I’m a little wary of crime thrillers both in novels and films and TV because, while I’m not at all squeamish (one of my favourite film directors is Nicolas Winding Refn), there has to be a point to the violence and all too often it’s gratuitous, particularly when it’s violence and murder meted out to young women.
This novel is far better than most, however, and there’s nothing gratuitous about it at all. It’s an intelligent, gripping, thoughtful and really well-written book, with some compelling characterisation.
Charlie and Sam – the sisters who survived – are fabulous. Both are strong in their own way, but both are far from perfect. And what they endure is written with sensitivity and compassion. Their parents are so well-written too. This may be a crime thriller but it’s very character driven, giving it far more substance than others in the genre.
The adult Sam and Charlie are very interesting and their actions and motivations feel real and believable. They were characters I couldn’t wait to get back to, and their story is a page-turner too.
But it all fell down for me at the end, unfortunately. I just couldn’t believe the motivation given for the perpetrator. But while the ending was a let-down, I really did enjoy this and will definitely read more of the author’s (many) novels.

I've always adored Karin Slaughter's writing but this book was something else. I was hooked, the beautifully drawn divisive relationship between the Sister's, their very different connection to their Father.

I really enjoyed this book. The storyline was compelling, characters full of interest and the pacing was spot on. Would definitely read more from this author

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.

The Good Daughter

I have to say this took me a while to pick up because I’m not often in the mood for crime/thriller novels, but I’m glad that I did! I read it in the space of 3 days and honestly could not put it down. The great thing about it is that the thing that makes you keep reading is the ease of the writing. She hasn’t used a cheap hook in order to keep you hanging on because you need to know what happens (which i dislike immensely). Every chapter gets us one step further to the reveal whilst still being informative and interesting and compelling enough to keep us from skipping ahead. The characters are complex and unique, but believable. The setting is laid out extremely well, I received such a strong impression of the town by seeing it through various people’s eyes and versus other places the characters went.

The story was relevant in today’s society and it was shocking and brutal, but also sickeningly fascinating. The balance of crime and law was perfect. I was worried this book would be overhyped but I really understood the buzz around it. It’s such a well rounded and well planned world that I would believe that it exists. That it’s a true story. I thoroughly recommend this to anyone who dips into crime occasionally. As I am someone who doesn’t read a lot of crime I can’t compare it vs other books in the genre, but I know that I enjoyed it thoroughly.

4 stars.

The Good Daughter was published on 3rd May 2018 and has been lingering on my NetGalley shelf for far too long.  I received a free eARC of this book but that has in no way influenced my review.

Yes, yes, yes, I'm absolutely kicking myself that it's taken me so long to read this book.  I used to read everything by Karin Slaughter like my life depended on it but I have to confess I haven't picked up one of her books for a little while now.  I still remember parts of her book Blindsighted, the first book in the Grant County series, so vividly.  I think I was expecting something similar when I made a start on The Good Daughter but how wrong could I have been?! This felt like it was written by a completely different author to the Grant County or Will Trent novels.  I've always enjoyed Slaughter's work.  The Good Daughter I absolutely loved.

Charlotte and Samantha Quinn are used to trouble.  Their father, Rusty, is the local defence lawyer and his reputation proceeds him.  But not in a good way.  Rusty is the reason some of the worst lowlifes in Pikeville, Georgia walk free.  So the family are often on the receiving end of angry, bitter abuse.  One day their lives turn upside down when two masked gunmen enter their home.  Rusty is at the office so the girl's mother, Harriet, tries to calm the situation down and protect her daughters.  But the unthinkable happens and Harriet is killed in cold blood.  Her young daughters bearing witness to the tragedy.  The gunmen are forced to rethink their plans.  After all, there can be no witnesses - and now the girls must die too.  But Charlotte manages to escape.  Samantha, unfortunately, isn't so lucky.  Now, 28 years later, Charlotte is a lawyer just like her father with problems of her own.  She unwittingly becomes involved in a terrifying school shooting which leaves the head teacher and a young girl dead.  The incident brings horrific memories of her own flooding back because the truth can't be buried forever...

This book really is something quite special.  I was completely emotionally involved with it from start to finish and savoured every single word of The Good Daughter.  I didn't want it to end and could have happily read another 500 pages or so.  There are so many brilliant moments within the story; young Charlotte's palpable fear and indecision when the moment to escape comes - leaving her older sister to certain death, the wonderful twist fairly early on in the book that you just don't see coming, the relationship between Charlotte and her father, when Lenore, Rusty's secretary's, story is revealed to the reader.  So many fantastic little touches that when added together make something truly magnificent.  It's also very dark with a number of terrifying and upsetting scenes.

Would I recommend this book? I most certainly would.  It does include some very harrowing and disturbing scenes which involve a young Charlotte and her attackers.  I don't want to give any spoilers away but it's important you know that these scenes are distressing.  I fell in love with so many of the characters in The Good Daughter and I still, after having read this book a few months ago now, remember them vividly.  A book which will stay with me for a long time to come and will most likely feature in my top ten books of the year list.  Highly recommended.

I chose to read and review an eARC of The Good Daughter.  The above review is my own unbiased opinion.

I have read Karin Slaughter before and have never been let down. Her books are gripping, emotional and intense. They are often edge of your seat stuff! I read The Good Daughter in four days. This is a stand alone novel and will not disappoint! Thank you for letting me read and review this book.

Karin Slaughter is one of my go-to authors if I want a guaranteed good read and this book was just that. The plot is credible, described at a good pace with enough twists to keep the reader guessing, but without the feeling of a spinning head in trying to understand what is happening and why.
This is a standalone book and not part of any series, so can be picked up by anyone including readers unfamiliar with the author.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I am a massive fan of Karin Slaughter Will Trent and Grant County series.which I have been reading for over 10 years and eagerly awaited each book. So for the author to swap genre I was excited and nervous at the same time...if that makes sense?! Thinking can this book live up to her previous story’s. What can I say but I am now left wondering what the hell I was thinking.

The Good Daughter is simply...WOW...I freaking loved it.

The author draws you in right from the start where we follow a story that alternates from the past to present telling the story of two sisters Charlotte and Samantha Quinn who’s childhoods was destroyed in a family attack 28 years ago. With secrets hidden in the past can the truth be unraveled all these years later about what actually happened?!

OMG this story is so addictive every page you turn the more you want to know. It is full of tension and mystery. This is one powerful story that will have you hooked from start to finish. Bringing the characters to life, where you can feel the emotion and empathy.

You know I am actually lost for words, you don't need me to tell you how outstanding I think it is…..read it for yourself and find out. All ll I have left to say is, I wasn't expecting that Karin Slaughter has totally nailed it.

This was my first ever Karin Slaughter book, which is surprising given that I adore cleverly written crime fiction and female authors. It started with a bang, plunging me right into the action from the very beginning and never pulling its punches. It's a gritty, honest and brutal read, that should be gripping. However, the truth is that I struggled with it a little bit. I found the characters difficult to connect with. I was instantly taken in with Rusty's easy Southern charm, but Charlie and Sam were a different story. I found them spiky and didn't form an emotional involvement, which I believe is key to a good crime. You need to care about the characters.

The writing was beautiful, grim and dark in places but always incredibly human. I'd like to read more from Karin Slaughter, I believe this just wasn't the right book for me.

One ran. One stayed. But who is…the good daughter?

Twenty-eight years ago, Charlotte and Samantha Quinn's childhoods were destroyed by a terrifying attack on their family home. It left their mother dead. It left their father – a notorious defence attorney – devastated. And it left the family consumed by secrets from that shocking night.

Twenty-eight years later, Charlie has followed in her father's footsteps to become a lawyer. But when violence comes to their home town again, the case triggers memories she's desperately tried to suppress. Because the shocking truth about the crime which destroyed her family won't stay buried for ever…

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

Believe it or not, this was my first Karin Slaughter novel so was pleased this was a stand alone which wouldn't have references to other stories. I enjoyed it, but don't think it deserved the hype of 'thriller of the year'. There were some good twists and turns but, ultimately, there was more family history than thriller for me which ws a little disappointing.

Full review to come.
I deeply apologize, but life is a handful lately and I'm using all my free time to read, not review. I hope everybody understands.
#toreview
(WHAT A BOOK DUDE)

The Good Daughter was my first experience of Karin Slaughter and, while her writing is not of the 'literary fiction' type, boy oh boy can this lady tell a tale! And I'd take this over that 'style over substance' stuff any day! I much prefer to be frantically compelled to turn pages, gobbling a story up, than gazing into the middle distance, rhapsodizing about some gorgeous turn of phrase. The pace is beautifully controlled - snail slow when it needs to be then blazing out of sight to maximum effect. A by no means insignificant skill. The plot development is a masterclass in drip feeding the reader the tastiest morsels with the utmost restraint, allowing the gasp reveals but also letting the reader wonder and cogitate, forming their own theories that can then be blown out the water by the final revelations.
It is not a light read and was graphic in parts - lots of blood, violence and misery. It is, however, not gratuitous but I can understand why certain people would appreciate a Trigger Warning for this book.
My favourite aspect of this book was the relationship between the two sisters and their differing relationships with their father. I feel Slaughter, as good as she is at the violence/crime/suspence aspects in this book, excells here. Her understanding of human nature enriches this novel and raises it above others of this genre

I love Karin Slaughter she can write a fantastic page turner

This book is enjoyable but not one of her best

The characters are two young girls who get thrown into a storm of hell it starts out with one being raped one being buried alive and their mother murdered

The story jumps to when they are older and the storm starts up again

Quite a long book and slightly dragged out could have been 100 pages less

The Good Daughter is a gripping tale of brutality, violence and terror. It is also an exploration of family dysfunction and dynamics.

Set in Pikeville, Georgia - small town America - Rusty Quinn is the local public defender, universally hated for his work with the criminal elements of the community. Rusty is one of those lawyers with a strong sense of justice - he truly believes in the American justice system and in the right to a fair trial.

The book begins in 1989 when Rusty's teenage daughters, Sam and Charlie, have their life ripped apart by a home invasion which leaves their mother, Gamma, dead. Charlie and Sam both survive the event but remain scarred by their experiences, with Sam cutting almost all ties with her family and settling in New York.

Skipping forward twenty-eight years, Charlie is witness to a school shooting. A principle and an 8 year old child lay dead. To the outrage of the local community, Rusty takes on the case of defending the shooter. When events take an unexpected turn, Sam finds herself reluctantly returning to her home town, and to her estranged family, to provide some assistance with the case.

The Good Daughter is well-written and has a goo paced to it, with a good solid plot and a confident writing style. The author has obviously put much thought into the development of the story and to the different threads running through the book, resulting in a great flow to the tale. The book itself is quite lengthy. However, it you asked me how to cut the tale down I really wouldn't know where to begin. Every paragraph is relevant to the story.

The characterisation in this novel is also very well thought-out - from hard-drinking and hard-smoking humorous Rusty to the bickering daughters, Sam and Charlie. Whilst none of the characters are hugely likable, they are all interesting and credible. The book delves into the family's damaged relationship and it is fascinating to see the dynamics that exist between the three characters. It is interesting to see how their personalities were shaped by those tragic events in 1989. It is the family aspect of the story which also adds some well-placed flashes of humour to the tale.

The Good Daughter is packed full of twists and turns - it is both a gripping legal thriller and an insightful exploration of family dynamics. A dark, bold and violent thriller which will captivate the reader's attention - I can certainly see why The Good Daughter became such an instant bestseller.

So happy to be given a whole budget to replenish our senior shelves in the school library. The books in there are far from appealing at the moment and I have been delighted to find books here that will intrigue, captivate and engross my senior students.

This is a fantastic read with characters they will be able to connect with, a pacy narrative and an ending that will provide plenty to talk about. Karin Slaughter is one of my favourite writers and I know that many of my senior readers will 'get the bug' once they've read The Good Daughter too!

It's great to read a book that does not feel formulaic and gives some credit to their reader's intelligence too. Young people are very fussy about the books they choose to read and in this time-precious day and age it really has to be something above and beyond the ordinary to get them to put down their devices and get their noses stuck in a book.

I think this is one book that will capture their imagination and keep them turning the pages until the end. This is definitely going onto my 'must-buy' list and I really look forward to seeing what the young people themselves think of this twisty, clever and engaging novel.

Wow, what an opening! The Good Daughter has a fantastic prologue, one of the best I have come across – this novel owns the phrase “a gripping opening!” It was dangerous, murderous, thrilling and chilling.

After the brilliant prologue, the story starts 28 years later, and the plot that followed took me by complete surprise, I was not expecting any of what occurred, but I loved it all. I’m not going to tell you anything, because the blurb holds back, and so will I! You just need to know that everything connects, comes full circle in a very impressive fashion. And as things are connecting, you have your shocking moments, your tender moments, your moments of rage, a whirlwind of emotions surrounding a novel with family-ties at the heart of it.

This notion of ‘the good daughter’ is one I really enjoyed, because both of these sisters suffer trauma that will break anyone, and as they try to live their lives as adults, you can see how much the past haunts them. It’s almost impossible to lay blame on either sister for anything that occurs, because, damn, they’ve been through the wars!

One of the things I have come to love is Slaughter’s no holds barred writing style – it’s raw, it’s real, in a no fucks given fashion, Slaughter is going to thrill your socks off! The Good Daughter is part crime thriller, part legal thriller, part psychological thriller – the perfect blend for any crime fiction fan.

And, what a fantastic narrator Susie James is. I planned to read this novel, and just listen to parts when I was travelling, but after hearing James read the prologue, I knew I would be listening to all 15 hours of audio. I’m so picky about narrators, and easily find fault with them, but James was amazing. Whether you opt for the audio, the ebook or a print copy, you need this book in your life!

When I finished this novel, my immediate thought was Slaughter wins! Wins what, you ask? She wins everything, she wins at life, with an A+ in crime thriller writing! The Good Daughter wins, her previous novel, Pretty Girls, wins – and now I must go and read every book she has ever written!

I thought that I’d written this review already but obviously not. I’ve actually read this book in two different formats via audible and in Ebook form with thanks to NetGalley for an honest review. I’ve been curious about Karin Slaughter’s books for some time as she is one of my Mum’s favourite authors and this book did not disappoint though the characters swear like troupers so if you’re not a fan then this can be a bit hit and miss.

Set first a few decades back and then jumping to the present day the story is about two girls and their father and the repercussions that come with being the child of a defence lawyer who has a reputation of defending the lowlifes.

There are some pretty upsetting bits in the book so it’s not for the faint of heart but I liked the story overall. Also some of the language had me looking for a dictionary especially one line that was said on purpose to ruffle the feathers of a few of the characters in the book.

If you like a good legal thriller then this one is you and if you’re listening via audible I’d recommend the narrator whose pacing and voices were very good.

This is my first Karin Slaughter book and The Good Daugher (a standalone thriller) did not disappoint. I will definitely download the rest of this authors work now.

This is the first book I've read by Karin Slaughter and, upon finishing it, I bought two more! It's a well-written, fast-paced novel. The most interesting aspect I found to be the family dynamics both before and after the tragedy. I liked how the legal system was overlaid upon the tragedies, along with the descriptions of small town living. The only drawbacks were some repetitive passages. I like scenes being replayed from other perspectives, but when it's a page or two that's been copy and pasted from earlier in the story, before new information is provided, it gets a bit annoying.