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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

I love Karin Slaughter books! Have read all of the Will Trent series and this one is just as amazing. Slaughter is so good at character. Each one feels real and alive. She drops in backstory so effortlessly. She's someone whose books I buy the second they come out.

What a way to start a honeymoon! The murder offered up clues near the beginning, but not obvious until later in the book. I haven't read all the books in this series (mainly the earlier ones), not because I didn't enjoy them, but financial issues. I still enjoyed this book and think it could be read as a standalone. There were some lighthearted moments, not all murder and mayhem, which made the characters more real, and the setting was described so you could almost imagine it. A one sitting read for me!

So sad, so beautiful, so exciting, so shocking! I love Karin slaughter and love this series. Will and Sara are such real characters and it’s been great to see their journey even though it’s been pretty rocky at times.
This book was amazing, really thrilling I couldn’t put it down!

Loved this book. I've read all the novels in the Will Trent series and Jarin Skaughter hits a bullseye with this one yet again. Brilliant read which I just couldn't put down. Get your hands on a copy....I guarantee you'll be gripped from the first page

This is the first Karin Slaughter book I've ever read, and even though this is part of a long detective series I didn't need to read any of them to get the information I needed from this book (which is great!)

The writing is phenomenal, the plot was great and jumps between before the murder, during and after but it's very easy to follow. I feel as though this book could've been a bit shorter, some parts were long winded. There was also a lot of characters to try and remember which I found a little difficult. But the storyline, the messed up family and their disturbing pasts, the reveal were all great and the killer was unexpected.

3.5/5

Although this is part of a series it works well as a stand alone book. The two main characters Will and Sara are on honeymoon when a murder is committed at the venue. The plot is complicated as the honeymoon site covers a vast area and there are many complex storylines woven into it. A fact paced novel that is easy to read.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK for the advance copy of this book.

This is Why We Lied is book #12 in the Will Trent series. This was one of my top reads of 2024. Karin Slaughter shows us that she knows what she is doing and why she is the queen of this genre. The author doesn't shy away from heavy subject matter and elevates what could have been a simple police-procedural into a complex examination of human nature and the complexities of trauma and childhood abuse. As with all Slaughter's novels there is some difficult content, so maybe steer clear if you're easily triggered by these types of stories. The book is quite long, but all the better to fully immerse yourself and get to know these characters. All your favorites from the series are featured here including; Will, Sara, Faith and Amanda, and we get a continued glimpse into Will's traumatic childhood. Do yourself a favor and get into this series, you won't be sorry. I'd highly recommend starting way back at the beginning with the Grant County series before picking up with the Will Trent series if this is your first foray into Karin Slaughter. There is a reason this author is beloved in the thriller genre. This one is just as dark, visceral and compelling as her other stories. Highly highly recommend.

slightly disappointed in myself as I didn't realise it was a series so I was a little confused overall though it was good and bad made me As the rest to my tbr

I was on the edge of my seat reading this claustrophobic thriller. Will and Sara are on their honeymoon at an idyllic looking retreat. When they discover a dying woman who has been violently attacked by the lake the setting quickly becomes somewhere you'd want to escape from.

Slaughter manages to make the victim one of the main characters of the book and despite knowing how her story ends, through flashbacks and diary entries I found myself really caring and hoping that Mercy survives. Everyone at McAlpine Lodge seems sinister and suspicious especially Mercy's creepy family. With all the elements of a locked room mystery I enjoyed trying to work out who the killer was, there were lots of clues and red herrings and I had dismissed my initial gut feeling early on and kicked myself once Will uncovers the truth.

I think this book could be read as a standalone book but as someone that enjoys the Will Trent and Sara Linton books this was a real gem. I keep thinking about the book days after finishing it, Mercy's story has really got under my skin. A fantastic page turning thriller.

Another fantastic will Trent book. Didn't no where this storyline was gonna take us. But as usual massive twist and moments that made me say oh my god.
Brilliant ending

This was my first Karin Slaughter book and didn't realise this was no 12 in the series, but it didn't seem to matter to me.
GBI Agent, Will and Medical Examiner, Sara and Will are on their honeymoon in a remote lodge in the mountains. She is a Medical Examiner and he's a GBI Agent but they don't want to let people know
Things seem to be going so well when suddenly Mercy McAlpine who helps run is brutally murdered and Sara and Will are first on the scene.
Having lied about their occupations to avoid unnecessary questions from the other guests they now have to reveal their true positions as investigators and they are determined to solve the case with the help of the rest of their team including Faith and Amanda
So many twists and turns in this gruesome murder story

Will and Sara are freshly married and are looking forward to their honeymoon, but then someone gets murdered.

I only learned after reading this that this a part of a series so if you were woried about having to read 11 books before this one don‘t worry I never felt left out or anything.
This book is incredibly slow, almost a bit to slow for my taste. I was never really involved in the story or the characters and found the first 200 pages incredibly hard to get through, after that it got better but I never really loved the book. I didn‘t expect the twist at the end but I didn‘t really care so it didn‘t affect me that much.