Published Aug.8th, 2017 by William Morrow
Two girls are forced into the woods at gunpoint. One runs for her life. One is left behind…
Twenty-eight years ago, Charlotte and Samantha Quinn’s happy small-town family life was torn apart by a terrifying attack on their family home. And it left the family fractured beyond repair, consumed by secrets from that terrible night.
Twenty-eight years later, and Charlie has followed in her father’s footsteps to become a lawyer herself — the ideal good daughter. But when violence comes to Pikeville again — and a shocking tragedy leaves the whole town traumatized — Charlie is plunged into a nightmare. Not only is she the first witness on the scene, but it’s a case that unleashes the terrible memories she’s spent so long trying to suppress. Because the shocking truth about the crime that destroyed her family nearly thirty years ago won’t stay buried forever…
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This book should really come with a warning…BEWARE…once you start reading this small town secret filled thriller, you will likely avoid your friends, family, exercise and oh yeah, sleep! I should know because I pretty much ignored everyone and stayed up until after 1:00am because I couldn’t possibly sleep without knowing how this puzzle turned out. I do have to say I was a little hesitant to start this because my last Slaughter book was Pretty Girls which I found just too violently graphic and all who know Karin’s wonderful writing know that she writes so realistically that it’s often hard to get those images out of your head. That’s not to say there isn’t violence in this story, there is, and quite a lot, so if you’re a reader that struggles with that you should take note.
If you haven’t read Karin Slaughter before I think this would be the absolute perfect book to pick up to experience a level of writing that is really so far above so many others in terms of characterization and making readers FEEL that they know these characters. In the beginning of this story we meet Samantha, her sister Charlotte and their parents, Gamma and Rusty Quinn, and within the first few pages I felt like they were real people and I was witnessing their conversations and their heartache over having to move because their home had been firebombed due to Rusty’s job as a defense lawyer in town. I mean, this is where I think Karin Slaughter is light years above other writers…how did she manage to make me feel SO invested in these people so quickly?? Sorry, I digress from my actual review….
The story is structured in such a way that we get to know the characters starting in 1989 in their small Pikeville, Ga town. Before this section closes Slaughter will have managed to toss in a twist that caused me to virtual buckle up for what I predicted was going to be a wild ride. The narration then shifts as we fast forward 28 years and Charlotte is now a defense attorney in the same building as Rusty (who’s still practicing) and trying to navigate the rocky waters of her marriage. I found Rusty to be an absolutely fascinating character. On the one hand, I felt like shaking him for being abrupt and emotionally unavailable for his daughter and on the other, I found him funny and witty. That’s top notch writing for you…characters who are FLAWED are characters we can relate to, root for, and mourn when we close the book and realize their story is over.
I haven’t even touched on the the crimes in the past and present and that’s because the less you know starting out as far as the plot, the more surprises you’ll get to experience! To put it simply, there’s a devastating crime (home invasion) committed in 1989 and there’s an equally devastating one (school shooting) committed 28 years later; both occurring in Pikeville and both involving the Quinns. BUT, here’s what you need to remember…no matter how things appear on the surface, nothing is as it seems dear reader. I felt my anxiety rising in so many places trying to figure out what happened, who might be involved, how does it all fit together…that I finally took the advice of my friend Annie (The Misstery) who said…”don’t even try to figure it out!” So I’ll pass this good advice on to you…just sit back and enjoy being enthralled by some of the most gripping writing you’re likely to read all year. If you’re in the mood for a character driven story that includes plenty of mystery and quite a few thrills, I think you’ve found your next read!
Many thanks to William Morrow via Edelweiss for my copy, I’m happy to provide an honest review
Love your opener….comes with a warning!! Always a good recommendation.
Thanks Mairead! I had to drink a lot of coffee yesterday trying to recover from my late night of reading this one:)
Fabulous review for a fabulous book! So glad to hear you enjoyed this one too!
Thanks Eva! This was such a good one!
I haven’t read any of her books yet, although I do have a copy of Faithless on my bookcase, but I’m dying to read this one! Especially after such a review! xx
Thanks Meggy! I liked this one so much better than Pretty Girls, I hope you get a chance to read it.
Sounds exactly my type of novel… a character-driven thriller. Thanks for a great review.
Thanks Lynne! It’s so character driven it’s crazy, they all seem like real people and the mysteries were so puzzling! Enjoy it if you read it.
Awesome review, Renee! I felt exactly the same way about this book. I was so invested in the characters. I also had some trouble with Pretty Girls…loved the story but had a really hard time with the violence. However, like you said this one does have violence but not nearly as much and the story-line and characters were just so good!! I’m so happy that you enjoyed it and I love your review!
Thanks Deanna! I think this is a winner for so many of us, it’s just so fun to invest in characters and then be balled over by such good mysteries. I really need to get to her Will Trent series!
Great review! I cringed a little before clicking on your review and thought to myself…please like this book, please like this book…lol. I’m really glad you liked it! This will be my first Karin Slaughter book. With any luck I will be reading it in the next few weeks!
Thanks Tina!! I think this is a great choice for your first Slaughter book…so much better than Pretty Girls. I can’t wait to hear what you think of it:)
So so happy you liked this! I think you hit the nail on the head as far as how she creates the most realistic well rounded characters. Great review.
Thanks Amy! I was worried about the gore factor but there wasn’t as much or as graphic as Pretty Girls. I really enjoyed the twists in this one along with the characters:)
Brilliant review Renee! She’s so so good at plotting stories, I didn’t expect anything less… I didn’t know it was possible, but I want to read it even more now!
Thank you Inge:) She made me crazy trying to figure out her plotting and I just didn’t at all succeed which I love! I have a strong feeling you’ll love this book when you get to it!
Absolutely LOVE this review Renee! Its my favorite so far! I can’t bear to have “graphic images” in my head. I’m one to overly think about them. So, I think I’ll start with this book (not Pretty Girls). I own The Kept Woman, but haven’t read yet. Hoping it is not too violent for me!
Thank you Holly, that makes my day for you to say that! This was actually a fun review to write. I think this is the perfect first book to read if you’re new to Karin Slaughter. I really want to start her Will Trent series it’s just finding the time to start it!!
Fantastic review!!
Thanks so much Kate!
This one sounds good! I’ve never read anything by this author, would you say this is a good place to start?
This was so good and would be a perfect place to start because it’s a standalone and not nearly as gory violent as Pretty Girls…also a better mystery and plot than that one. I think you’ll enjoy her writing !
I feel like I am the only one yet to read this. I have heard some great things about the book and your review has definitely convinced me to add it to my TBR. I like the sound of the unpredictability and the character development. Thanks for the warning too 🙂
[…] The Good Daughter by Karin Slaughter was the book that I dropped everything else for last week! This standalone mystery/thriller was fantastic and if you missed my review you can read it here. […]