Publishers Weekly
07/18/2022
Bestseller Slaughter’s gripping follow-up to 2018’s Pieces of Her takes Andrea Oliver, a newly minted U.S. marshal, and her partner, Deputy Leonard Bible, to Longbill Beach, Del., to protect federal judge Esther Vaughn, who has received a series of threatening letters. Longbill Beach happens to have been the childhood hometown of Andrea’s psychopathic father, Clayton Morrow, who was convicted of domestic terrorism and is now up for parole. Andrea believes Clayton poses a threat to her mother’s safety if he’s released from prison. In 1982, Clayton was a suspect in the murder of Judge Vaughn’s 18-year-old daughter, Emily. If Andrea can prove Clayton guilty of this crime, he will remain behind bars. Deputy Bible, too, has a private agenda and is looking into a series of suicides that have occurred in the area. Captivating flashbacks follow Emily in the period leading up to her death as she engages in a Columbo-inspired investigation of her own. Was what happened to Emily a prelude to even more horrific crimes? Andrea’s complicated backstory at times slows the pace, but readers eager to see justice for Emily will keep turning the pages. Slaughter reliably entertains. Agent: Victoria Sanders, Victoria Sanders & Assoc. (Aug.)
From the Publisher
The whole story is a masterpiece of mystery, and Slaughter's skill as a writer has never shone as brightly as it has in this novel.” — BookReporter.com on Girl, Forgotten
"Like touching a live wire that continues across three generations." — Kirkus Reviews on Girl, Forgotten
"Layer upon layer of mystery, a great cast of characters, and some genuinely startling twists. This is Slaughter at her best." — Booklist (starred review) on Girl, Forgotten
“Slaughter skillfully leads readers on a thrilling journey into the past to solve the murder that a small town wants to forget, yet is still haunted by.” — Library Journal (starred review) on Girl, Forgotten
"Karin Slaughter always keeps me hooked and Girl, Forgotten is no exception. Totally worthy of a no interruptions, read-all-day bingeathon." — Lisa Gardner, #1 New York Times bestselling author on Girl, Forgotten
"Gripping.... Slaughter reliably entertains." — Publishers Weekly on Girl, Forgotten
"Girl, Forgotten delivers a high-quality thriller Ms. Slaughter is known for. You’ll go in thinking you have everything figured out, only to realize you haven’t even scratched the surface." — Novels Alive on Girl, Forgotten
"The story is all action and tension and readers will be hooked.... Karin Slaughter never disappoints." — Red Carpet Crash on Girl Forgotten
"Fans will surely be satisfied by this novel. It is an intense read and another compelling mystery from Slaughter." — Film Stage on Girl, Forgotten
“Cunningly conceived and written . . . Deeply satisfying.” — Washington Post on False Witness
“Annnnd she does it again. Slaughter’s latest high-stakes thriller follows a defense attorney whose dark past is coming back to haunt her—all thanks to a new client she’s called in to represent days before his trial. There’s deception, sabotage, violence, family secrets . . . all the stuff you could want from a fictional page-turner, really.” — theSkimm on False Witness
“Slaughter offers us a high-stakes thriller that handles the tragedy of addiction with empathy and grace. Her heroines are believable, flawed and courageous.” — Oyinkan Braithwaite, award-winning author of My Sister, The Serial Killer, on False Witness
“Karin Slaughter’s False Witness is a twisty, searingly contemporary mystery steeped in a dark past, and she weaves a story that catches your breath and keeps you gasping and guessing until the end.” — Stacey Abrams, author of While Justice Sleeps, on False Witness
“A propulsive, high-stakes thriller rife with intrigue and suspense.” — USA Today on Pieces of Her
“All of Slaughter’s books... are satisfyingly surprising and plausible, but it’s Slaughter’s prodigious gifts of characterization that make her stand out among thriller writers…Slaughter’s satirical touches are as deft as her grimmer renditions of real life.” — Washington Post on Pieces of Her
“The ever-popular crime novelist is back with another pulse-pounding standalone, this one considering the twisted relationship between a mother and a daughter after the latter realizes she may not know the woman who gave birth to her at all.” — Entertainment Weekly on Pieces of Her
“If you’re into mystery thrillers, then you’re into Karin Slaughter.” — theSkimm
“Expect from a Karin Slaughter crime thriller . . . just the right amount of twists, turns, shocks, surprises and domestic thrill and shrill.” — Parade
“Her talent is the equivalent of an Edgar Allan Poe or a Nathaniel Hawthorne . . . An exemplary storyteller, weaving her words with skill and intelligence. She will be recognized as one of the great talents of the 21st century and will hold an honored place in the realm of world literature.” — The Huffington Post
“Slaughter’s work is like a professional athlete coming to the playground to show the kids how it’s done. With her themes, tensions and metaphors, she has a talent for classic literature that is often missing in recent fiction.” — RT Book Reviews
“One of the boldest thriller writers working today.” — Tess Gerritsen, New York Times bestselling author
"Fiction doesn’t get any better than this.” — Jeffery Deaver, New York Times bestselling author
“Her characters, plot, and pacing are unrivaled among thriller writers, and if you haven’t yet read her, this is the moment.” — Michael Connelly, New York Times bestselling author
"The emotionally sophisticated characters work through the brutality of their jobs in this dynamic psychological thriller and police procedural that will please readers of Slaughter’s “Grant County” series. For fans of Meg Gardiner, David Baldacci, and Carrie Smith." — Library Journal on The Silent Wife
"[False Witness] will keep readers transfixed. Slaughter is writing at the top of her game." — Publishers Weekly (starred review) on False Witness
"Slaughter doesn’t save her twists for the end, instead peppering them throughout the intricately layered story amid stomach-churning near misses and gripping character revelations. Equal parts hyperrealistic thriller and epic tragedy, Slaughter’s latest is pitch-perfect storytelling." — Booklist (starred review) on False Witness
"Slaughter has written a wickedly sharp and arresting tour de force that blends a riveting plot and emotional subterfuge with the kind of propulsive prose that makes False Witness absolutely unputdownable." — Lauren Francis-Sharma, author of Book of the Little Axe, on False Witness
“Karin Slaughter is a master of the thriller genre and her genius comes through on every page, in every character, through every plot twist. False Witness is so suspenseful, it’s tension palpable, and the action so visual, I can’t wait to see its brilliance in film.” — Francesca Momplaisir, critically-acclaimed author of My Mother’s House
“Slaughter’s eye for detail and truth are unmatched.” — Gillian Flynn
theSkimm on False Witness
Annnnd she does it again. Slaughter’s latest high-stakes thriller follows a defense attorney whose dark past is coming back to haunt her—all thanks to a new client she’s called in to represent days before his trial. There’s deception, sabotage, violence, family secrets . . . all the stuff you could want from a fictional page-turner, really.
Stacey Abrams
Karin Slaughter’s False Witness is a twisty, searingly contemporary mystery steeped in a dark past, and she weaves a story that catches your breath and keeps you gasping and guessing until the end.”
The Huffington Post
Her talent is the equivalent of an Edgar Allan Poe or a Nathaniel Hawthorne . . . An exemplary storyteller, weaving her words with skill and intelligence. She will be recognized as one of the great talents of the 21st century and will hold an honored place in the realm of world literature.
Washington Post on Pieces of Her
All of Slaughter’s books... are satisfyingly surprising and plausible, but it’s Slaughter’s prodigious gifts of characterization that make her stand out among thriller writers…Slaughter’s satirical touches are as deft as her grimmer renditions of real life.
USA Today on Pieces of Her
A propulsive, high-stakes thriller rife with intrigue and suspense.
Oyinkan Braithwaite
Slaughter offers us a high-stakes thriller that handles the tragedy of addiction with empathy and grace. Her heroines are believable, flawed and courageous.
Entertainment Weekly on Pieces of Her
The ever-popular crime novelist is back with another pulse-pounding standalone, this one considering the twisted relationship between a mother and a daughter after the latter realizes she may not know the woman who gave birth to her at all.
Washington Post on False Witness
Cunningly conceived and written . . . Deeply satisfying.
theSkimm
If you’re into mystery thrillers, then you’re into Karin Slaughter.”
Parade
Expect from a Karin Slaughter crime thriller . . . just the right amount of twists, turns, shocks, surprises and domestic thrill and shrill.”
Booklist (starred review) on False Witness
"Slaughter doesn’t save her twists for the end, instead peppering them throughout the intricately layered story amid stomach-churning near misses and gripping character revelations. Equal parts hyperrealistic thriller and epic tragedy, Slaughter’s latest is pitch-perfect storytelling."
Francesca Momplaisir
Karin Slaughter is a master of the thriller genre and her genius comes through on every page, in every character, through every plot twist. False Witness is so suspenseful, it’s tension palpable, and the action so visual, I can’t wait to see its brilliance in film.
Gillian Flynn
Slaughter’s eye for detail and truth are unmatched.”
Library Journal on The Silent Wife
"The emotionally sophisticated characters work through the brutality of their jobs in this dynamic psychological thriller and police procedural that will please readers of Slaughter’s “Grant County” series. For fans of Meg Gardiner, David Baldacci, and Carrie Smith."
Lauren Francis-Sharma
"Slaughter has written a wickedly sharp and arresting tour de force that blends a riveting plot and emotional subterfuge with the kind of propulsive prose that makes False Witness absolutely unputdownable."
RT Book Reviews
Slaughter’s work is like a professional athlete coming to the playground to show the kids how it’s done. With her themes, tensions and metaphors, she has a talent for classic literature that is often missing in recent fiction.
Tess Gerritsen
One of the boldest thriller writers working today.
Jeffery Deaver
"Fiction doesn’t get any better than this.
Michael Connelly
Her characters, plot, and pacing are unrivaled among thriller writers, and if you haven’t yet read her, this is the moment.
Library Journal
★ 06/17/2022
Slaughter's (False Witness) 24th book, the second in the "Andrea Oliver" series (following Pieces of Her), begins two years after Andrea learned that her mother was in witness protection and that her childhood was built on lies. Andrea is no longer the timid woman whose life was turned upside down in the series' first installment. Now she's a newly deputized United States Marshal, eager to take control and start life on her terms. Her first official assignment takes her to the small Delaware town of Longbill Beach to protect federal judge Esther Vaughn. She is also asked, unofficially, to investigate the 1982 murder of Judge Vaughn's daughter Emily, who was pregnant and a high school senior at the time. This assignment is personal—the prime suspect in Emily Vaughn's murder is Andrea's currently imprisoned father, who might be paroled sooner than she or Judge Vaughn is comfortable with. The plot of Slaughter's thriller unfolds over a dual timeline—the contrasts between the novel's 1982 and 2022 United States cannot be ignored—as Andrea uncovers a truth that has been hidden for 40 years. VERDICT Slaughter skillfully leads readers on a thrilling journey into the past to solve the murder that a small town wants to forget, yet is still haunted by. Will appeal to fans of Michael Koryta, Joe Lansdale, and Jennifer Hillier.—George Lichman
JULY 2022 - AudioFile
Narrator Kathleen Early steps up to the challenge of voicing teenage boys and girls and then switching to an imperious female judge and a feisty female U.S. marshal. In this second book in the Andrea Oliver series, the plot moves back and forth from the troubled life of teenager Emily Vaughn in the 1980s to Oliver’s first assignment as a U.S. marshal in the present day. Early’s talent for evoking characters’ ages, genders, cultural backgrounds, and personalities shines through and will keep listeners glued to their earbuds. The secrets long held in the small town of Longbill Beach intertwine with Oliver’s troubled family background, providing insights into teenage pregnancy, domestic abuse, and the psychological impact of cults. Early and Slaughter once again partner for a compelling listen. E.Q. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
2022-07-13
Forty years after the unsolved murder of a Delaware teen, a newly minted U.S. marshal on an apparently unrelated assignment is pulled back into the case.
Emily Vaughn is well and truly cast out. Discovering that she’s pregnant even though she has no recollection of having had sex with anyone, she refuses to follow the edict of her censorious parents to name the father and force him into marriage. In return, they turn on her with a grim intensity only Slaughter could summon. But Emily doesn’t do cast-out. Even after she’s expelled from her school, she shows up at the senior prom in full regalia and is shunned and shamed by virtually everyone who sees her before she’s brutally struck down by a shadowy figure. Decades after her death, newly anointed Marshal Andrea Oliver, who knows more than a little about domestic problems—her biological father is doing time for his misdeeds as a psychopathic cult leader—is assigned as part of her initial rotation to protect Judge Esther Rose Vaughn, who’s received a series of florid death threats punctuated by a dead rat. Starchy Esther, it turns out, was Emily’s mother, and Andrea’s gig will bring her uncomfortably close to both Esther and Judith Vaughn, the daughter doctors managed to keep Emily alive long enough to bring to birth 40 years ago. Slaughter is less interested in revealing whodunit than in showcasing the many ways Emily was rejected by her peers, her teacher, and her family and the bitter legacy her supposed transgression left behind, and she brings her trademark intensity to every relationship she lays bare.
Like touching a live wire that continues across three generations.
