This was everything I have come to expect from Slaughter; it was dark, fast paced and full of suspense. The plotting and research were impeccable and I loved learning more about the history of the US Marshalls.

I thought the dual time line and multi POV narration was perfect, the ideal mix of new and familiar characters. The characters were complex and conjured strong emotional reactions (some extremely lovable, like Bible, some extremely disgusting, like Wexler). One of my favourite thriller tropes is the who-done-it set within a close knit group of friends, and this one kept me guessing right until the very end.

I will have to admit, I wasn’t a huge Andrea Oliver fan in Pieces of Her (she felt annoying and immature to me) but I really love what Slaughter has done with her in Girl, Forgotten. Personally, I am really looking forward to seeing where this new series takes us and I am sure I am not the only one desperately hoping for the Sarah / Will / Andrea cross over when the inevitable clash with Clay / Nick happens.

If you are a Slaughter fan, than this is a must read!

Karin Slaughter did not disappoint! I love the continuation of this story and these characters. Nicely tied to previous book but could also be read standalone. If you like suspense/thrillers, this is the author and book for you!

Karin Slaughter has done it again - a thrilling, twisted novel that left me breathless in anticipation of what was going to happen next. We’re back in the next chapter of Andrea’s life as she finishes US Marshall training. Strings are pulled so she is put on a case in a sleepy beach town in Delaware. But there are sinister secrets afoot in that town, dating back to the murder of a pregnant teen in the 80s. And Andrea and her new partner are looking to unearth those secrets while protecting a judge from death threats and figuring out how everything relates to Andrea’s father, who is behind bars - but for how much longer?

Slaughter drew me in ages ago with the Will Trent series and I have not missed a book of hers since. Pieces of Her was amazing, the introduction to these incredible and strong female characters stayed with me and now she has brought them back to us again. With a teaser for more too? Yes please!

Andrea Oliver is a new US Marshall assigned to protect a federal judge who is receiving threatening letters and also accepting that she will soon die from cancer. On this two horse ride, as her older, experienced partner, Deputy Catfish Bible, calls it, there is also a 40-year-old murder of a pregnant high school student that has never been solved. Coincidentally, the small tourist town of Longbill Beach, DE, where Andrea is stationed, is also where her father was raised. Politics and family secrets fill this entertaining novel with strong characters who all have something to hide.

Girl, Forgotten begins with a troubled woman who is successfully turning her life in the direction she wants and has been working for. Before she can start making her way in the world with her new hard-earned career with the US Marshalls, she is dragged into a cold case decades old that touches on her life. Having grown up in a Witness Protection program Andrea knew the importance of the US Marshalls and, also, the evil that many in the world were trapped with or hiding from. Moving to the town that a murdering, cult leader grew up in, Andrea finds herself working against a clock to save innocent lives now while trying to solve a murder from before she was born. Karin Slaughter excels at writing mysteries and thrillers that keep the reader eager, almost frantic, to know what is going to happen next. She draws out the possibilities and lets the action come to a full boil before bringing it all together again. Girl, Forgotten dives deep into the dark places in a tourist town and then brings you back to the light.

You can definitely tell why Karin Slaughter is at the topped ranked in her genre. "Girl, Forgotten" will not be forgotten for a long time!

Girl, Forgotten
by Karin Slaughter
Pub Date: August 23, 2022
William Morrow & Company
Thanks to the author, publisher & NetGalley for the ARC of this book.
* Thriller *Mystery
Andrea Oliver #2
I have read many Karin Slaughter books and have found them to be great books! This one does not disappoint.
It is the second book in the series. Netflix also did a series on the first book.
Who killed Emily Vaughn?

Prom Night. Longbill Beach, 1982. Emily Vaughn dresses carefully for what's supposed to be the highlight of any high school career. But Emily has a secret. And by the end of the night, because of that secret, she will be dead.

Nearly forty years later, Andrea Oliver, newly qualified as a US Marshal, receives her first assignment: to go to Longbill Beach to protect a judge receiving death threats. But Andrea's real focus isn't the judge – it's Emily Vaughn. Ever since she first heard Emily's name a year ago, she's been haunted by her brutal death. Nobody was ever convicted – her friends closed ranks, her family shut themselves off in their grief, the town moved on – so the killer is still out there. But now Andrea has a chance to find out what really happened…
This book was a page-turner for me and I recommend it. I will be purchasing a copy for our library.
4 stars

Girl, Forgotten takes place after the events in Pieces of Her. It was a thrilling ride through the whole novel. I guessed the "big reveal" before it happened, but it did not make me enjoy this book any less. I loved how more developed Andrea's character was in this book. She has grown a lot since Pieces of Her and made this more enjoyable than the prior book.

I had seen the Netflix series Pieces of Her prior to reading this book. The first 30 pages or so kind of recap the series in case you haven’t read book one or watched the series. So if you start reading it and panic thinking you’re reading the wrong book- you’re not. Just hang in there. I really enjoyed this book. Andie is investigating two cases at once at a Delaware shore town. The author, Karin Slaughter, does a great job of creating a list of truly loathsome subjects. Wow, these characters make you wish they all could be guilty and go to prison. I liked the way the book moves between present day and in the early 1980’s as we get to live the last months of Emily Vaughn’s life with her, all the while not knowing who really killed her. You will tear through this book wanting to know who did it. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series!

Girl, Forgotten by Karin Slaughter takes cold case crime/traditional “who dun it” and “what secrets are they hiding” type of fiction and brings it back to life (no pun intended). I like this traditional style of mystery-thriller. Flashbacks, flawed characters, and a badass female Marshall, with an almost preternatural intuition. Thanks to HarperCollins Publishers and NetGalley for the ARC. Slaughter fans shouldn’t be disappointed!

I did not enjoy this as much as I do her Sara & Wil series, but it was a fast paced thriller. This is the 2nd in a series and I thought it was much better than the first book. I liked the characters.

Strong thriller about a decades old murder and the ripple produced by it. Did not know it was a series so that might have made it come together a little more. Great for Karin Slaughter fans. #netgalley #goodreads #karinslaughter #girlfotgotten

I am a big fan of Karin Slaughter books, both stand alone and the Will Trent series. This stand alone book was a miss for me. Told in dual timelines, one story follows a young Emily who, after a party she can't quite remember, finds herself pregnant. Although she was at the party with her "clique" all fingers seem to point to one of them as the donor. Just when she thinks she might have all the clues she needs to discover the father's identity, she winds up dead. Fast forward and we find Andrea Oliver, newly graduated from the US Marshall program, sent to provide security detail to a prominent judge, Esther, who just happens to be Emily's mother. And thus the story continues with Andrea offering protection to the judge while simultaneously trying to solve the mystery of who killed Emily. I found this story to be bogged down with minute details such as the Oxford, or series, comma, a box described as about 4 x 6, the entire Columbo reference to Emily's investigation, as well as the constant referencing of the high school clique. I also did not find the reactions to Emily's pregnancy believable. And although this book does cover both storylines, much more time is devoted to Emily's and I felt Esther's character and the threats against her were not fully developed. Although this was not my favorite Slaughter book, I will continue to be a big fan of hers. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an early copy of this book.

In the small coastal town of Longbill Beach a pregnant young women, Emily Vaughn, is killed. The year is 1982, and the killer was never found. Fast forward 40 years, with no killer found, the town has moved on essentially forgetting Emily. Andrea Oliver is a new US Marshall on her first assignment protecting Emily's mother, Judge Vaughn. Unbeknownst to everyone, Andrea is also there to find out what happened to Emily. No one wants to talk, but she will find the truth before the killer finds her. The was an interesting mystery without the gore of some of Ms. Slaughter's other books.

Girl, Forgotten is the newest installment in the Andrea Oliver series. The previous book, Pieces of Her, was turned into a Netflix show. Girl, Forgotten picks up at Andrea's US Marshall graduation. Her first assignment is to protect a judge whose daughter was murdered in the 80s. The book goes back and forth between Andrea's investigation and murdered Emily's last days. It makes me very sad to admit, but this might be my least favorite Karin Slaughter. Typically I tear through her books, but this one felt much slower. I think the Andrea character was good at first, but doesn't hold up to a full series. She isn't as interesting as other characters Slaughter has created. That being said, a mediocre Karin Slaughter book is better than most books in the genre. I would recommend this to anyone who read and enjoyed the Pieces of Her or the Netflix series.

Andrea Oliver is a newly appointed US Marshal and her first assignment is to protect a judge receiving death threats in the small town of Longbill Beach. Also on her agenda is to find out who brutally murdered Emily Vaughn, the judge’s pregnant teen daughter, 40 years ago, on her prom night. Emily’s clique of friends still live in the area—all except for the one who just happens to be Andrea’s imprisoned serial killer father. Will they continue to cover for each other, or can Andrea and her partner shake things up enough to uncover the truth?

Second in a series best read in order. The end does leave you hanging. Can’t wait for book three.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Girl Forgotten was a very good murder mystery. The characters were well developed. There were two lead characters. Andrea, who was a US marshal, and Emily who was the victim.

Clay, who was an imprisoned mass murderer, was Andrea's father and was considered to have killed Emily. That thought was short lived. There was Wexler, who had been one of Emily's teacher, was also a suspect. Emily had been at a party where she had dropped acid. She was so messed up that she lost her memory and had no idea who had raped her, which resulted in impregnation. Wexler had been called to pick her up and take her home. She had suspected he was the father, but he told her he was sterile. Of course, he could have been lying. Clay was considered to have been the baby's father, but again, that was short lived. There were her so called friends Nardo and Blake. But they were out of the running.

Andrea, her mother, Laura, and her step-father, Grant were in witness protection because Laura had witnessed Clay killing. Their handler was Mike, who had had a relationship with Andrea.

When Andrea graduated from marshal school, she was given the task of finding out who killed Emily. She also wanted to know who the baby's father was. So she was assigned to guard Emily's mother Esther, a presidential appointed judge and her husband, Frank. She was being guarded because she had received several threat letters. She lived with Emily's daughter Judith and her great granddaughter, Guinevere.

This story was a tangled web. There was the investigation into who the baby's father was. There was the dilemma about the threat letters. There was was Emily's murder to solve. And there was the strange happenings out at the farm that Wexler owned and Nardo ran. They had several young women who were emaciated. There had been an unexplained suicide at the farm that was being investigated. And then there was the clique that Emily was a part of: Clay, Nardo, Blake and his twin sister, Ricky. Oh yes, there was also Sherrif Stilton, nicknamed Cheese. It had been rumored that maybe he was the baby's father, but he was gay.

So here's how the web was unraveled. Nardo admitted that he had had sex with Emily, although it came out that Wexler had fathered Judith. Esther had sent herself the letters. She did it because Wexler had blackmailed her and Frank. Esther had pulled strings to get the land for Wexler's farm. He had threatened to kill them, so Esther wrote the letters in order to get marshal protection. She did it largely to protect Judith and Guinevere. Ricky admitted to Andrea that she had killed Emily because she had flirted with Nardo, whom she eventually married and divorced. Of course Emily had not flirted with him. As for the farm, Nardo took on the females and Wexler had his way with them. The two of them had complete control over them while starving them. The young woman, Angie, had committed suicide to get away from them. The women were not allowed to communicate with their families or anyone else. It was sort of a cult. Nardo patterned himself after Clay who also had a cult following. The clique was five people who were sort of outcasts. They did everything together, but Emily was an outcast of the outcasts. She was treated badly, and when she got pregnant the ostracized her.

In the end, Esther turned over to Andrea everything she had on Wexler and Nardo. She had recordings and videos of all of their dealings. There was an arrest warrant for Wexler and Nardo. Wexler was immediately arrested while Nardo showed up at Ricky's cafe. Andrea was walking to the police station to meet her partner, Bible but saw Nardo go to the diner. So she went there too. She needed to get a message to the marshals that Nardo was there. Her cell phone was out of commission so she used the diner phone to phone her mother to have her phone Mike with message. Before long, Stilton showed up. Nardo confessed that he had had sex with Emily. Stilton was Emily's close friend and he had praised her that he'd find out who had assaulted her. With Nardo's confession, Stilton pulled a gun on him. Nardo kept running his mouth so Stilton shot him. He never got an admission that he'd killed her. That admission came later from Ricky. Nardo died right there in the diner. Stilton was not brought up on charges. So Wexler and Ricky were off to prison. And Esther died not long after of cancer. By the way, she and Emily had been abused by Frank. Frank had been extremely I'll, and when their house burned down, he was on his last leg. It is assumed he died very shortly after.

Oh the tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive. With so many loose ends, you'd think it would be hard to follow, but it wasn't. I had absolutely no problem keeping up. I very much enjoyed this book and would recommend it for book club. I'll read it again.

A Killer Sequel

A fantastic sequel to Pieces Of Her, Girl Forgotten could be read separately, but it doesn't hurt to read both.
Taking place two years after the ordeal of mom Laura and daughter Andrea, Andy has decided to become a US Marshall and make something of her life. Things escalate quickly when her rich influential uncle gets Andrea assigned in Maryland as one of the marshalls protecting a controversial judge and her family.
The reason stems back forty years earlier when the judges pregnant daughter was murdered. The killer was never found. Andrea's uncle thinks it might have been one of a clique of friends. One of the group is a familiar name: Andrea's psychopath father from Pieces Of Her, whos up for parole.
Can Andrea tie Clayton Morrow to the murder or is there more to the story?
Karin Slaughter brings in old familiar faces along with an exciting and dangerous new crop, including
Leonard "Catfish" Bible, Andrea's new partner. The author time hops from 1981 to the present to plant clues concerning the murdered mom to be.
I really hope Netflix options a follow-up series with Girl, Forgotten. Another outstanding read from Karin Slaughter.

Ahhhhh this was so amazing if I could give it 10 stars I would. It’s no secret Karin Slaughter is one of my auto buy authors for the library and myself but I am always thrilled to be able to read it early and then again when it’s published. Coming on the heels of watching Pieces of Her on Netflix I was ready to go. I even blocked out a day to make sure I wouldn’t be disturbed.

We pick up after Pieces of Her and Andrea has become a US Marshall and is roped into investigating a cold case on the side that links to her father, while she protects a judge who is receiving death threats. She pairs up on her first real job assignment with Deputy Battle who is a bright spot in a dark storyline. The cold case she is investigating is Emily, a teen murdered in 1982, who is actually the judges daughter. As we switch from past to present, clues strung along the way, it becomes more fast paced and tense. I thought I had things figured out but I was wrong. Seeing previous characters and getting to delve in deeper to Andrea really rounded the book out.

I’ve never been disappointed and I wasn’t this time. If anything I am anxiously awaiting what I hope will be book 3.

Thank you Harper Collins Canada for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I highly recommend this book to Karin Slaughter fans. I have tried three Slaughter books, and while the writing is EXCELLENT, the length is too much for me. It's "400 pages"... at size font 6 lol. Each chapter is really long, which for me is a negative. My ability to stay engaged with a lengthier story is why this one didn't land with me. Nothing against the author—like I said, she can clearly write.

If you're a long time fan or don't mind a longwinded book, pick this up.