Karin Slaughter

COMING TO NETFLIX! Mother. Hero. Liar. Killer. How can you tell when all you have is... PIECES OF HER What if the person you thought you knew best turns out to be someone you never knew at all . . . ? Andrea knows everything about her mother, Laura. She knows she’s spent her whole life in the small beachside town of Belle Isle; she knows she’s never wanted anything more than to live a quiet life as a pillar of the community; she knows she’s never kept a secret in her life. Because we all know our mothers, don’t we? But all that changes when a trip to the mall explodes into violence and Andrea suddenly sees a completely different side to Laura. Because it turns out that before Laura was Laura, she was someone completely different. For nearly thirty years she’s been hiding from her previous identity, lying low in the hope that no one would ever find her. But now she’s been exposed, and nothing will ever be the same again. The police want answers and Laura’s innocence is on the line, but she won’t speak to anyone, including her own daughter. Andrea is on a desperate journey following the breadcrumb trail of her mother’s past. And if she can’t uncover the secrets hidden there, there may be no future for either one of them. . . .

A Novel

Pieces of Her

The #1 internationally bestselling author returns with a new novel in the vein of the New York Times bestsellers Pretty Girls and The Good Daughter—a story even more electrifying, provocative, and suspenseful than anything she’s written before. What if the person you thought you knew best turns out to be someone you never knew at all . . . ? Andrea Cooper knows everything about her mother Laura. She’s knows she’s spent her whole life in the small beachside town of Gullaway Island; she knows she’s never wanted anything more than to live a quiet life as a pillar of the community; she knows she’s never kept a secret in her life. Because we all know our mothers, don’t we? But all that changes when a Saturday afternoon trip to the mall explodes into violence and Andrea suddenly sees a completely different side to Laura. Because it turns out that before Laura was Laura, she was someone completely different. For nearly thirty years she’s been hiding from her previous identity, lying low in the hope that no one will ever find her. But now she’s been exposed, and nothing will ever be the same again. Twenty-four hours later Laura is in the hospital, shot by an intruder who’s spent thirty years trying to track her down and discover what she knows. Andrea is on a desperate journey following the breadcrumbs of her mother’s past. And if she can’t uncover the secrets hidden there, there may be no future for either one of them. . . .

Kenzi Linton

As intrigued as I was reading this book, I also found myself quite confused. The chapters were incredibly long. However, as I continued to read the book, I became more invested and curious. Will I find myself reading this book again? Probably not and I probably won’t watch the show either, however I do plan on reading the sequel, Girl Forgotten as I chose it for my book of the month. Overall, I understand the hype people have for Pieces of Her, though it just ended up being an average read for me.

The #1 Australian bestseller from the author of The Good Daughter and Pretty Girls 'A novel that sets the standard for psychological thriller writing. Rarely in fiction have the past and the present collided with such force and in such a distinctive and compelling voice' Jeffery Deaver What if the person you thought you knew best turned out to be someone you never knew at all? Andrea Oliver's mother, Laura, is the perfect small-town mum. Laura lives a quiet but happy life in sleepy beachside Belle Isle. She's a pillar of the community: a speech therapist, business owner and everybody's friend. And she's never kept a secret from anyone. Or so Andrea thinks. When Andrea is caught in a random violent attack at a shopping mall, Laura intervenes and acts in a way that is unrecognisable to her daughter. It's like Laura is a completely different person - and that's because she was. Thirty years ago. Before Andrea. Before Belle Isle. Laura is hailed as a hero for her actions at the mall but 24 hours later she is in hospital, shot by an intruder, who's spent decades trying to track her down. What is Andrea's mother trying to hide? As elements of the past return and put them both in danger, Andrea is left to piece together Laura's former identity and discover the truth - for better or worse - about her mother. Is the gentle, loving woman who raised her also a violent killer?

Geoffrey Froggatt

I’ve liked Karin Slaughter ever since reading The Good Daughter, but I never read another one of her books until this one, which I decided to pick up before watching the Netflix television adaptation. Content warning for domestic abuse, gun violence, sexual assault, and mentions of cancer, homophobia and miscarriage. On her 30th birthday, Andrea Oliver celebrates the occasion at a local diner with her mother, Laura. Moments later, she witnesses the unthinkable on a day that would forever change her life. After her mother attempts to stop a shooter from killing more victims, Andrea notices that Laura has flipped the script and watches her violently dispose of the threat. Visibly shaken, Andrea is left with wavering thoughts and conflicted feelings about her mother's actions. Soon after, video footage of the incident at the diner becomes a viral hit, exposing Laura's identity to her past enemies. As Andrea begins to gather the pieces of Laura's past on her journey to uncover the real identity that her mother has forsaken long ago, what other truths will she find? I liked the initial premise and the start of this book. I liked the mystery around Andrea’s mom Laura and how it unfolded. I loved the scene with the shooter in the beginning and the scene with the home invasion soon after. I found that the story slowed down a little after that, but Andy’s character kept me interested in the story. There was a moment that genuinely made me chuckle in this book where Andy is attempting to come up with a lie for a stranger about where she’s from, and she mentions being from Mystic Falls, which is the fictional setting of The Vampire Diaries. Andy figuring out her mother’s past was interesting, but I was a little lost during the flashbacks to 1986. I felt like this story was unravelling in an interesting way at this point, but I also felt like I wasn’t as engaged by what was happening in the flashbacks despite that it was fascinating and revelatory on paper. I think that the climax was interesting but the ending itself was drawn out in the epilogue. I understand that this book needed to be fleshed out in order to be a proper story and feel realistic, but I do feel like I could explain this entire story in less than 15 minutes. Not every story needs to be complex or convoluted, but I felt like this story was a few inches above average in terms of execution when it could have been something grand and similar to Gone Girl. I’m curious to see how this book’s story is adapted into the Netflix show and where the story goes in this book’s sequel. I recommend this book for fans of Karin Slaughter with the caveat that it is not as dark or as twisty as her other work.

Samantha 

It was kind of slow at times but then I got really invested in it. There were some plot twists that I didn't see coming

Lane Hokanson

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ || I’m a big Karin Slaughter fan, and am steadily working my way through her books. I don’t think there’s been one that I didn’t love yet, and this was no exception! I moved this to the top of my list when I saw that there was a Netflix version, and will be tuning in to see how it compares! 

This read had a slightly different feel to some of the other KS books I’ve read, but it still had that perfect mix of dark storytelling and human humor. Absolutely recommend, though as always for thrillers and KS books, I recommend checking the TWs first. 

Side note: does anyone else hate the “movie” covers on books? This is the version I listened to, but I always try to pick the original cover if I can!

Jenna Pascale 

This one was a wild ride from start to finish…But then again, aren’t all of Karin Slaughter’s books that way?

I definitely agree with other reviews that I have read that said that this book was a little on the long side. In addition, I also had a hard time getting through the first portion of the book that explains Jinx’s history - it ran a little bit too much like non-fiction for my liking.

However, I am glad that I saw this book through to the end because in typical Karin Slaughter fashion it was a phenomenal thriller. 

Now after read book two of the series ✌🏼

Alexa M

hmMmMMm. this was really interesting and im glad i read it but i didnt loooove it so idk maybe more of a 3.5 rounded up? our MC was so GD annoying i wanted to smack her but i was generally enticed by the plot line. definitely not knocking anyone in my fave KS spots but happy to have another one by her read!

I found the miscommunication ridiculous. How do you keep a secret for thirty years from your child? And as a thirty year old myself, I found Andy’s lack of inquisition highly unlikely. 

Katie B.

Bonita

3.25 ⭐️ had me really hooked in the beginning, but then it just kind of lost me as it went on. still a decent thriller but not a fave!

Jordan /

⭐️⭐️💫

Curious if the show/movie on Netflix is any better..

I'm not quite sure what this book was trying to achieve. Although I liked the writing and flew through the book, I just can't figure out what this was meant to be/do. Was it meant to be a mystery? Because the entire plot was so easy to guess, even 60 pages in. Was it meant to be a thriller? Because it wasn't that suspenseful/scary either. I'll definitely check out other Karin Slaughter books, but this one missed the mark for me. Not a bad read at all, but not a very good one either.

also, there was no need for using the f-slur multiple times throughout the book. thanks.

Jolien De Landsheer

I'm not quite sure what this book was trying to achieve. Although I liked the writing and flew through the book, I just can't figure out what this was meant to be/do. Was it meant to be a mystery? Because the entire plot was so easy to guess, even 60 pages in. Was it meant to be a thriller? Because it wasn't that suspenseful/scary either. I'll definitely check out other Karin Slaughter books, but this one missed the mark for me. Not a bad read at all, but not a very good one either.

also, there was no need for using the f-slur multiple times throughout the book. thanks.

This is the second time I've picked this up and put it down. The characters are completely UNLIKABLE. It's such a hard read. I've loved Slaughters' other novels but man this one feels like it was forced.

Molly Morgan

This is the third book I've read by Karin Slaughter and it's the one I've enjoyed the least. It was a good book, but it didn't grip me quite like her others. Parts of it kindof slogged and I found myself skim-reading.

Lyndsy Argento

I read this while waiting for a book to come out and I did enjoy it. Definitely nowhere near as graphic/brutal as her other novels which I wasn't upset about. I still like Pretty Girls the most from this author, but this was a nice quick read. Plus now I can watch the adaptation on Netflix 😅

The #1 internationally bestselling author returns with a new novel in the vein of her New York Times bestsellers Pretty Girls and The Good Daughter—a story even more electrifying, provocative, and suspenseful than anything she’s written before. What if the person you thought you knew best turns out to be someone you never knew at all . . . ? Andrea knows everything about her mother, Laura. She knows she’s spent her whole life in the small beachside town of Belle Isle; she knows she’s never wanted anything more than to live a quiet life as a pillar of the community; she knows she’s never kept a secret in her life. Because we all know our mothers, don’t we? But all that changes when a trip to the mall explodes into violence and Andrea suddenly sees a completely different side to Laura. Because it turns out that before Laura was Laura, she was someone completely different. For nearly thirty years she’s been hiding from her previous identity, lying low in the hope that no one would ever find her. But now she’s been exposed, and nothing will ever be the same again. The police want answers and Laura’s innocence is on the line, but she won’t speak to anyone, including her own daughter. Andrea is on a desperate journey following the breadcrumb trail of her mother’s past. And if she can’t uncover the secrets hidden there, there may be no future for either one of them. . . .

Haley Dudeck

I absolutely loved this book. It easily grabbed my attention in the very beginning, and kept me on the edge until the end. I am definitely going to look for more of Karin Slaughter's books next time I go to a bookstore.

megan adlam

-absolutely fascinating and original
-could not put it down 
-amazing mystery/thriller/story telling
-the least disturbing/gory of karin’s novels

Tanja Hoffmann

Actually really enjoyed this! A lot less gruesome than some of her other books (which isn't to say its not violent lol), and I thought the more political subplot was interesting and very convincing! The build of the plot was very well crafted, I just had some issues with the writing, especially with the main character Andrea, her lack of talking/answering questions in the beginning got repetitive and unconvincing quickly, maybe it would have benefited from some more editing. The flashbacks were especially well done and the depiction of the relationships was strong as well.

Christina M Masters

This is my 2nd Karin Slaughter book and I am definitely a fan, although the first book I read, Pretty Girls, is the one that is going to keep me reading her, not necessarily this one. I realize this one is very popular since it is the one being made into a Netflix series, but for most of the book this was a bit of a 2 star read for me for one specific reason and that is Andy, the daughter. I could not stand her for about 3/4ths of the book, to be honest. She had her moments, but for like the first third of the book she sort of came off as a sniveling idiot who couldn't put together a sentence to save her life...almost literally! And honestly, most of her character development fell a little flat for me. The part of the book where I really started to get interested and it raised my opinion of the book was when they started delving into the past and the mother's life. Laura's story is far more interesting and maybe that was kind of the point. At any rate, I will of course continue to read Karin Slaughter and cross my fingers that the Netflix show will be a little kinder to Andy in the character development department.

Jessica De Hoyos

Thoroughly enjoyed the first 1/3 of this book, but unfortunately the story line and characters just didn't keep me interested and the book went downhill after that. The plot wasn't anything I expected so I appreciated that, but it did nothing for me. This was my first Slaughter novel. Looking forward to The Good Daughter and Pretty Girls, hopefully with better luck.

Lori Keenom

While I enjoyed this book it wasn’t one of my favorites.

Jessica Nottingham

This was my first Karin Slaughter book, despite the fact that many people in my book circles love her writing. I wasn't sure what to expect, so keep in mind that my review is based around being a newbie to these books! It helped, of course, that Pieces of Her focuses on a group very similar to the Symbionese Liberation Army. Cults of all sorts fascinate me, and I can't deny I love a really charismatic "bad guy" leader. So into this book I went, sight unseen, and I can tell you that it wasn't a bad ride at all.

First off, kudos to Slaughter on her ability to write one tight, well-plotted out mystery. The beginning of this story pulls no punches, and that's tame compared to what comes after. I can't say that I ever really loved Andrea. She's frustratingly slow sometimes, and hysterical as all get out. However the plot that Slaughter expertly wove together at least made Andrea's emotions understandable. There really isn't anything in this story that doesn't belong right were it is. Each death is carefully calculated. Each violent act, perfectly placed to maximize its impact. This isn't a story that is an easy read, but it's definitely a tension filled one. That, I appreciated.

However, weirdly, this book also manages to move really slowly. I can see how it would be important to move things along as a pace that really amps up the tension, but some of the events in this book moved at a near glacial pace. I didn't so much mind that this book was told as a series of flashbacks between the present and past. I actually thought that it helped bring Laura's past life to the foreground in a really interesting way. Still, it could have been done a faster pace. There was so much fleeing, so much dialogue, and it got to the point where it weighed the plot down. I was torn between loving that the breadcrumbs were so expertly laid out, and wanting to run ahead because prying them off the floor was taking too long. It would probably have helped a lot if Andrea's journey to find answers about her mother hadn't taken so many chapters. I know that it was a plot device, in order to allow Slaughter to slowly lay out the past, but that didn't stop me wanting to skim ahead.

I did love the mastermind behind this group though. Well, as much as you can love an evil, calculating man. It was evident that there was a lot of research, and thought, that went into the character of Nick. He was a man that you could tell would be the perfect cult like leader. Charismatic, persuasive, and always with a simmering undercurrent of violence. If I have anything to tell you about what I loved about this book, it would be that Nick is the perfect villain. He brings this whole beautifully executed plot full circle, and I was extremely impressed.

All in all, I thought that Pieces of Her was a pretty solid story. As my first Karin Slaughter book, I was fairly impressed! I'd like to find another one of her books that maybe has things tightened up a bit, in the forward movement department. I'm generally not a fan of thrillers, but reading one in which the story actually felt like it was beautifully resolved has hooked me! I'll be on the lookout for more.

Pieces of Her A Novel

Reviews