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A review by justinkhchen
False Witness by Karin Slaughter
4.0
4 stars
As 'current' of a thriller as you can get, False Witness is an obsessive deep dive into familial relationship and criminal defense drama that sometimes further solidifies the realism, while others become obstruction to a driving plot.
If you're looking for an 'escapist' thriller, this might not be it — not only does it deals heavily with depraved criminal acts against women, but it's also indisputably set in the present version of 2021, where you'll read about characters social distancing, sanitizing their hands, mask/de-mask their faces, and even getting the disease themselves. Karin Slaughter included a lengthy author's note at the end, and I fully support and appreciate her perspective in crafting the story through this particular lens, but just be aware what you'll get yourself into as a reader.
As for the story itself, while I was never bored, after 400+ pages I came out of it feeling slightly empty: there's an imbalance between its length and actual content. Karin Slaughter tends to go on tangent, presenting every peripheral details that deem relevant. When this writing style works, it adds an immersive, almost educational/ documentary quality to the scenes (I learned so much on how defense lawyer strategize their cases, and fine points on jury selection and spousal privilege), but there are also plenty of time where it feels like unnecessary padding that should be trimmed down (conversation lingers on for too long, and do we really need to hear a character reciting the fabricated stories of all the fake identities?).
False Witness is a well-crafted 300+ pages thriller in a 400+ pages body; even though it's weighted down by frivolous details and the core narrative is not as original or dynamic as what I would've liked (it's your typical Law & Order: Special Victims Unit affair), I was still throughly engaged by the protagonists, their nuanced relationship as sisters, and the dark past they have to overcome. Recommending the audiobook as the way to enjoy this.
As 'current' of a thriller as you can get, False Witness is an obsessive deep dive into familial relationship and criminal defense drama that sometimes further solidifies the realism, while others become obstruction to a driving plot.
If you're looking for an 'escapist' thriller, this might not be it — not only does it deals heavily with depraved criminal acts against women, but it's also indisputably set in the present version of 2021, where you'll read about characters social distancing, sanitizing their hands, mask/de-mask their faces, and even getting the disease themselves. Karin Slaughter included a lengthy author's note at the end, and I fully support and appreciate her perspective in crafting the story through this particular lens, but just be aware what you'll get yourself into as a reader.
As for the story itself, while I was never bored, after 400+ pages I came out of it feeling slightly empty: there's an imbalance between its length and actual content. Karin Slaughter tends to go on tangent, presenting every peripheral details that deem relevant. When this writing style works, it adds an immersive, almost educational/ documentary quality to the scenes (I learned so much on how defense lawyer strategize their cases, and fine points on jury selection and spousal privilege), but there are also plenty of time where it feels like unnecessary padding that should be trimmed down (conversation lingers on for too long, and do we really need to hear a character reciting the fabricated stories of all the fake identities?).
False Witness is a well-crafted 300+ pages thriller in a 400+ pages body; even though it's weighted down by frivolous details and the core narrative is not as original or dynamic as what I would've liked (it's your typical Law & Order: Special Victims Unit affair), I was still throughly engaged by the protagonists, their nuanced relationship as sisters, and the dark past they have to overcome. Recommending the audiobook as the way to enjoy this.