While After That Night revisited Sara’s past, This is Why We Lied uses someone from Will’s past as a springboard into the story. Any Karin Slaughter book comes with trigger warnings, this time for domestic violence, mentions of rape, and child abuse.

The title refers to multiple examples of characters lying for a reason, but primarily Will and Sara try and hide the jobs. People don’t like law enforcement, and Sara didn’t want to be asked about medical issues all week long. Turns out exactly what this place needs is an investigator and a doctor.

I was pretty excited to see the latest Will Trent book was also a closed circle mystery. Faith repeatedly calls it a locked-room mystery (she was excited too, despite getting the subgenre wrong), but there’s no puzzle in how the murder was done. The mystery is which one of the people in the remote holiday camp did it.

The ex-husband is the obvious choice of suspect, especially with the history of domestic violence. Will knows Dave from the children’s home, knows what sort of person he is. Will is of course, ready to arrest Dave immediately. For about half the book, the assumption is that Dave did it, but as readers we are primed to know this is far too obvious. Karin wouldn’t give us the answer from the very beginning, would she?

Poor Mercy. If her family were to be believed, she was an awful person, but Sara sees straight through that in the small amount of time they spend together. She was a victim even before she was murdered, and as the investigation continues, you learn more about her and how hard her life has been under a controlling family. First her parents, then her husband.

Karin has delivered another page turning mystery featuring characters I care about. I always find it hard to recommend this series from the start, because it can be shocking and gruesome at times, but it’s one of my favourite mystery series to keep up with.

This is Why We Lied by Karin Slaughter is another superb, fast-paced, not-for-the-faint-hearted thriller that confirms Slaughter as a must-read author.

Will Trent and Sarah Linton stop off for a few days at a luxury mountain retreat before continuing with their honeymoon but end up staying longer than anticipated following an encounter with a long-forgotten childhood friend of Will and the untimely death of one of the staff.

This becomes a classic locked room mystery that Will must solve with his colleagues when the mountain resort becomes cut off due to a storm. A good number of suspects become apparent after Will sees the reaction of the McAlpine family who have run the lodge for generations and the guests who seem to be less than truthful.

Slaughter is a master story teller and this one is just as good as her previous books.

This is only the second Will Trent and Sara Linton book I've read and I was excited to read it as I'd really enjoyed the last one. However, I have to say I found the beginning of this one rather sluggish. Will and Sara are on their honeymoon and Will has chosen a remote lodge complex run by the McAlphine family.
The begins with them hiking into the setting and then a count down to a murder of one of the family. It is only after this as Will and Sara start to investigate that I found the pace picked up and as the murder is investigated and the team are thwarted at every turn by a new piece of evidence coming to light the read became very much more interesting.
The McAlphine's turn out to be a toxic family - not one of them appears to be normal in any sense of the word - they all have secrets and they are all rivals with each other. Because of the remoteness of the lodges and a storm that blows through and cuts off the road we know the murderer has to be either one of the family or one of the eight guests staying there. As soon as Will, and his colleague Faith, who is a wonderfully dry character, think they've got someone in the frame for it,
The story covers some unpleasant cases of abuse, along with various illegal activities, along with one of the most disagreeable families I can imagine. Clever plotting and some good characterisation though, keep the reader going.
With thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction for an early copy in return for an honest review.

EXCERPT: As far as he knew, there were only two photographs that documented the seventeen years of his mother's short life. One was a mugshot from an arrest that had taken place a year before Will was born. The other was taken by the medical examiner who had performed her autopsy. Polaroid. Faded. The waxy blue of his mother's skin was the same color as the dead woman lying twenty feet away.

ABOUT 'THIS IS WHY WE LIED': One toxic family. Eight suspicious guests. Everyone is guilty. But who is a killer?
Welcome to the McAlpine Lodge: a secluded mountain getaway, it’s the height of escapist luxury living.

Except that everyone here is lying. Lying about their past. Lying to their family. Lying to themselves.

Then one night, Mercy McAlpine – until now the good daughter – threatens to expose everybody's secrets. Just hours later, Mercy is dead.

In an area this remote, it’s easy to get away with murder. But Will Trent and Sara Linton – investigator and medical examiner for the GBI – are here on their honeymoon.

And now, with the killer poised to strike again, the holiday of a lifetime becomes a race against the clock…

MY THOUGHTS: I am so very grateful that I was not born into the McAlpine family! Mercy, Mercy, Mercy . . . why did you stay?

They would have to take the cake as far as being the most manipulative, cruel and abusive family I have ever read about. So, if you are susceptible to triggers, stay well away from this one. It contains almost every trigger under the sun. Every member of this family is absolutely despicable. They are cold and unfeeling. They lie. They manipulate. They abuse. They kill. This is such normal behavior for them and so well written that Will and Sara's honeymoon behavior seems unnatural and gross in comparison.

This is Why We Lied is a fast-paced locked-room murder mystery. Set in an isolated location where, other than an unsealed service road, hiking in is the only access option, all the suspects are trapped by a severe storm which washes out access.

It seems that almost everyone - not just the family! - has some sort of motive to kill Mercy and all are plausible. Several times I thought I had it figured out, but that was just Ms Slaughter playing with me. The final reveal shocked me to the core!

May Mercy rest in peace - it will be the only peace she has ever had.

⭐⭐⭐.8

#NetGalley

THE AUTHOR: Slaughter is the founder of the Save the Libraries project—a nonprofit organization established to support libraries and library programming. A native of Georgia, she lives in Atlanta.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Harper Collins UK, Harper Fiction, for providing a digital ARC of This is Why We Lied by Karin Slaughter for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of This is Why We Lied by Karin Slaughter in return for my honest review. This is the next instalment in the Will Trent and Sara Linton series although you can read this as a standalone I would highly recommend reading all the books in this series you defiantly won’t be disappointed.
I was so excited to read this as I love all of Karin Slaughters books and this one did not disappoint.
While on their honeymoon Will and Sara find themselves investigating a murder, there are lots of really interesting characters, a few red herrings and plot twists, this is a well thought out closed room thriller.

Thanks for the ARC copy. Another fantastic installment in the Will Trent series.

Will and Sara have finally got married and found the happiness we’ve all been routing for for them. However even they can’t get away with a romantic honeymoon on a mountain getaway. The strange McAlpine family own the retreat and the amount of secrets they hold just keep coming as one of them is murdered. Not one to let justice go unserved Will can’t rest until , with the help of Sara Faith and Amanda, the murderer is arrested.

This one took a while for me to get into if I’m honest but once it did it was non stop. If, like me, you’ve read and loved this series this is another 5 star addition to the series and I can’t wait for the next.

This books is an incredible thriller that’s perfect for summer reading. It follows Willl and Sara as they start their honeymoon well but it turns into a murder investigation. Who is involved? The motives soon become clear and this is the best thriller I’ve read in a long time!

#ThisIsWhyWeLied #NetGalley I love this series and this book did not dissappoint. It had me hooked from the very first chapter. Although part of a series, it can be read as a stand alone but I think the reader would get more enjoyment knowing more of the back stories of Will, Sara, Amanda, Faith etc. This book had so much going on and so many twists and turns that it kept me turning the pages VERY late into the night!! I can't wait for the next installment in this series. A very well deserved 5 stars!

This was a little slower paced than I’d have liked and I felt like there was a lot going on aside from the whodunnit - maybe this is part of the series, I’m coming in on book12 but I felt it took away from the flow a bit. It was dark and I liked the plot but the reveal felt a little flat and overall it felt like a longer than necessary read unfortunately!

This is a typical Will Trent book with a locked room twist and I loved it!
Will and Sara have gone to the mountains for a getaway. This cabin resort has been in the McAlpine family for generations with Mercy McAlpine taking the reins after her fathers accident. Mercy has worked hard to turn her life around after years of abuse, drugs and alcohol. She just wants the best for her son.
On the first night, Will discovers Mercy in the water with multiple stab wounds. Most of the people there have a motive - so who killed Mercy?

A locked room mystery by one of my favourite authors in my favourite book series… yes please! I have been a fan of Slaughter for years now so I know what to expect. The start of the book is slower paced but this is to set the scene and get to know the other characters. But the pace does pick up and boy, is it a whirlwind of twists and she keeps you guessing until near the end as to who killed Mercy.
Her family are toxic, full of secrets and betrayal, and you can’t help but sympathise with Mercy and her life choices. The inclusion of Mercy’s letters to her son broke my heart and my emotions swayed between anger and disgust for her family, sadness for how some of the characters grew up and of course, love for Will and Sara.

Oooh, I’ve missed Will and Sara - Will Trent is definitely one of my all time favourite leading men. And I mean, what’s a honeymoon without at least one dead body?

Ms Slaughter, as always you have played it perfectly, This is Why We Lied is a perfect blend of taught writing, great characters, super twisty plot and oodles of heart.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing an advanced book and audiobook in exchange for an honest review. It is the best way to immerse yourself in a book to be able to read and listen to it, the narration is excellent and breathes new life into the experience. Highly recommended.

This book sees return of Will Trent and Sara Linton, who while on honeymoon find themselves investigating a murder at McAlpine Family Lodge.
Starts slow but develops into a well paced thriller, horrific murder with countless suspects. Would recommend.

Once again, the author has delivered another nail biting, stomach churning read.
A house and cabins in a remote location, hard to get to. A totally dysfunctional family owning and running the place with paying guests.
A murder, a cover-up, what has Will Trent and his wife walked into?
I could not put it down!

I previously enjoyed False Witness by Karin Slaughter so I was excited to read her latest book – This Is Why We Lied. I didn’t realise this was part of the Will Trent series when I requested it (number 12 in fact!), so this is my first read in this series.

I love that Karin Slaughter is such an assured author, you can be certain that any read of hers is well plotted, pacey and with a gripping plot. This Is Why We Lied is no exception - Will and Sara are on their honeymoon and find themselves in the midst of an investigation. Mercy is found dead in her own secluded resort - there’s no end of suspects as her family all resent her for various reasons, but who has the most to gain?

This Is Why We Lied is a classic locked room mystery, there’s a large cast of characters, all well defined with various motivations and a lot of red herrings in there for good measure. Just when you think you have it figured out, a curve ball is thrown in which has you questioning everything again! There’s perhaps a bit of an influx of characters which can be hard to get your head around – the family is large and then there are all of the guests, as well as a lot of investigators who come in to try and solve the case. Some of this might be easier if you’ve read other Will Trent stories as you’ll know the investigation team already. The book does work as a standalone for those who haven’t read any of the other books in the series, but if you have then there’s a lot of backstory and character development that happens as well.

The narrative alternates between Will, Sara, Faith and Amanda, with some letters from Mercy thrown in as well. This helps to keep the pace high throughout and I raced through the book to see what would happen next. I actually didn’t see the twist coming and it is very shocking!

Overall, This Is Why We Lied is another masterclass in crime thriller writing from Karin Slaughter. Thank you to NetGalley & Harper Collins UK – Harper Fiction for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I can’t never get enough of the Will Trent and Sara Linton series and in this twelfth book they are at last married (how long have I been waiting for this?!). And, for their honeymoon, Will chose a luxury cabin in a remote family-run resort in the mountains a few hours from Atlanta. But what was supposed to be a relaxing week of romance, hiking, yoga, fishing, and canoeing is interrupted on the first night when the resort manager, Mercy McAlpine, is found stabbed by the lake. With no easy access to the resort, the family and the other guests are all suspects and it seems that they are all keeping secrets. And since leading the investigation is an incompetent sheriff influenced by years of prejudices against the victim, Will and Sara call his partner Faith and his boss Amanda for help.

Let me start by saying that this is not an easy read. It’s gripping and suspenseful and immersive, but it’s not for the light-hearted. There are themes of abuse, assault, alcohol and drug abuse, and toxic family relationships. The story is told from many perspectives, including the victim as we relive her last day and discover the events that led to her murder. For Will, the investigation is more personal than usual as one of the suspects is someone from his past and brings back up memories of his childhood and the mother he never met. He’s backed by three strong-minded and resolute women. His partner Faith who doesn’t think twice about giving up her much awaited week off to help him; his boss Amanda who would rather he enjoyed his honeymoon; and his now-wife Sara, who supports him in everything, even when he dangerously jumps in a river to save someone. I love these two characters. They are adorable together and, after many years of problems, miscommunications, and past loves coming between them, they are happy together (murder aside, of course).

This Is Why We Lied is another intense and incredible novel by Karin Slaughter (she can’t ever do wrong). A remote location, murder, dysfunctional family, and secrets and many many twists will keep you glued to the page until the very end!

I've read and loved the entire Will Trent series, but the last few books just haven't been as good as they could have been. I enjoyed this one more than book 11, since this one was finally focused on an investigation again rather than personal drama, but it still isn't the best Karin Slaughter can do.

The first half was super slow, the structure was kind of weird and confusing with the chapters in the past and then the letters and a little hard to follow. The plot picked up in the second half, it was very typically Slaughter's style and I always enjoy her endings and plot twists. Overall it turned out to be a fine book but this series should end soon, there's not much more to say.

Where does Karin Slaughter get her ideas from? Yet another brilliant, thrilling, gripping murder mystery that was written in such an easy flowing style. A family owning and working together at a remote mountain resort, none of them with any redeeming features, in fact totally dislikeable, are all under suspicion when one of the family are found brutally murdered. As their back stories are revealed we see they are very dysfunctional family and almost everyone of them is under suspicion. Unfortunately for them, Will and his new wife Sarah are honeymooning there and having discovered the body Will quickly springs in to action to mobilise the relevant team, much to the annoyance of the local officer.
A fabulous page turning read, quite sad at times as the past is exposed and the murderer revealed.

Though this is the twelfth book in the Will Trent series, this could easily be read as a standalone murder-mystery.

However if you’ve read the previous eleven it will make so much sense that Sara and Will were never going to get a normal honeymoon!

The story centres around the McAlpine family who are as complex as they are cruel. The author has a gift for creating broken characters to love and I felt an immediate affinity for Mercy.

I really did enjoy figuring out each mystery just before the author revealed them but the reality was I was blindly following cleverly placed breadcrumbs and kept being surprised!

The denouement was, as always, a masterpiece. A twisted, gory, harrowing masterpiece which is everything I’ve come to expect from a Karin Slaughter novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollinsUK for the ARC!

Darkly exhilarating and exhilaratingly dark, This is Why We Lied is another thrilling instalment in Karin Slaughter's Will Trent series. Even if you haven't read the entire series, this book stands strong on its own, making it accessible for newcomers.

Slaughter excels at peeling back the layers of her characters, exposing the darkest corners of their lives. While I managed to guess the culprit early on, the motive behind the murder was a shocking twist that kept me hooked. The book is packed with gut-wrenching moments and Slaughter’s signature ability to deliver surprise after surprise.

For fans of dark, multilayered thrillers that delve into the depths of human depravity, This is Why We Lied is a must-read. Karin Slaughter has crafted another page-turner that will leave you reeling and eagerly anticipating her next masterpiece.

GBI Agent Will Trent and medical examiner Sara Linton are finally married and on their honeymoon. Will chose the venue and organised the bookings so it’s a surprise to Sara when their destination is a Georgia wilderness mountain lodge instead of an exotic beach or overseas location.

Sara is more than happy with Will’s choice when she sees their accommodation. A gorgeous cottage complete with mod cons in a serene, idyllic setting with stunning views from every room. With only four other couples booked in for the week, a range of activities from yoga to hiking, canoeing and fishing and a gourmet chef preparing delicious meals, their week should be blissful and relaxing. However, when screams are heard in the night and Will finds a woman brutally stabbed at the side of the lake, they realise this is not going to be the break they both needed so much.

The wilderness lodge has been in the McAlpine family for generations. The current patriarch, one of the nastiest and most unpleasant of men, Cecil McAlpine is wheelchair bound after an accident on a hiking trail and the lodge has since been successfully managed by his daughter Mercy McAlpine, despite his open disdain for her. It is Mercy who Will finds, rapidly bleeding out from multiple wounds. She had a very humiliating row with her teenage son Jon at dinner that night in front of all the guests and with her last breaths asks Will to tell him that she loves him and ask him to forgive her.

Will and Sara are shocked when they break the news of Mercy’s death to the McAlpines, who barely seem upset and care only for the business they could lose over cancelled bookings. The more Will finds out about the family and the way they have all treated Mercy in the past, the more toxic he realises they are. She has suffered abuse, violence and contempt all her life from people who should have loved and protected her. Her story is so tragic and sad that it’s difficult not to feel heartbroken for her.

With the local sheriff seemingly disinterested in finding Mercy’s killer and a raging storm destroying communications and the only road to the lodge, Will reaches out to his GBI boss, Amanda and his partner Faith who arrive to take control of the investigation. Together they uncover a history of hidden crimes and shocking lies perpetuated by the family and abetted by the local sheriff and his predecessor. With multiple suspects, including the other guests as well as the McAlpine family, it all makes for a gripping and intensely dark locked room thriller.