Reviews

The Good Daughter by Karin Slaughter

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sarahjfloyd's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I’m extremely selective when it comes to suspense, but this is the best suspense novel I’ve read in a very long time. It reminded me of some of John Grisham’s earliest novels, like A Time to Kill, before he started adding all the extra fluff. There is zero fluff in this book, it is all substance.

alissamk's review against another edition

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4.0

I hadn't read Karin Slaughter before but this was a really solid thriller. It's almost 500 pages but I read it in just a couple of days. Trigger warnings all over the place so this isn't for everyone and it definitely got way too intense at times. I thought the characters were excellent - especially Sam, Charlie, Rusty and Gamma. It seems like this is a standalone novel but I'd love to read another story with Sam and Charlie as the main characters. I'll definitely be reading more by Karin Slaughter.

toofondofbooks's review against another edition

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4.0

This review was originally posted on my blog: https://rathertoofondofbooks.com/

I’m going to admit something here, something that I can’t quite believe to be true myself but this was my first ever Karin Slaughter novel! After reading it I can honestly say that it absolutely won’t be my last – in fact I’ve already bought a couple of her books and am really looking forward to reading them. This novel pulled me in from the very first chapter and it had me hooked right through to the very end. It’s a book that begins with a crime that happened years previously but now another crime has happened in the present day and it pulls back the people who were affected by the first. This is a crime thriller but it’s also an exploration of family dynamics and how people react in awful circumstances. It’s a novel that has stayed with me in the weeks since I read it and I recommend it.

bookiepanda's review against another edition

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4.0

I've heard a lot of good things about Karin Slaughter's books and especially for "The Good Daughter" so I was excited to finally pick it up.
The plot was interesting even tho at some point I got a little bored. There are some twists I predicted and some I really didn't expect. I enjoyed the writing style, all the descriptions and details. But there was something that was missing, something that wasnt enough to make me give it 5 stars. I can't point what it is exactly. It just felt like it needed a little more to be fully amazing.
Still, this was a really good read and I will definitely pick more books from the author.

cerisecarrot's review against another edition

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4.0

Probably really a 3.5, not up to her normal high standards

heidikundin's review against another edition

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4.0

The Good Daughter was an intense and simultaneously slow-paced ride. The book tells the story of sisters Charlotte and Samantha Quinn and two crimes (one in the past and one present day) that intersect both of their lives. While the two lawyer sisters attempt to unravel the mystery of the present-day crime, a school shooting to which Charlie was a key witness, they are drawn back into the past where they were victims of an unspeakable crime. The sisters’ strained and fractured relationship is tested as they attempt to move beyond the physical and mental scars of the past that are at the forefront of their lives.

The Good Daughter is very character-driven and emotional, but some of the scenes felt unnecessarily lengthy and some sections felt like they could have been removed altogether without missing anything. This was my first Karin Slaughter novel, and I really enjoyed her style of writing (dragging scenes aside!). Warning: there are some disturbing and graphic scenes in this novel, so if you're squeamish or sensitive about those things, you may want to skip this one.