William Morrow | August 2018 | 480 pgs
Source: Publisher via Edelweiss
Karin Slaughter's latest standalone is all about the relationship between a mother and daughter and how well you know your loved one.
Andrea "Andy" Cooper is celebrating her 31st birthday with her mother at a dining place when a gunman strides in and begin a shooting spree. While everyone scrambles to flee, Andy notices a side of her mother which she has never seen before. Like a trained combatant, Laura swiftly cut the shooter's move and he ended up dead. Her heroic act is caught on video and has gone viral, but on closer look it seems like Laura is doing more harm than a self defense act. Andy then leave town under Laura's instructions but her mind is filled with doubts and questions. Is her mother hiding something and most importantly, who is she?
Alternatively in another time period set in 1986, the reader get to learn about a dysfunctional family and the secrets they are hiding. Just what does this family has to do with Laura the reader will soon find out as the story progresses but it took some time for this reader to piece everything together as it seems the two parts of the story are disjointed; it doesn't help when the pace seemed a little slow in the beginning but it does pick up once there was a connection between the two.
Karin Slaughter's books are often well plotted and feature a cast of intriguing characters but in this case I found my attention waned at times. The present time featuring Andy was an interesting read and as much as the flashbacks were intriguing, it definitely took much more concentration as they feature more characters and not to mention more plots going on as the truth unravels. Karin's writing continues to shine in this latest release but the style seemed a little different from her previous books and personally this wasn't my favourite Karin Slaughter book but from another perspective it showcase her versatility, which is always a plus for writers.
Andrea "Andy" Cooper is celebrating her 31st birthday with her mother at a dining place when a gunman strides in and begin a shooting spree. While everyone scrambles to flee, Andy notices a side of her mother which she has never seen before. Like a trained combatant, Laura swiftly cut the shooter's move and he ended up dead. Her heroic act is caught on video and has gone viral, but on closer look it seems like Laura is doing more harm than a self defense act. Andy then leave town under Laura's instructions but her mind is filled with doubts and questions. Is her mother hiding something and most importantly, who is she?
Alternatively in another time period set in 1986, the reader get to learn about a dysfunctional family and the secrets they are hiding. Just what does this family has to do with Laura the reader will soon find out as the story progresses but it took some time for this reader to piece everything together as it seems the two parts of the story are disjointed; it doesn't help when the pace seemed a little slow in the beginning but it does pick up once there was a connection between the two.
Karin Slaughter's books are often well plotted and feature a cast of intriguing characters but in this case I found my attention waned at times. The present time featuring Andy was an interesting read and as much as the flashbacks were intriguing, it definitely took much more concentration as they feature more characters and not to mention more plots going on as the truth unravels. Karin's writing continues to shine in this latest release but the style seemed a little different from her previous books and personally this wasn't my favourite Karin Slaughter book but from another perspective it showcase her versatility, which is always a plus for writers.
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Sounds rather complicated but pretty good. I haven't read any of her books yet. I have one on my tbr but I can’t think of the name right now.
I'm curious about the "trained combatant" side of Andy's mother. I does sound a little complicated!
Too many flashbacks can really slow the narrative of a novel. I always think fewer are better. :)
A shooting spree in the U.S. sounds straight out of the headlines. Although Laura's response was unexpected! I like the premise of this one and am sad to hear it was bogged down by the disjointedness of the two story lines.
Jenny - It has a good premise but I wasn't as drawn to the flashback part as compared to the present... it's probably got to do more with my reading preference than anything.
Jenclair - Andy's mother's past surprised me and I wished I was more invested in the flashbacks.
Lark - Yes, they're either a hit or a miss. I suppose it has to be all well balanced and that it fits to the present, not that this one don't.
Wendy - Indeed, and it always saddens me to see such news. I hope you'll enjoy this book more than me if you do read it, Wendy. It's all about one's reading preferences after all. :)
Oh interesting, the book I'm currently listening to by Slaughter also deals with a shooting incident and has flashbacks to a different time. So far I'm liking it but I do think it's a bit on the long side.
Iliana - I'll be looking forward to your thoughts on that book you're reading, Iliana. :)