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aallen0124's review
4.0
When a woman is murdered at the McAlpine family lodge everyone scrambles to find out who was to blame. The McAlpine family alone has more secrets than you would imagine, but what about the guests of the lodge?
The mystery of the murder of Mercy kept me guessing up until the very end and I can say I didn’t see the twist coming. The entire story was filled with suspense and juicy details to keep me interested. I love how the author really considered human psychology when building her characters and their conflict. I also enjoyed the battle of right and wrong throughout the story. I was in so much suspense with this book the entire time I felt like was dying waiting to figure out the full grasp of the story. The ending did not disappoint as an audible gasp left my body when that final twist was read. I would absolutely recommend!
The mystery of the murder of Mercy kept me guessing up until the very end and I can say I didn’t see the twist coming. The entire story was filled with suspense and juicy details to keep me interested. I love how the author really considered human psychology when building her characters and their conflict. I also enjoyed the battle of right and wrong throughout the story. I was in so much suspense with this book the entire time I felt like was dying waiting to figure out the full grasp of the story. The ending did not disappoint as an audible gasp left my body when that final twist was read. I would absolutely recommend!
abicaro17's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Holy shit. Well hot damm. I have never read a Will Trent book and I have watched one episode of the show so I went into this pretty blind but even as a sequel this book does a great job of explaining anything and everything. Will Trent and his new wife Sara are on their honeymoon at a small lodge and campsite in the woods. Their first night ends with the lodge manager, Mercy, getting stabbed and left to drown in the lake. The book takes twists and turns through Mercy's neglectful and awful family, suspicious guests, and the curse of trying to solve a murder in a small town. This book never left me with the feeling I knew what was going on. I was never confused or lost story wise but the twists really do lead you upside down and backwards before the end. I totally recommend reading this to anyone who isn't afraid of some pretty triggering topics like domestic violence, abuse, and rape. It was a great book and I'll definitely read anything else Slaughter has to offer! Thank you to NetGalley for sending me this ARC to review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Incest, Infidelity, Addiction, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Ableism, Death, Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Medical content, Adult/minor relationship, Murder, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Car accident, Confinement, Drug use, Grief, Torture, Alcoholism, Abandonment, Alcohol, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Drug abuse, Classism, Cursing, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Violence, Gore, Self harm, Sexism, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Vomit, Toxic friendship, Blood, Death of parent, Cancer, Misogyny, and Rape
bookishshafaq's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
confessions_of_a_bookaholic's review against another edition
4.0
Will Trent and Sara Linton are on their honeymoon, staying at the secluded McAlpine Lodge, an off grid property that is the perfect chance to escape and unwind. Or so they thought. When a late night swim on their first night at the lodge is interrupted by a scream for help, both Sara and Will go running, only to find the manager of the lodge, Mercy, murdered. It soon becomes clear to Will that normal rules don't apply at McAlpine Lodge, and he knows that the only way Mercy will get justice is if he brings it himself.
The latest Will and Sara fix sees the couple finally married! When this one started and was in an unusual location I was wondering how it would go without some of the other main characters for this series such as Faith and Amanda. I should know better than to doubt Karin Slaughter!
The McAlpine family made my skin crawl right from the start of this book, and honestly the more I learnt about them the worse things got. By the end of the book I would have been quite happy for the lodge to have been burnt to ground with them all in it. The only ones that had anything to like about them were Mercy who dies at the start, and Jon a sixteen year old boy. Mercy's story was heartbreaking.
In terms of the plot this one as always was cleverly crafted. switching timelines between the hours leading up to the murder and those after it, Slaughter paints us a picture of the events and the people involved. There is a range of suspects and I believed all of them could be the culprit at one stage or other. I did eventually click on who was the killer, but didn't see the why coming. There's a lot going on at the Lodge and unpacking it all made for an interesting and page turning read.
As I said at the start I was a little unsure in the first few chapters on how this would go, but it didn't take long for me to be hooked in. Another great installment in one of my favourite series.
Thanks to NetGalley, Harper Collins UK and Harper Fiction for an arc in exchange for an honest review.
The latest Will and Sara fix sees the couple finally married! When this one started and was in an unusual location I was wondering how it would go without some of the other main characters for this series such as Faith and Amanda. I should know better than to doubt Karin Slaughter!
The McAlpine family made my skin crawl right from the start of this book, and honestly the more I learnt about them the worse things got. By the end of the book I would have been quite happy for the lodge to have been burnt to ground with them all in it. The only ones that had anything to like about them were Mercy who dies at the start, and Jon a sixteen year old boy. Mercy's story was heartbreaking.
In terms of the plot this one as always was cleverly crafted. switching timelines between the hours leading up to the murder and those after it, Slaughter paints us a picture of the events and the people involved. There is a range of suspects and I believed all of them could be the culprit at one stage or other. I did eventually click on who was the killer, but didn't see the why coming. There's a lot going on at the Lodge and unpacking it all made for an interesting and page turning read.
As I said at the start I was a little unsure in the first few chapters on how this would go, but it didn't take long for me to be hooked in. Another great installment in one of my favourite series.
Thanks to NetGalley, Harper Collins UK and Harper Fiction for an arc in exchange for an honest review.
shar74's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
Once again Karin Slaughter has hit the target with this book!
Sara and Will go on their honeymoon but whilst there a body is discovered.
This book is fast paced and a great read. I highly recommend it
Thank you to Netgalley and rhe publishers fit the ARC
Sara and Will go on their honeymoon but whilst there a body is discovered.
This book is fast paced and a great read. I highly recommend it
Thank you to Netgalley and rhe publishers fit the ARC
orla_h's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, Child abuse, Gore, Sexual assault, and Violence
Moderate: Torture, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Alcohol, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Vomit and Cursing
femmelotje's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Murder, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Incest, Vomit, and Rape
Minor: Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, and Terminal illness
panicatthebookstore's review against another edition
5.0
Book 12 in the Will Trent series.
I didn't realise this was part of a series until I'd requested and been accepted for this one. I do actually have physical copies of the first ten books sitting on my shelf, and I'd been putting off reading them after not enjoying the one Karin Slaughter book I'd read previously. However, having read and loved this one, I am definitely going to need to go back and start from the beginning. I do feel like this can be read as a standalone, I didn't find myself feeling confused, and there were only brief mentions of previous events.
There were some pretty dark themes running through this book, dealing with childhood abuse, trauma, rape, drug abuse, incest etc. As Faith says, this is a locked door mystery with a VC Andrews twist. What more could you want?
I didn't realise this was part of a series until I'd requested and been accepted for this one. I do actually have physical copies of the first ten books sitting on my shelf, and I'd been putting off reading them after not enjoying the one Karin Slaughter book I'd read previously. However, having read and loved this one, I am definitely going to need to go back and start from the beginning. I do feel like this can be read as a standalone, I didn't find myself feeling confused, and there were only brief mentions of previous events.
There were some pretty dark themes running through this book, dealing with childhood abuse, trauma, rape, drug abuse, incest etc. As Faith says, this is a locked door mystery with a VC Andrews twist. What more could you want?
muhformorgan's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
3.5
I really enjoyed this book - the characters were interesting and complex and I really didn’t know where it was going at times, who did it etc
It is a very descriptive book that makes you feel like you’re getting all the information as the detectives do - it is very wordy and technical but I don’t mind that.
It’s quite a slow book but one you can really sink your teeth into, it does pick up in the last 20% but I don’t think that’s uncommon with these kinds of books.
It is a very descriptive book that makes you feel like you’re getting all the information as the detectives do - it is very wordy and technical but I don’t mind that.
It’s quite a slow book but one you can really sink your teeth into, it does pick up in the last 20% but I don’t think that’s uncommon with these kinds of books.
mymidnightbooks's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5