Member Reviews

Slaughter herself has said it’s not a spoiler to say there’s going to be a dead body in her books.
It was so good to be back with Will and Sara!! And they’re on their honeymoon! But typical Karin (the only typical part of her), nothing will go smoothly for Will. The murder victim dies in Will’s arms and a storm leaves them trapped at the remote camplike resort that Will planned for their trip. Everyone is a suspect in this locked room mystery, but Will doesn’t need to look much further than the victim’s ex-husband, Dave a nemesis from their shared past in the foster system. But as Will and Sarah look around at the other guests, and especially the family members that run the resort, they soon realize it could have been one of many and no one is in the clear.
The ending comes swiftly at you with as many twists as there were on the paths of this camp! Danger and violence are around every turn! And through it all, Slaughter infuses humor at Faith’s expense, Will’s vulnerability, Sarah’s stability all tied together with Amanda’s no-nonsense approach. Forgive me if I steal her technique for ending a phone call!

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I am not sure why Karin Slaughter hasn’t been one of my go to authors! This is the second book that I have devoured and enjoyed written by her and now I need to read more. This was full of twist and turns and suspense and was a fantastic read. Even though this was part of a series, I feel like I didn’t need to have read the others to get this—- but now I want to

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First at thing I have to say is Will and Sara are finally married. Hallelujah!! It’s about time.
On their honeymoon things don’t go at all the way a normal honeymoon would.

Murder and mayhem take over and talk about hillbilly backwoods crazy family. Yep this is it. Every time you think you know what’s going on there is a twist. Lots of them!! The ending was a total shocker that had me obsessing way into the night.
This series has been at the top of my favorite list for many years and this one ranks right up there with the best. I’m looking forward to many more stories about Will and Sara.

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Will Trent can't catch a break. He and Sara are finally married and on the honeymoon that he planned in secret. They hiked up a mountain to a resort that used to be part of a campground where other kids from the Children's Home got to visit, but Will never did. They hoped to escape the drama of their jobs and lied to the others claiming to be a mechanic and a school teacher. Their romantic getaway is interrupted by a murder. It is a kind of locked room mystery because they are on a mountain with no access to the wifi or internet and of course a heavy rain keeps people from getting off the mountain. Mercy, the woman who was murdered was a tragic figure with a hard life. All she cared about in the world was her son and making a better life for him.

The more we learn about Mercy and the people in her life, the more sympathetic she becomes and you realize that her murderer could have been any one of her family members. I felt like I knew who the killer was, but Karin Slaughter is really good at making you doubt yourself. The ending was a real gut punch.

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This is why WE Lied
by Karin Slaughter
Pub Date: August 20, 2024
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this title in exchange for my honest opinion.
Finally, something to look forward to.
Karin Slaughter has delivered another addictive, shocking, thrilling, and riveting addition to the Will Trent series. She kills it time and time again with this wonderful and gripping series! Will and Sara are beginning their honeymoon at McAlpine Lodge, a mountain getaway. It’s a beautiful and relaxing setting until a body is found. Naturally they jump into gear trying to secure the scene, keep everyone separate, and try to determine whodunit. They will need to sift through all the secrets and lies to find their footing on this murder mystery.
I Highly recommend this one! Karin Slaughter did a fantastic job of making everyone a suspect in this book. I found this book to be well thought out. Slaughter knows how to depict unlikeable and despicable characters. This book has many things going on and touches on many issues such as addiction, domestic violence, toxic relationships, and control to name just a few.

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I loved this book so much! I didn't guess the ending at all! Karin Slaughter never disappoints me! I hope to read many more of Karin's books!

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Clue + Who Shot J.R = Why We Lied.

When you think you have it figured out, you don’t. Now you know who did it. No you don’t. This story has you as twisted as the knife that was twisted in her back.

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Ooh! A murder mystery with my favorite, Will Trent! On a random note, I love that I can visualize the characters now because of the Hulu show. If you haven’t given it a watch, you should!

Alrighty, on to the review…

Will and Sara are in the first days of their honeymoon when they’re affronted with the brutal murder of their host. They do what they do best and work to solve the crime. That task proves to be a little difficult when literally everyone is a suspect and they’re trapped on an off the grid, secluded mountain top.

This was a locked room Agatha Christie style Murder mystery with a VC Andrews twist.

The reveal…yikes 😳🫢

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OMG, you guys! Will and Sarah finally tied the knot! 🎉💍 I absolutely adore this couple! So, they’re off on their honeymoon, right? But guess what? The resort manager, who’s also the owner’s daughter, gets brutally murdered! 😱 Drama, drama, drama! This family is pure insanity, and I was on the edge of my seat, wanting to shake Will awake a few times.

Okay, so this one’s a bit milder compared to Karin's usual stuff, but hold on because the last few chapters? Mind-blowing! I did NOT see that twist coming! Another brilliant installment from Karin. Seriously, I can never get enough of Will and Sarah! Huge thanks to Netgalley and William Morrow for letting me read and review this ARC!

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Karin Slaughter does it again! The story picks up on Will and Sara's honeymoon trip and all heck breaks loose. Will and Sara have grown on me over the years and it was great to see them make it official. As with other books in this series, it takes a while to get to the meat of this story. It was well worth the read in the end. I did not see that ending coming! Slaughter is an auto buy author for my store and home collection. Highly recommend

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This is Why We Lied is my first Karin Slaughter book, and it unfortunately was not a favorite suspense novel of mine.

I have heard great things about this author and was really looking forward to this based off the synopsis. It had everything to make a strong suspense novel, but I did not find it to be incredibly thrilling nor super dark. I really just wanted to get to the end the whole time & wasn’t invested in the characters. However, I did keep reading, so it was somewhat enjoyable; specifically the family drama & secrets.

I predicted the mystery early on in the book, so I just felt like it was dragging on too long. Nonetheless, I will be reading more of Karin’s books in the future! I would recommend this to people who enjoy murder mysteries.

Thank you to William Morrow for the advanced copy.

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As usual I enjoyed another of Karin Slaughter's books and how quickly she wrote it for us to read. This one wasn't my favorite but I still enjoyed it as always. My issue was that it felt like I had already read it. I don't know why but also it was so familiar that I couldn't really begin to get into it until half way. Then It was better because I was trying so hard to figure out the bad guy and I certainly love doing that before the ending. So yes it was very good but not as much. She has us spoiled with such great books and it's well worth reading over again.

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Thank you to @netgalley and @williammorrowbokks for letting me read a copy of this early in return for an honest review! All opinions are my own.

I’m very conflicted!! On one hand, this bored me to tears. On the other hand, this shocked me to my core. The dichotomy of it all.

The first 75% of this was sloooow. I felt like Slaughter was doing a lot of hand holding: like being overly descriptive of basic criminal justice things (body bags, autopsies, etc). This had the beige, overly clinical storytelling that often plagues detective POV mysteries.

This is the 12th book in the Will Trent series and I fear they started to blend together a couple books back. Slaughter’s writing is just so much deeper and better in her standalones (in my opinion). Let’s let Will rest!!! It’s getting boring.

Hence, why I was bored to tears. I kept putting the book down and not wanting to pick it back up. But THEN, the twists started hitting the fan and let me tell you, it was classic KS. I was shocked and shocked and shocked again! God damn!

So thus, my conflict. I don’t know. I love Karin Slaughter and will continue to read every and anything she comes out with of course.

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This was my first Will Trent book, but not my first Karin Slaughter book. It's the 12th book in the series, but it was easy enough to understand what was going on. The book is quite lengthy, and some descriptions were unnecessary. It also felt slow at times. The mystery portion was good but I felt like I lost interest a little bit as the story went on. I don't believe this book was bad in any way, but it was simply too lengthy for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and to William Morrow for giving me a copy

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Thank you William Morrow for the gifted digital ARC!

Is the Will Trent series the greatest of all time? I think it just might be for me! Karin Slaughter simply does not miss with these books. Every single one is jam packed with darkness, deception, and twists. And I ship Will & Sara so hard it's a little ridiculous.

The final twist in this one was so, so much darker than I was expecting, but I was not mad about it. It really worked and it made a TON of the other things in the book click into place as well.

I think I say it with every Will Trent book that I read: this could technically be read as a standalone, but PLEASE do yourself a favor and start the whole series from the beginning. There is sooo much information that adds so many elements to each character's backstory.

This is Why I Lied US pub date: August 20

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I always love reading about Will Trent and co. I enjoyed the setting of a 'trapped on an island' feeling but at a remote campsite. The reveals and characters were a bit too much for me in terms of being able to like or want the best for them. Hello generational trauma! Overall, it kept me turning pages quickly and it left off on an ending I did not see coming. I can't wait for the next in the series!

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Will Trent, special agent with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and Sara Linton, pediatrician turned Medical Examiner with GBI, have finally married and are honeymooning at a secluded resort in the mountains.The guests must hike in to the individual cabins and lodge.There is no WIFI for guests and phone reception is not the best…and then a storm further isolates them. When Mercy McAlpine, the manager and daughter of the owners, is viciously murdered, Will and Sara get caught up in the investigation. Good thing they are there as the dysfunctional, vile McAlpine family could care less about Mercy, the local sheriff seems uninterested in the investigation, and many of the guests appear to be harboring secrets.

Faith, Will’s partner, characterizes the situation as “an Agatha Christie locked-room mystery with a VC Andrews twist” and that is a perfect descriptor for this dark story. It is a long book and I thought it a bit of a slow read, but there were twists, turns, red herrings, near death experiences, and some humor. The McAlpine family is particularly abhorrent and for those who need them, there are lots of trigger warnings here which, as I understand it, is not uncommon in this author’s books. TWs include child abuse, domestic violence, brutal treatment of women, incest, substance abuse, rape.

This is the twelfth in the Will Trent series and while the main characters’ stories progress with successive books, each one can be read as a stand alone. I started the series at number eleven.

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I love this series and it did not disappoint. I was sad about the girl that got murdered though. She had a really hard life and Will and Sara on their honeymoon wanted to solve the mystery of her death. There were many suspects and it was a really good mystery. I am thankful I got to read this and review it. Thanks.

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This is Why We Lied by Karin Slaughter was really good and different from her usual books. I've been a fan of hers for a long time and was very ex cited to get this book.. It was a locked room mystery. But the details were Noir just like her other writings.

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I’m not ashamed to say that when I received this ARC, I squealed like a baby 😂 many of you already know that Karin Slaughter is by far and away one of my all-time favorite authors, and I truly feel like Will Trent is her at her best!! This book was essentially a locked-room mystery, with the morally grey characters, superb story development, and shocking twists that you can expect from Slaughter.


Will and Sara are on their well-deserved honeymoon in a picturesque, secluded mountain retreat outside of Atlanta, when the retreat’s owner Mercy is found brutally murdered by the nearby lake. As they sift through the limited suspects, they find that Mercy had her share of enemies: plenty of guests with a grudge, not to mention her abusive, cruel family. When Will’s past clashes with Mercy’s present, it becomes all the more challenging and dangerous to find the killer.


I loved this book. Anything that truly throws me off and ends in a shocking twist is an absolute treat for me!! This book will be released this August 20th, and I absolutely recommend you add it to your pre-order list!

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