Karin Slaughter

The stunning No. 1 Sunday Times bestselling thriller from the critically acclaimed author.

The Good Daughter

“The Good Daughter is like Law and Order meets The Good Wife.” —theSkimm Instant New York Times Bestseller theSkimm Book Club Pick! The stunning new novel from the international #1 bestselling author — a searing, spellbinding blend of cold-case thriller and psychological suspense. 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. It left their mother dead. It left their father — Pikeville's notorious defense attorney — devastated. 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… Packed with twists and turns, brimming with emotion and heart, The Good Daughter is fiction at its most thrilling.

A Novel

Elizabeth Scott

Love the way Karin slaughter writes but this one was a little long winded for me. I liked the dynamic between the sisters but Charlotte and her husband seemed kind of off as he was upset at her for cheating on him when he literally did the same like the whole time they were separated? Having mason be present during the attack was a pretty big twist, but it felt really drawn out which made for a semi boring read. 

Paige Paul

Joanna Tweedale

As with a lot of people what "right" means tends to be whatever we feel justified in doing. The question of whether or not they are a good man with flaws had being reasonable everywhere. Alll the tenses make me scared walking in the dark. It somehow remind me of The Haunting of Hill House.. in some ways!

Denaiir

"The Good Daughter" is the kind of novel that punches you in the gut, stomps on your heart and doesn't let you sleep at night.

As usual with Karin Slaughter there are some parts that are very dark and unsettling, with graphic depictions of horrible events. However, those parts were fundamental to the story and they were the reason it was so engrossing. If you're a regular Karin Slaughter reader it will not come as a shock, but if it's your first book by her, know that she does not shy away from horrible scenes. 

As usual, I did not see the twists coming and I was shocked several times by the way she unfolded the plot and the flashbacks, carefully unraveling the web of white lies, misunderstandings, secrets and manipulation. 

The whole cast of characters was interesting, compelling, and so real! They made mistakes, they didn't know what to do, they acted selfishly or they were disconnected from each other, but they loved each other deeply. My personal favorites are Ben and Sam, but they all added something to the story. 

Overall it's an excellent book that kept me on my toes, made me cringe but also made me cry with the blunt force of the feelings that the characters felt for each other, and how they were broken by circumstances. A powerful family drama in addition to a gripping thriller.

Gia Palamos

my chest was tight and my heart was beating so fast the whole time i was reading this book AND i was shocked to find tears rolling down my cheeks a bunch of times. beautifully written, all the questions were answered, and the twists were... w o w. a bit graphic but not to the point where you'd want to drop the book. it was more than just a suspense/thriller book-- a lot of family drama and trauma in there too. solid character developments also!!! i cannot deal!!

Lane Hokanson

I love Karin Slaughter. She manages to completely nail the thriller dynamic every time, without becoming monotonous or formulaic. They are always dark, gritty, and graphic, so I would always recommend checking TW, but she manages to insert humor, genuine relationships, and a level of joy in each one. I loved The Good Daughter, it was wonderfully written and given life by the narrator Kathleen Early. Highly recommend, along with most of her other works.

Alexa M

loooove. Karin Slaughter’s ability to write not only unique and interesting thrillers but also complex and real family dynamics is unmatched. will def be diving into more of her books in the very near future !!

Siya S

This is such an emotional rollercoaster. It got me confused because it made me wince and it made me laugh and then cry and then wince again with the terribleness of the whole thing.

Alyssa Pick

** spoiler alert **
           Not gonna lie it took me a while to get through the first two thirds of the book. I just wanted to get to the end and be able to see the whole picture. 

When I got to the end, I did cry. I didn’t think Rusty was going to die just there and then and when Charlie was revealing what really happened to her that day, I cried in my bed and when I looked in the mirror I had horribly puffy eyes. 

I have read Pretty Girls by Karen Slaughter as well and I would say that I preferred how the author didn’t go into as much detail in the rape as she did in Pretty Girls. So really appreciated that.

karin slaughter continues to be very hit or miss for me, but there’s just something about her writing that keeps me coming back to her books… unfortunately this one ended up just being okay for me, it felt like it dragged a lot & was longer than it needed to be. <spoiler> I feel like the flashbacks were repetitive & could’ve been done in a different way. I also wasn’t completely blown away by the twist at the end :/ I think my favorite part about this book would definitely have to be the Quinn family dynamic & Rusty! also Ben was such a great character & all I could think was he deserved better lol. i also really enjoyed Sam as a character & appreciated the representation of someone who has disabilities.

also, make sure to read your trigger warnings… I went in blind & didn’t realize some of the story revolves around a school shooting & that is always very hard & triggering for me to read. 

Bonita

karin slaughter continues to be very hit or miss for me, but there’s just something about her writing that keeps me coming back to her books… unfortunately this one ended up just being okay for me, it felt like it dragged a lot & was longer than it needed to be. <spoiler> I feel like the flashbacks were repetitive & could’ve been done in a different way. I also wasn’t completely blown away by the twist at the end :/ I think my favorite part about this book would definitely have to be the Quinn family dynamic & Rusty! also Ben was such a great character & all I could think was he deserved better lol. i also really enjoyed Sam as a character & appreciated the representation of someone who has disabilities.

also, make sure to read your trigger warnings… I went in blind & didn’t realize some of the story revolves around a school shooting & that is always very hard & triggering for me to read. 

on to the next one!</spoilers>

laura

FIRST FIVE STAR READ OF THE YEAR and i think this might be my favorite book from thriller/mystery genre, the fucking writing style, the characters, the relationship between the sisters and the dad omfg i have wayyy to many emotions to write a full review so this is mostly rambling, this my first book by karin slaughter and she didn’t disappoint, her writing makes it seem like the character are real, real human beings experiencing this tragedy, i honestly might go cry after writing this review

Brittney Browne

3.5-4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️, I can’t decide. Although this book did solidify that I’m a Karin Slaughter fan, I didn’t *love* this book. I just felt like parts dragged on a little too long and I wasn’t totally satisfied with the ending. It felt rushed and prolonged all at the same time? Which is confusing, I know but I don’t know how else to describe it. Having said that, I’m a character driven reader and her characters completely made up for plot points I didn’t love and the pacing issues I had. I loved the characters she created in Sam and Charlie and Rusty. I felt deeply connected to the girls especially. This is my second book of hers which focused on sisters and I can say without a doubt that this author understands the complicated but devoted relationships sisters have with each other. All of her characters are perfectly imperfect. Relatable. Lovable. The good guys are the good guys and the bad guys are bad guys. And sometimes the ones who were supposed to be good are bad. Which is the exact perfect formula for a good novel you can get absorbed in. 
So overall, not my favorite thriller, but satisfying and worth the trip.

Eva Bailey

This was good, lost some stars because I guessed the twist/big reveal and I have never guessed a twist in my life so do with that what you will.

Good Daughter

Madhuri Sridhara

2.5 stars and only because I finished it.
I had better hopes for this book. The writing is flat, the characters (that are on the frontlines) are dull and at one point I expected a chapter to be named "WHAT I SWEAR TO JESUS ACTUALLY HAPPENED TO CHARLIE, SAMANTHA, AND THE QUINNS".

I hate unreliable narrators and manipulative storytelling. This book has plenty of both. The plot twists felt convoluted and even the answers you get at the end had a 'meh' feel to them. The third part of the book was rushed and by the end, I was just glad it was over. 

I wanted to know more about the background characters like Ben, Rusty, Huck, and Gamma. I would like to have seen things from their perspective. But oh well.

I would definitely not recommend this book.

Skye Sherman

Maybe it was because I read this book on audio (while running lol), but I just didn’t love it. I felt it was unnecessarily long and drawn out. And you don’t find out anything juicy til the very very end, and by that point it just doesn’t seem that believable anymore. I might’ve enjoyed this more if I read it in physical book form so I could flip back and forth between the different accounts.

i haven't been disappointed by Karin Slaughter yet. I liked these women better than the two in Pretty Girls, but that's besides the point.

megan adlam

karin slaughter is the best psycho thriller writer i have across
-dark, visceral, gruesome
-beautiful and complex storytelling
-makes you fall in love with the two sisters
-cried more than a few times
-nobody does graphic writing like karen if you do not have a strong stomach/mind i do not recommend her books

I really enjoyed this book.
The relationship between the sisters and each sister's relationship to their father was the highlight for me. The story was good and quick paced. Intriguing and a fast read.

daisy

3.5 / the first 200 pages (except for the prologue) wasn't enjoyable, i even thought about dnf-ing this book but the last few chapters are so fucking good and really hits me. i always love the way karin slaughter writes about family drama. a lot of trigger warnings in this book as well, this one is way darker than pretty girls for me

Jen Estrella

Nothing ever truly faded. Time only dulled the edges.
Rating: 4 1/2 stars | In a nutshell: Character-driven goodness that has all the essential elements of a good thriller - I loved this. I thought it was too daunting at first because 600 pages, seriously? I'm so used to liking my regular thriller novel that only has 300-350 pages, is fast paced, and focuses on the whodunit. But then Kathy told me that I wouldn't be able to stop reading once I start, and of course, she was right. 

If you are a fan of stories that focus on unpacking complex characters (their histories, relationships, etc.) but at the same time still does the mystery aspect right, then you would definitely enjoy this book. From the very beginning, I knew that this book was going to be good, because I was equally as invested in the characters as I was in the mystery. In my opinion, this is what the author did really well - allowing the reader to get absorbed in the characters, so that he/she would keep reading even when the mystery fades. 

Also, can I just say, this scene made me tear up - warning - major spoilers: (view spoiler)[When Rusty revealed that he was present in a few of Sam's courtroom appearances, they had this conversation: "I never knew you were there." 
"No you did not. I wanted to see you. You didn't want to see me." He held up his hand to spare her the trouble of making an excuse. "It is a father's job to love his daughter in the way that she needs to be loved."
Ugh. This was right before Rusty died. Of course I was devastated. (hide spoiler)]

Quick warning - To say that this book is dark is an understatement. There are graphic scenes of violence that some readers might not like. I'll be honest, there are a number of scenes that made my stomach squirm; however, If you're the type of person who can manage these scenes just fine, then I highly recommend this book.

Sasha Mann

Very descriptive way of writing with use of imagery.
You find that the family are a bit stressed right now given the fact their house burned down via arson from someone who disliked the girl's father. He seemed to be a very good lawyer who specialized in very bad cases.
Such an absolutely intense scene happening early on. I caught myself holding my breath and practically speed reading through the scene because it was so dread inducing. And that's just the opening prologue 
The first chapter is just as riveting and capturing. I truly find myself enjoy how Karin Slaughter writes. So much tension seems to go in to her work and I am here for it! Charlie's father just seems like the literal worst. Like he does not make for a good father figure at all from what I have read of him
We get the points of view/ catch up with the lives of both the sisters several years after their tragedy. You can read and understand the strain between the girls having lived through such a traumatic event.
Story has some great twists to it. I've never read a book this size so fast. I find myself practically devouring this novel

celeste

karin slaughter might be becoming my favorite thriller author, she just knows how to write really fucked up stuff and really good sibling relationships. personally, this was way better than pretty girls in terms of keeping the reader guessing up until 90% of the book when it came to the mystery. the characters were actually smart and not behaving like characters from pretty little liars which was a huge bonus. even though i liked the pretty girls case more than the one in the good daughter, overall i enjoyed reading this one more.

Paige Green

Rating: 3/5

Genre: Thriller

Recommended Age: 18+ (violence, language, and gore. Trigger warnings for school shootings, a characters recount of being buried alive, and rape)

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. It left their mother dead. It left their father — Pikeville's notorious defense attorney — devastated. 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… - Amazon.com

Usually I love anything that has to deal with crime and thrillers. My masters’ degree was in Criminal Justice and I love figuring out what to do in legal dilemmas. I thought this book would be an excellent one for me considering my background and for the most part it was okay. I thought every character was especially well developed and very realistic. I thought the plot was excellent and complex. But while the book was constructed well, it had some issues to it.

The author’s writing style is very descriptive and detailed. This in itself isn’t a problem, but the author tends to go into too much detail for my personal tastes. The author also likes to extend dialogue for much longer then I thought was necessary. Thus, the pacing in the book felt very slow almost to the point of being painful. While I listened to the book I found myself drifting off, only to come back minutes later and not miss a plot point. I also felt that there was a lot of unnecessary build up and tension in the book where maybe there shouldn’t have been, or maybe because of how the scenes were wrote it felt that way. Lastly, the book is told from multiple POVs and it could be a little confusing for some readers as the characters frequently have flash backs and tons of dialogue that can make the reader a little confused at times as to who they are reading from.

Verdict: If you are someone who likes crime dramas and thrillers with detail, multiple POVs, and dialogue, this book is for you. If you’re someone who likes their books to be a bit more concise, this book may not be for you. It’s an excellent thriller, but be weary of your dislikes in books if you decide to look into this one for a read.

The Good Daughter

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