“The Good Daughter is like Law and Order meets The Good Wife.” —theSkimmInstant New York Times BestsellertheSkimm 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… 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.
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Karin Slaughter just keeps getting better. THE GOOD DAUGHTER is tight, tense, and all-too-real. I loved it.
This is my second time reading The Good Daughter. The first time I listened to it on audio so this was my first time reading the physical book. I enjoyed it as much the second time around as I did the first. Slaughter does a phenomenal job of intricately weaving together two compelling plot lines. It explores the long-term effects that trauma can have on people and how it can impact our lives/decisions for generations. There are trigger warnings for sexual assault, pregnancy loss, murder, school shootings, etc. (check them out because there are a ton of them) but they were all necessary to the plot and handled impeccably. I’d give this book 10 stars if I could. One of my all-time favorites.
Just finished this awesome book. Two sisters take turns narrating the same story of a horrific past trauma, the aftermath, and its effect on the present (and future). Each’s viewpoint brings new insight into the past and present–with unreliable narration at times skewing the reader’s expectations. A murder (and mystery) in the past continues to haunt the present, with current tragedy reawakening psychological injuries that will either bring estranged family together, or not. Highly recommended!
An intense, sometimes deeply disturbing, character-driven thriller set to the backdrop of two horrific tragedies that intertwine.
The book is complex, compelling and dark, and is also graphic, intense and gritty, which doesn’t bother me, but is a definite caution for some. If you like dark crime thrillers, this is the book for you. The story is completely engrossing, with two very dramatic crimes intricately tying the story together.
Highly recommend.
The read is harrowing and not for the faint-hearted in places but it is a brilliant read.
Two sisters, Sam and Charlie watch their mother’s murder and are brutally attacked in retaliation for their father’s actions. Fast forward 28 years and the sisters are brought together with their father after a school shooting in their old school. Their father is representing the shooter. The case re-opens old wounds and forces a reassessment of what happened that fateful day in their childhood and their relationships with each other and how they’ve failed to truly heal and move on.
Loved it.
This is the first Karin Slaughter book I’ve read, but I assure you it won’t be the last!
“He talked about how people always obsess about lies. Damn lies. But no one really understands that the real danger is the truth … The truth can rot you from the inside. It doesn’t leave room for anything else.”
Wow, this book is so good. I am a fan of Karin Slaughter’s short-stories but have only read one other full-length novel besides this one. I will be rectifying that soon. I thought Pretty Girls was a fluke. Her other stuff can’t be this good. Yes, it can.
The Good Daughter is all about the characters. Yes, there is a legal thriller/murder mystery in progress but truthfully all that jazz sits in the background of the massive and entirely engaging character and relationship development of two sisters and a very dark past they unfortunately share.
This book was so good. Did I say that already?
My favorite quote:
“There is value in forgiveness.”
Wow. Brilliant. I have 4 authors that I read religiously, and Karin Slaughter is one. I am a diehard Slaughter fan. I follow her much like the deadhead follow the Grateful Dead. Creepy, maybe. She’s totally worth it, though. She can write no wrong in my book. 🙂
When I started this book, about 10 pages in, I had to set it down. My heart was racing. I felt like I was actually watching these characters horrors unfold before my eyes. Crazy! I can’t tell you anything more. I don’t want to give anything away. All I’ll say is, get this book. Read this book. It’s freaking amazing! Ah-mazing!!!!
The unexpected entanglements of characters. The surprising twists. The shocking truths. The hidden secrets that are revealed. Everything about this story felt real and heartbreaking and captured me from page one. Such a great read!
The Good Daughter is a great read. It is well-crafted and a real page turner. i certainly did not predict the ending. Another fine thriller by Karen Slaughter.
Karin Slaughter is as good as any contemporary crime fiction author at weaving complex plots with deeply layered characters, all laced with heart-stopping tension and violence. (If you have a fear of being buried alive, this may not be the book for you). “The Good Daughter” opens with a horrific set of scenes involving home invasion/murder/kidnap/terrorizing. Flash forward 28 years and one of the “daughters” is now a lawyer who witnesses a school shooting and her aging criminal lawyer father must defend the case. Part legal thriller, part murder mystery, “The Good Daughter” is 100% a great read.
Another phenomenal read from Karin Slaughter. What I love about the books she writes is that there is always something unexpected; I never know exactly where the story will take me and I spend so much time on the edge of my seat. While this story had that, it was also quite different to her other books, and this one actually made me cry.
The Good Daughter tells the tale of two girls who are held up at gunpoint. One gets away, the other does not. What Sam and Charlie go through as kids is something from nightmares, and it clearly stays with them through to adulthood.
Another fatal incident happens which brings them back together again for the first time in years, and it gives them a chance to air out some grievances and go over some truths. It’s heartbreaking, it’s raw, but it shows an inner strength in both of them.
I absolutely adore everything this woman writes, and I cannot wait to get into the next one!
I was in a major book slump before this book, and this book definitely woke me from it. This book is very gritty (which I love) and emotive. If you have triggers, I suggest you read through the reviews on Goodreads before picking this one up. I loved everything about this book. I’m not sure what I can say without giving anything away… the characters feel real, faults and all (and there are many). The writing gives me goosebumps. I definitely recommend this book.
Completely and utterly immersive. This is the first time I have read this author but it sure won’t be the last. It will draw you in with its descriptiveness from the start until you have devoured it from start to finish.
As always, Karin Slaughter writes with exceptional skill, managing to create characters that seem, not only real but painful flawed and sympathetic at the same time. I’ve read almost all of Slaughter’s books and always enjoy her work. This one was no exception.
The story moves between a brutal incident in Charlotte Quinn’s life that took place twenty-eight years ago and another shocking tragedy in the present. Without giving too much away, Charlotte (Charlie), her sister Sam and their mother are the victims of a devastating home invasion. Some of the details are quite grim and disturbing, but necessary to capture the brutal nature of the attack.
In the present, Charlie, now a lawyer, is struggling to rebuild her tattered marriage and by chance, finds herself in the midst of another violent incident. With old memories surfacing, Charlie is plunged back into the past and all its painful truths while trying to make sense of a case that has some surprising twists.
Highly recommend this for all thriller readers. Karin Slaughter is one of the best writer’s I’ve come across.
I am a relatively new KS fan. Loving the Will Trent novels (which are as much about his erstwhile partner Sarah and detective partner Faith as him.
This is a standalone and is a deeply moving story about a family hit by tragedy and trauma when the two protagonists (sisters) are in their mid-teens. It’s psychologically true and totally absorbing. You think you know the story (and are fine with that) then you find there’s more. I can’t recommend this enough.
Karin Slaughter is a wonder woman. A masterful storyteller.
If I start going on too much about how GOOD this book is, I might give something away.
I wouldn’t want to spoil the delicious twists, surprises and revelations that await the lucky reader.
I will say that, just like all of Ms. Slaughter’s stories, it is written with heartfelt emotion and populated with rich, full characters that you’ll care deeply about.
This is also a fine look at family, the ties that bind and…love.
Beautifully paced and structured and chock-full of shocks that will send you reeling.
On March 16, 1989 Charlotte and Samantha Quinn are in exposed to a terrifying attack at their home in Pikeville, Georgia. Their family is torn apart and devastated.
Secrets are born on this night.
Twenty-eight years later Charlotte is a lawyer in Pikeville. Just like her father.
She witnesses another horrific tragedy. One that traumatizes the entire town and brings back memories that she’s tried to quell for nearly thirty years.
But some secrets can’t stay buried forever….
“What really happened to Charlie….and Sam”….
This book I think is even more powerful when you listen to it on audio. All the twist and turns in this story and to finally know the truth by the end is mind blowing. Sam and Charlie are put through so much in their lives. They do overcome somethings but others until the truth is known holds them back.
Great book I really appreciated reading this book it was a great book
My goodness, what a story! Graphic in parts but so, so strong! Love all of Karin’s work.