Title: False Witness
Author: Karin Slaughter
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🔊Song Pairing: Be Your Sound - Cosmic Gate ft. Emma Hewitt

💭What I thought would happen:

I thought it would be a wildly disturbing classic Karin Slaughter book. All highs and absolutely not a wisp of lows.

📖What actually happens:

In 2020 Leigh, a defense lawyer, is given a case that can define her career (other than her notorious urination case, not important but somewhat comical). Leigh’s client is being charged with a vicious and grotesque rape and if convicted will be linked to other similar rapes occurring within the area. The issue, Leigh used to babysit the client.

In 1998, Calli, Leigh’s younger sister, was a victim of child molestation from the dad of the child she babysat for…yes the same as the client mentioned above. Fast forward, now Calli is a junkie heroin addict who loves cats and only cares about chasing her next high.

🗯Thoughts:

I don’t know if I can possibly express how much I truly loved this book. My anxiety was at an all-time high. There were points where I wasn’t certain if I could continue listening because the story was too disturbing and infuriating. 😢

Typical Karin Slaughter, never ever disappoints. Attempting to give Karen’s a better reputation…😂. The writing is dark but parts were wildly hilarious. I have a sick sense of humor and found myself laughing out loud at the sarcasm and snarky comments about uptight moms (calling them Birkin bitches).

⚠️ The content of this book is extremely EXTREMELY upsetting and graphic. It is traumatic and discusses the brutalizations that occur to women. Proving why we aren’t overreacting to the fear of walking alone at night. Rape, molestation, sexism, and violence against women are topics discussed.

Additionally, I absolutely loved that this book is set in a COVID world. While the book wasn’t about Covid it did acknowledge that the characters lived in a pandemic reality. 👏🏼

Thank you Netgalley and William Morrow for the ARC audiobook!

Karin Slaughter has done it again! 512 pages, almost 19 hours of audio but it doesn't matter because you're happy to be along for the ride.

This is intense, graphic, and keeps you on the edge of your seat.

TW: sexual abuse, pedophile, murder, drug/alcohol addiction, abusive parents, and I feel like I'm forgetting some. There were many times that I had to pick my jaw up off the floor.

p.s. The narrator was FANTASTIC!!

False Witness by Karin Slaughter

I have only read one other by the author and this is a very gritty, very dark, thriller. I had to take breaks from it because of the content matter. I don't think her writing is for everyone, and I'm not sure if I'll pick up another anytime soon, but this is very well written and researched, it's just a bit too much for me. This is also the first book I've read with covid a large presence of the story! I don't know if this will be of interest or deter some people but I thought it was incorporated well throughout.

I thought the opening scene of this story was so good! The author created high suspense and a connection with one of the main characters, Callie, in the very beginning of the set up. Fast forward to present day and we meet Lee, Callie's sister and a defense attorney who ends up with a client who knows her from her past, a past she really wants to keep a secret. When he threatens her and she knows she has to get him a not Quilty verdict, the tension gets interesting. I thought that the story was good but it definitely stalled around the 35% mark and it felt like the plot was going in circles. This really continued throughout the rest of the book and I found it to be somewhat predictable

Couldn't get into this. Slow to start. Enjoyed this author's other books but this wasn't my favorite.

Disturbing content in the beginning that almost made me stop listening but an excellent suspense story with well-developed characters who really make this novel compulsive to listen to. Highly recommend.

Karin Slaughter books are never an easy read. They are brutal, dark and violent. This one has the added subject of COVID 19. Not going’s to lie, I struggled with it and I read some pretty dark books. I think the talk of the pandemic, the face masks, the reality of life during the pandemic was really heavy and a big part of the story. Going through yet another lockdown in Sydney it was tough. ButI see what she was doing and appreciated that it wasn’t ignored.

I am a massive fan of Slaughters stand alone books. You know there is going to be twists and turns right til the end. False Witness is no different. A lawyer Is forced to defend a man from her past, a man who knows her darkest secret. She has to get him acquitted of rape charges and protect her sister in the process.

While not a light read, it was amazing. The narrator did a fantastic job and I loved the way that it tells the story from the past bit by bit. Be warned, there is a lot of possible trigger warnings for many subjects so it won’t be for everyone.

Thanks to Blackstone Publishing for my advanced listening copy via Netgalley

This was the first of her books that I've ever read! I have some of her books on my shelves I just never really got to them but man oh man am I going to check them out now! This book was literally one that I just couldn't put down!
During the COVID-19 pandemic Leigh Collier
Leigh Collier is a defense attorney in Atlanta. She is a very successful lawyer, and life is as good as it can be expected. She is separated from her husband, Walter, and has a beautiful daughter Maddy. So one night, Leigh is at a school event for Maddy when her boss calls her and says that a high-profile client has requested her and that she needed to get to the office.
When Leigh gets to the office and meets her client, she realizes that there is definitely a reason why he requested her. He knows her and knows what she and her sister did 20 years ago, a devastating secret that she spent years trying to forget.
Not only does she have to defend her client against the rape allegations she also has to make sure that he does not lose his case or else he will release videos that will ruin her sister's life and will ruin her family's life as well.
Now her client Andrew is basically a sociopath and he is a rapist and murderer.
Callie is Leigh's younger sister but she is also a druggie from the street. However, while Leigh is more trying to keep Andrew happy and keep him from releasing the videos. Callie is messing around with Andrew's new wife giving her drugs and things like that until his wife starts playing the videos. Things keep getting twisted more and more but, the twist keeps coming until the very end!
Wow! I loved this book! This thriller is definitely a page-turner, and it keeps you on the edge of your seat. This was such a great book! I would definitely recommend it to anyone who loves a great thriller! Thank you, NetGalley, William Morrow Books, and Blackstone Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this one!

4.5 Stars. This one was HEAVY. So heavy. I just finished and I feel a little like sobbing. Leigh is a defense attorney that is hired to defend a new client. He is accused of terrible acts against a female and she is tasked with getting a jury to find him innocent. It isn't until she meets her client that she realize just who he is.
When Leigh was young, her sister and her did something devastating and her new client could bring down the carefully constructed house she has built around her. With the help of her junkie sister, Leigh needs to delve into the past and find out how to defeat this maniac.
I won't sugar coat this, this book had all the triggers. If you have a trigger, it is in this book. It took me a long time to get through it and my heart was in my throat most of the time. I absolutely love Karin's books and this one was no exception. It was expertly written and Dr. Jerry and Walter were the best parts of this story. The good balancing out the evil.
The narrator was fantastic and she kept the pace of the book and brought out the emotions. Thank you to Blackstone, Netgalley and Karin Slaughter for an early copy of this audiobook.

I’m going to start this review with a warning:

This book contains a lot of potential triggers. Luckily, I don’t trigger easily when reading but I know others may. I gave my husband a rundown of this story when I was finished and he was appalled at some of the things that happened.

The story is well written and the narrator was really good.

Trying to piece things together will keep you reading/listening. You will cringe, get angry, cry, and feel all the feels from start to finish.

There are some side stories and they will make you smile, chuckle, and like the side characters quite a bit.

Living in the Atlanta area myself, I could picture most of the areas and streets the characters were traversing.

Wow. Just wow and wow again. I stalked Netgalley to see if I could get an ARC because I have been on pins and needles waiting for this next book. Karin Slaughter is always a twisty turny read that grips and rips you through the current of the novel. This is a standalone and while I love the Wil Trent series, I think Karin shines in her standalones. Just... a great storyline about two sisters who have no choice but to persevere, come hell or high water. And both come.
Absolutely enjoyed and the audiobook ARC was well-performed and greatly appreciated.

False Witness follows two sisters who have kept terrible secrets for years. Leigh is a defense attorney who is forced to go to bat for a man from her past. Callie is an addict stuck in the past. The sisters will have to work together to keep their loved ones from suffering.

This book was very dark with tough subject matter. A lot of awful things happen to young girls and there are definitely no uplifting moments. However, the women are so interesting to learn more about that it makes you want to keep going no matter the subject matter. They are so different, yet will do anything for each other. I thought the way the author worked in Covid was well done since it didn't seem unnecessary to know about. The writing did a great job at painting a picture of everything going on in their worlds. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator does a good job of playing two people while also making them distinctive to hear. Even her voices for the men were well done and definitelt made them creepy. For me, this was a 4/5.

If you like dark thrillers, loving sisters, and can withstand trigger warnings, then this is the one for you.

I received this audiobook free from NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing in exchange for an honest review but trust me, this one's a good one.

This book was brutal. I haven't read a Karin Slaughter book since Pretty Girls and I completely forgot how rough her books are. And they are rough. But because I am a masochist I really enjoyed this book.

She really is great at thrillers and weaving social commentary in. This book is centered around the pandemic so if you're not ready to read about it then you might want to hold off.

From the very first pages this was absolutely disturbing. And it only got worse. It was like a even more brutal Long Bright River. It does deal with drug use and it is a big part of the book. This book also deals with rape and sexual assault which is prevalent and described throughout. There are times when I had to stop listening and come back to it.

If you can handle those things I highly recommend this one!

Thanks to Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing for this ALC.

Unfortunately this book didn’t work out for me. I listened to about an hour and had to stop. It was too violent and too much dark content and language. I appreciate having the chance to give this author a try. Thank you!

I’ve been hearing a lot of buzz about Karin Slaughter’s latest and I am happy to report that it did not disappoint. As always, the violence here is graphic. And, TW for physical violence, rape, child abuse, and drug abuse. The story is deliciously twisty and I was extremely satisfied by the ending.

Karin did what Karin always does - she wrote another book that is both shocking and gripping. False Witness is a standalone crime thriller that takes place during the Covid-19 pandemic. Leigh is an up and coming defense attorney in a prestigious Atlanta firm. She called to represent an accused rapist but it’s no coincidence that the defendant has specifically asked for her to represent him. She knows him. And he knows her. More to the point, he may know what happened over twenty years ago. The only person who can help is her younger, estranged sister Callie—the last person Leigh would ever want to drag into this after all they’ve been through. But with the life-shattering truth in danger of being revealed, she has no choice...

Things I loved 👍🏽:
-Impeccable character development
-Extremely descriptive
-Author’s note at the end
-The science nerd (and nurse) in me loved how she incorporates the physiology of addiction into Callie’s story.

Things that made me cringe ⚠️:
-Gruesome, dark, graphic (but I still liked it 🤷🏽‍♀️ sorry, not sorry.)
-Rape, Drug Abuse, Pedophilia, molestation (this is the ONLY part that was difficult to stomach)

⚠️ If you have any of the above triggers, avoid this one. I’m a fan of dark and graphic novels so other than what I mentioned as cringe-worthy, I enjoyed her writing.

You’ll need a good palate cleanser after this one!

While not my favorite Slaughter novel, this is still a solid read. The narrator for the audiobook is fabulous, and you could really feel the emotion she put into each and every character she gave voice to. I feel torn, because the literary side of this book, the one that focuses on the sisters' backstory and relationship over the course of time is outstanding, but I felt like the crime fiction portion wasn't up to par with the author's usual plotting. The cases involving the past with Buddy and the present with Andrew contain important thematic elements in how women are treated in the world, even today, but I just didn't feel like this had the special something I tend to find in a slaughter novel, and found there to be a predictable outcome by the ending. Hey, we can't love them all, and I'll still be waiting eagerly for the author's next release.

Leigh and Calli are sisters who had a devastating childhood. Now they've grown up and thought that they had put their past behind them -- of course, that's never the case. The past comes back to haunt them, and it's worse than ever.

Karin Slaughter did not disappoint with this one! While I really enjoy the Will Trent series, I live for Slaughter's stand alone's, so I was so excited when I was approved for the audio on NetGalley. I love how different False Witness is from other books. After I heard the first chapter, I was hooked and could barely put this down. False Witness touches on so many different topics -- COVID, addiction, family/sisterhood, childhood guilt and more. Slaughter really finds a way to weave all of it together into one truly great story. I highly recommend False Witness.

Once COVID started becoming a present storyline in television, I've been wondering how I would feel about reading books about COVID. While False Witness isn't strictly about COVID, it touches on the pandemic -- there's a lot of mention of mask wearing, long haulers, etc. I thought this was really tastefully done here where it added to the storyline for sure, but definitely didn't take away from it either. I really liked Slaughter's note at the end about why she chose to include it and how COVID has affected her personally as well.

4.2 🌟

TW: Rape and Sexual Assault; Child Abuse; Drug Abuse

Leigh Coulton is a defense attorney distancing herself from her dark and traumatic past or so she thinks until her past stumbles back into her life in a big and life-altering way. Feeling pressured to defend a wealthy and high profile man accused of rape or risk losing her job, she realizes the man has requested her to defend him and it is no coincidence why. Leigh needs her estranged sister Calli's, help, but worries her sister's drug addiction and own trauma will get in the way.

Karin Slaughter, no stranger to suspenseful storytelling, captivates the reader from the very first pages with such vivid and descriptive language, the reader can't help but want to unravel the story and fight alongside Leigh and her sister. While the story and characters pull you in, the detail and trauma woven through this novel are dark, twisted, and can be hard to process at times.

This new stand alone thriller from Karin Slaughter centers around two sisters that share a secret from their youth. As the years have past, the sisters are haunted by a violent event that they cannot forget. One of them, Leigh has become a defense attorney. The other sister Callie, struggles with addiction and cannot seem to pull her life together. When Leigh is presented with a new case both sisters are forced to face the past and battle their personal demons as well as come to terms with the events that changed their lives forever.

Slaughter has managed to effectively write a story in the time of Covid that really works. The pandemic is is in the background but it is an underlying part of the story. This story starts off immediately with a twist and they just kept on coming. At times the violence was brutal and shocking. Whether she was writing about the privileges afforded a rich suspect or talking about the grittier life of an addict, Slaughter was able to address current issues without being political. I was completely immersed in this story and empathized with the characters throughout. The relationship between the sisters was written very well. Regardless of their opposite personalities and lifestyles you know that their bond was so strong that they would do anything for each other.

I have only read a few Karin Slaughter books but this one had me hooked from the opening chapter. It was relentless and I loved it! The audio version was narrated very well.


Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an audio version of this book in exchange for an honest review
#NetGalley #FasleWitness