COMING TO NETFLIX!Mother. Hero. Liar. Killer. How can you tell when all you have is…PIECES OF HERWhat 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 … 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. . . .
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This book kept me up way past bedtime. A riveting thriller.
This book kept me guessing for a long time. I didn’t want to put it down and sat up late one night to finish it. I enjoy Karin Slaughter’s series but her stand alones can be even more haunting.
I loved this book. It kept me guessing the whole way.
I have loved most of Karin Slaughter’s books and always wait with anticipation for their availability. This one, I believe, is her best ever and one of the best books I’ve read in quite some time.
Well worth reading
Karin Slaughter is one of my favourite authors and this book did not disappoint, though it’s very different from her series. Quite a lot of cruelty in this one, but plenty of tension, intrigue and a complex story line.
Karin Slaughter never disappoints. Her newest is a real page-turner, with fully developed characters and a very interesting story. Dark, interesting and difficult to put down.
This book is very different from the past books by the author. In the previous books, the characters were all fascinating, if not a bit odd. However, the main character in this book, Andrea, first appears as a lost, but boring, soul. She studied at SCAD, but before finishing her degree, left for NYC, where she was a total failure, and just trudging from one day to the next, when her mother, Laura, a speech therapist, calls her from their home in Belle Isle, GA, to tell her she has breast cancer, but not to worry and not to come home. Taking it as an excuse to leave, she does return to help and nurse her mother, but then continues to live in the garage apartment behind the house. Meeting at a mall for lunch, her mother tells her that it is time to leave and get on with her life, when they are interrupted by a young man attempting a mass shooting- and stopped by Laura. As filming of the scene goes viral, it exposes Laura, of a past that she had hidden for 30 years. She sends Andrea away, and as she tries to follow her mother’s instructions, she learns that nothing she ever knew about her mother was true. Skillfully developed characters, and non stop action, you won’t want to put the book down.
This is a stand alone novel by Karin Slaughter. The book emphasizes on characterization and the conflict of betrayal on multiple levels. The story toggled between present day and the 1980’s, which was an important underpinning of the story.
Andrea is turning 31 and is feeling the weight of having lived nothing more than a vanilla life. She has an unfinished college degree, student loans piling up, and is living in an apartment above her mother’s garage. Her mother, a 55 year old speech pathologist, has been the epitome of stability in Andrea’s life. But one afternoon, unforeseen circumstances leave Andrea questioning how much she knows about her own mother. When Andrea is suddenly forced to leave town, her journey leads her to unimaginable truths. She is forced into a world of lies, betrayal, and murder as she pieces together small bits of reality that reveal more than she’s ready to accept about the woman she calls mom.
I am a long time fan of Karin Slaughter and have read most of her work. This novel has a different feel that her others. The tone of the writing in this novel is not quite as dark as her previous works and I am somewhat saddened by that. I appreciate an author changing up the dynamic of plot lines and the undertones of stories as they grow as writers, however, one of my favorite parts of Slaughter’s writing is that dark, perverse side. The freedom of her language. That she is unrestricted and therein allows her readers to experience that intensity through her characters. I did not get that as much in this book. I still thoroughly enjoyed the writing as the story was serendipitous, as always. Definitely a recommended read!
Quite a departure from her regular books! Very good. Shows how complex people really are and how you truly can never completely know someone.
Complex characters, good story, can take a bit of thought with the back and forth between past and present. Nonstop action
This unpredictable book peels away the layers slowly but with the satisfaction of a perfect piece of fruit. How many of you think you know your parents? How many of you are shocked to find a secret or two out? Andrea Oliver returns home to be with her mother during her cancer surgery and treatment. Selfishly she is helping herself though her mother tells her daughter she actually asked her to come home. Andrea aka Andy is a dispatcher for the local police department, a college drop-out and discouraged with her life. Mom, Laura is a beloved successful speech pathologist who just wants to help others. While mother and daughter are having a heart filled discussion about Andy’s future in a mall diner violence occurs and this is when Andy begins to wonder does she know her mother. Slowly yet brilliantly you will search with Andy for the answers about her mother. Each piece you learn will unfold something else about not only Laura but Andy. Do we truly know anyone or even ourselves or just pieces as they are slowly revealed to us?
Full of unexpected twists, this book makes you wonder how well you really know someone. A fast-paced novel, with a few twists, I kept turning pages until the very end. The story line was interesting and well-paced.
Another new-to –me author whose work I can’t wait to read more of.
#PiecesofHer #WilliamMorrow #BookShout
Disappointed in this latest book. Not as engaging as her previous ones. But , it is still a good read
Did not live up to Karin Slaughter’s previous books.
Really enjoyed reading it. Looked forward to the release, sad-like the day after Christmas. Now what?
Did not flow. I could not read the whole book.
Ok, but predicable. Not one of Ms. Slaughter’s best.
Love everything that Karin writes — this was a bit different but still a powerful read.
I am such a chicken! To me, a ‘thriller’ becomes a ‘horror.’ But, in a good way. And I read very slowly looking up terms it mentioned in Wikipedia, just to make it last longer. Wuss, but in a good way, me thinks.
Karin Slaughter fascinates on all levels. Even when we might not enjoy one as much at first reading, the characters and events will draw you into reading it again. Sometimes we are not ready for the premises covered in a book. And then, something happens in our own life and the book tickles us to the point of greater understanding.
Loved it!