Another fab read from Karin Slaughter.
Well written characters and a storyline which kept me reading well into the night.
The only negative for me was having to keep going back to look at the map.
My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my copy.

Karin Slaughter always delivers and I have been a fan of her books for a very very long time!

Will and Sara are finally on their honeymoon, having just got married. Unfortunately, a murder takes place and Will and Sara quickly discover not everything is as it seems.

If you are familiar with the series, this is a must read! If you are not familiar, please go back and read the first Will Trent book, you will fall in love!

I stayed until late reading this, it was such a page turner. The author, Karin Slaughter, has written a number of novels and this is up to her usual high standard. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for giving me a copy of the book.

I’ve really enjoy previous Karin Slaughter novels however I found this harder to get through and I’m not honestly sure if it was the book or just real life distracting me tbh. I loved the continuation of Will and Sara’s story however I found the location of this felt like a lot of going round in circles on woodland paths that I’m struggling to envision mentally (in fairness there is a map at the start of the book however I’m reading this on kindle so can’t be bothered going back and forth to it) The characters at the lodge were also very difficult to like which I think I struggled with, there was a lot of negativity and plenty suspects and I also figured the murderer pretty early on however that’s not to say the motive was expected as it was an horrific twist. This takes place over a short time frame but doesn’t feel especially fast paced however it’s very descriptive of the location, the characters and their flaws so you can really get into the situation in depth. There’s plenty of twists and I loved the locked room style element of it. Whilst this wasn’t my favourite Karin Slaughter I’ll definitely be reading the next to see how it continues as the team are a fantastic bunch of characters. 7/10

My Rating: 3⭐️⭐️⭐️ I am deep in this series, and I love it… but I had some issues!!!

Will and Sara have finally tied the knot, and are about to embark on their honeymoon. It is not a surprise that while they are there something gruesome happens and they stumble upon the recently murdered Mercy McAlpine.

Mercy is their host at the scenic lodge/cabins they are staying at for their honeymoon and Sara and Will are shocked to learn no one in particular seems bothered by Mercy’s brutal demise and everyone has a reason to want her dead.

Ok, so I will start with a bit of a disclaimer - this is Karin Slaughter so its brutal, there are TWs of all shapes and sizes and if you read her books then really its actually not too bad… but… if you don’t regularly read her books then be warned. I will also say this is the 12th book in the series and if you are the kind of person to go … Karly I don’t give a shit I am jumping in at 12 then go for it…but you might find some of the long lasting storyline hard to follow.

With that said… here we go. So I am a big fan of this series and its predecessor the Grant County Series as well I have read every book with these characters and I am not ashamed to say that I think I am so deep in now I have to see where its going…. However I was a bit let down by this one. It wasn’t baaad it just wasn’t up to Slaughters usual standard IN MY OPINION… don’t shoot me if you disagree.

As per usual it is a long novel and KS does take a year and a half to get to the point BUT she always does this… its totally on brand and I guess by this point I am expecting it. I did find that there were quite a few too many descriptions of the scenery (this is one of my least fave things to read about in thrillers unless you are building ambiance… but scenery for the sake of it… lets get on with the story please) and I think there was some unnecessary recapping and meandering as I said above, its book 12 if you are jumping in at this point then thats on you as a reader, for us old fans we don’t need to be reminded of the bleeding obvious… but again it didn’t ruin it.

I will start by saying what I did really like though, I really like Faith, I think she is fast becoming my fave character of the series, shes funny and has grit and a lot of personality. I can imagine her in my minds eye and I want to meet her. I like how Slaughter writes her character and I like how she’s not perfect but shes loyal AF!

I am glad that Sara and Will finally got their shit together and got married the will they won’t they was killing me… and the Angie storyline has been done to death if you ask me. So that was a really good point for me.

I liked the flash back letters, that was one of my favourite parts of the book, they were by no means easy to read but thats what they were intended for and I liked that Mercy wrote to her son every year on the same day to give him an update… good or bad.

For me some of the things that annoyed me or irked me were the sickly over the top way Sara and Will carry on with each other. I get it they are super mad in love AND on their honeymoon but Sara calling Will my love in every other sentence was too much…. I realise this is part of their story and how they are with each other… but Will is so puppy dogged by Sara and Sara is so hyper aware that she love Will but has this power over him she shouldn’t use to her advantage… It just doesn’t feel natural. I still love them together but it felt a bit wooden in this story for me. Maybe its a me issue…

I didn’t realise when I picked this up (and it still wouldn’t have stopped me reading it) that it was a “locked room” mystery style book. I have found out two things about myself this year… I don’t like locked room mystery style books much and I really don’t like books that compare themselves to Agatha Christie, this book doesn’t do the second thing but I thought I would put it out there anyway. But the constant was it this person… was it that person… no this person has a secret they definitely killed her BUT WAIT its got to be that person… and it was a circular calamity of events to finally get to the big twist … I GET IT this is part of the charm… and red herrings about, I do get it… but KS took that too the next level with this one. It was just all a bit too many things, too many secrets and too much of everything… just chill please.

My other main gripe with this book was the sheer amount of mentions of the trails at the lodge… lets take the rope trail, no we will take widows whatever trail, or that trail etc etc… again it was a circular round and round of trails. I was sick and tired of hearing about the lodge. I get that it was supposed to be one of the main characters in and of itself but I wanted to hear more about the people and the murder and the baddies…. This is where Faith and I are besties… I ALSO hate nature like she does… so reading about mud, and stink and mosquitoes and horses… well I was over it.

I did like the book but I didn’t love it… it definitely wasn’t the strongest in the series by a long shot and while I would still recommend to fans of the series I was a bit let down. It was under 500 pages which is a wow factor for KS but it still felt like it was 800 and I still think it was 100 too long… thats just my opinion. I am sure those of you who love this series will love this one too and I am sure you will all do a bit raspberry in my direction and honestly I hope you do love it… maybe the locked room style was what did me in…

I am going to go into minor spoilers so don’t read further if the TWs I am going to mention will spoil the story for you…










I am also a bit disturbed by the amount of incest that KS puts in her books, this is a common thread and maybe its that part of the country and its actually wide spread or maybe its a shock factor thing… but I honestly am super grossed out by it. Again I realise this is the point of putting it in a thriller but it was jammed in there alongside every other shocking thing and I just don’t think it was necessary OR if you think it was then it needed to be alluded to along the way… so we can prepare… there wasn’t enough warning for this…

Again, the amount of r@pe in these books is horrendous and I realise its a very real very horrific issue that absolutely has a place in thrillers, but I felt that in this book they were thrown in for shock value as well. When we get to Gabbie’s storyline I was open mouthed at the BAM THIS HAPPENED and we wont mention it again… there was no real lead in… and then it was THIS HAPPENED, THIS IS HOW IT WAS DEALT WITH and then nothing… without completely spoiling the book I can’t say more… and maybe its just me but I feel like while these things are definitely part of thrillers it can be handled a little more tactfully in places… and if its not then there has to be more to the story than just shock. I do not think I have read a single KS book without r@pe and usually multiples… I am not saying we shouldn’t put it in thrillers it just seem really over the top in these novels.



Minor spoilers over…

Either way for all my ranting I am glad I read it… I liked it…didn’t love it and I look forward to the next one.

Thank you to Harper Collins UK, Karin Slaughter and NetGalley for an advanced copy for my honest review.

When I got the email to say I had been given access to this title I literally jumped for joy. I have been a Karin Slaughter fan since lockdown and have devoured the sarah/jeffery and then the Will/Sarah stories. I often think about what makes me love them and in essence it is the characters that Karin has built with all the flaws and the humanity of them that makes them so believable and relatable. Amanda, Faith, Will and Sarah are some of my favourite ever characters and thry absolutely don't have happy, easy going relationships but it works and you can depend on them. My favourite quote from this book sums up what makes Will a great hero character, despite his flaws and his hangups "Will was always going to stand up when everyone else stayed seated"
To the story....interestingly this one begins the prologue with Will and Sarah on their honeymoon in a remote estate in the mountains talking about the people they had met at dinner and doing a bit of late night lake swimming. And that is where the nice part ends. Soon Will and Sarah try to save the live of Mercy who has been viciously murdered. Cue the flashback chapters which work well to give the reader more or less the same information that Will and Sarah get and you are desperately trying to piece together what happened alongside them. Bring in Faith, straight talking Amanda, a wild storm, flooding and they are trapped in a locked room mystery where everyone has secrets on top of secrets. Add in some characters with ulterior motives to being there, overheard conversations, paedophilia, incels and a family who don't seem to care that Mercy is dead and you think you have it all. But no...one of the key characters is the same person who gave Will his nickname when they were in a children's home appears too...a man so badly abused (like Will) and mistreated that he has become like that himself. This character really serves to show what love can do and Will could have ended up like him but for the guidance and love from Amanda (don't tell her I used the L word!)
I eked this reading out over 4 days as I was desperate to keep reading, but also I wanted to savour it. A triumph again for Will and Sarah. Keep them coming!!

This is Why We Lied sees the very welcome return of Will Trent and Sara Linton . Now newly-married and on their Honeymoon at the remote and very beautiful McAlpine Lodge the happy couple are looking forward to a few days of relaxation away from the carnage and stress of their GBI careers in Atlanta.........what could possibly go wrong?
It turns out that while the McAlpine family might live together on a mountain they're very far from The Walton's, more like Borgias with every one of them hiding dark and often disturbing secrets.
When daughter Mercy very publicly threatens to expose the secrets and lies she's shut up permanently and finally,with Will and Sara being first on the scene.
With not just the family but all of the guests,including initially the newlyweds ,lying there's a killer on the loose and everyone but the Honeymooners seemingly with a motive and less than credible alibi.

Karin Slaughter never disappoints and this is well up to her usual standard with her trademark darkness ,humour,an excellent storyline and the very worst of human behaviour.
With the Mountain totally cut off by bad weather the investigation turns into basically a locked room mystery,as one of the characters acknowledges, and there are a couple of Agatha Christie "Easter Eggs" thrown in for good measure.
With a cast of disparate,shady and potentially homicidal characters and the beautiful resort taking on a more ominous and threatening atmosphere as the investigation progresses there's a palpable air of menace that builds up throughout the book.
There are plenty of twists and part of Will's past catches up with him,an excellent addition to an excellent ,and very popular, series.

I love the dichotomy in the Will Trent/Sara Linton stories - the brutal, graphic violence of the work they do and the sweet tenderness they share between them are what makes these books what they are and why I devour them so rapidly. This is one of the best, with a bit of Agatha Christie thrown in and a proper who dunnit mystery.
Will and Sara are on their honeymoon, looking forward to an idyllic break away from civilisation so, of course, a tragic murder occurs and everyone has a motive - it's the solving of the murder that keeps you hooked and the deeply personal and heart wrenching details that come to light throughout.
Flawless storytelling as always.

As usual, another excellent book from Karin Slaughter. I've read them all and particularly enjoy the books featuring Will and Sara.

This is Why We Lied is different to the other Trent books in that it's set on their honeymoon at a lodge. What happens becomes, as his partner Faith says, a mix of Agatha Christie and... I won't name the other author as it gives the plot away. Let's just say the family who run the lodge are a disturbing bunch of people.

When the daughter, Mercy is killed by brutal multiple stabbings, the family's coldness and secretive natures increases.

The honeymoon is over for Sara and Will as they question and suspect guests and the family alike. Another death occurs and no one seems safe.

Karin Slaughter once again shows how brilliantly she creates characters, their back stories, and how their lives entwine.

The plot has some difficult issues that are addressed with compassion. Karin Slaughter never shies away from life's harsh realities.

I loved this book!

Thank you to the publisher for the eARC. Will Trent is my favourite crime/thriller series so I had to start this one as soon as I was sent a copy. I devoured it in one sitting and couldn't put it down.

In an isolated mountain retreat owned by the McAlpine family, Mercy McAlpine is brutally murdered and her family don't seem to care. Every character is hiding something and no one can be trusted to tell the truth. Fortunately, Will and Sara are staying at the resort for their honeymoon and Will vows to discover who killed Mercy and ensure she gets justice.

As is usual with Karin Slaughter, this book deals with some very dark and disturbing issues. The McAlpine Lodge is a harrowing pit of corruption, depravity, and horror. The isolated location leads to a locked-room mystery with a palpable sense of urgency enabled by the lack of vehicular access and blocked roads. As Will and Sara dig deeper into Mercy's life, a sickening web of abuse, addiction, and trauma is revealed. Every time the mystery seems solved, another secret is revealed and another suspect enters the picture.

The author explores the cycle of abuse through the character of Mercy as well as Dave, a boy who was at the same orphanage as Will and who cruelly nicknamed him "Trashcan". It's sensitively portrayed and the nuances are never glossed over. It's a tragic tale and Mercy is a complex character who will stay with me. I honestly hated some of the characters - they are some of the most despicable people you will ever read about.

Faith hits the nail on the head when comparing the case to Agatha Christie crossed with VC Andrews. Highly recommended but beware of numerous content warnings.