join them on their honeymoon, a secluded retreat with log cabins. They meet Mercy McAlpine the manager of the family run resort and get ready to relax until screams scupper their plans.
Now stuck with limited resources it seems every one on the camp has secrets to hide.
Another fabulous story with Sara Linton and Will Trent. You’re engaged every step of the way as each camp member is investigated and secrets revealed. Will they discover who the killer is and get justice for Mercy?
It was great to see Sara & Will away from their normal surroundings and the characters were great. I can’t wait to read the next story.
Thanks to HarperCollins UK for inviting me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

This is the 12th book in the series and the first I have read, however, this did not detract from the story. Will and Sarah are on honeymoon in a remote mountain hideaway which is run by possibly the weirdest family on the planet. Peopled by violent, unloveable men and incestuous couples, it was difficult to warm to any of the suspects after Mercy McAlpine was found murdered. Mercy had previously threatened to expose the crimes of her entire family which meant that they all had motives to kill her. I am not used to Karin Slaughter's style but I did find the story went on a bit too long and the numerous descriptions of how people found there way to places did begin to grate by the end. The numerous twists to the plot kept me reading to the end and the final outcome did take me by surprise although it felt like the change of direction came out of the blue with no real clues that the reader could have used to get to the same conclusion. All in all, a good read but not outstanding.

Was this review helpful?

As a huge Karin Slaughter fan, having read the Grant County series and the Will Trent Series, I was so excited for this ARC.

Will and Sara finally tied the knot and Will has organised a lodge resort for their honeymoon. They hike to the remote resort, and are blown away by the breathtaking views. Upon arrival they meet the McAlpine family. Will recognises one of them from his past.

The first night of their stay, Will and Sara walk down to the lake for some late night fun. They are in the lake when they hear a scream, followed by cries for help. They run back to toward the cries and find that someone has been brutally attacked. With so many people staying close by, who had motive to kill?

This is a locked room style thriller, where the suspect has to be one of the group. I love this style of thriller and really enjoyed it. The characters were well developed,
most of the characters I despised and a few I liked. This made it more interesting. I really liked the journal excepts of the Gotcha Day letters, they were heart wrenching to read but important to the story.

Overall, I loved the book, there were some epic twists I didn't see coming and I would 100% recommend.

I would like to thank Harper Collins UK and Netgalley for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Was this review helpful?

Will and Sara finally get married. But their honeymoon isn't quite the typical time away. A mountain lodge should be the perfect setting for a getaway. Not a murder! Mercy McAlpine hasn't had an easy life and her murder unearths a tangle of secrets within a toxic family, and amongst guests in the secluded setting. So many suspects, so many motives. The twists and turns keep you guessing in this dark thriller. Told at Slaughter's page turning pace that keeps you on your toes and wanting more. With thanks to Netgalley for my ARC version of this fantastic book.

Was this review helpful?

Karin Slaughter at her best. Dark, intriguing, suspenseful, full of despair, hope and revenge.

Really could not put this book down, page turner deep into the early hours. This book again storytelling at it's very best. Who wants to go to a wilderness camp after reading this?

Thank you Netgalley for letting me read this book.

Was this review helpful?

I really enjoyed this instalment of the Will Trent/Sara Linton series. The alternating time-lines was fun and I really enjoyed reading Mercy's letters to Jon. I love Mercy as a character and I'm sad that we are unable to see more of her. Mercy works as an alternative to Faith the same way that Dave works as an alternative to Will. It is easy to see how both Will and Faith could have turned out more like their counterparts had they not had supportive people in their lives. While the killer was a little predictable to me, there were enough twists and turns involved that it didn't feel boring. There were points where it was frustrating to me as a reader to have more information that the people trying to solve the murder but that is a minor complaint. I enjoyed this novel and it is a solid read that I will definitely read again in its finished form.

Was this review helpful?