The Good Daughter by Karin Slaughter
ISBN: 9780062430243 (hardcover)
ISBN: 9780062430267 (ebook)
ASIN: B01N7BJZEA (Kindle edition)
Publication date: August 8, 2017
Publisher: William Morrow

Two girls are forced into the woods at gunpoint. One runs for her life. One is left behind…

Twenty-eight years ago, Charlotte and Samantha Quinn’s happy small-town family life was torn apart by a terrifying attack on their family home. It left their mother dead. It left their father — Pikeville’s notorious defense attorney — devastated. And it left the family fractured beyond repair, consumed by secrets from that terrible night.

Twenty-eight years later, and Charlie has followed in her father’s footsteps to become a lawyer herself — the ideal good daughter. But when violence comes to Pikeville again — and a shocking tragedy leaves the whole town traumatized — Charlie is plunged into a nightmare. Not only is she the first witness on the scene, but it’s a case that unleashes the terrible memories she’s spent so long trying to suppress. Because the shocking truth about the crime that destroyed her family nearly thirty years ago won’t stay buried forever…

Charlotte “Charlie” Quinn lived through one nightmare at the age of thirteen when her mother was killed in her front of her and her sister Samantha “Sam” and then her sister was shot in the head and left for dead. Now Charlie is living through a new tragedy as an almost witness to a school shooting followed by her father being brutally stabbed in his driveway in Karin Slaughter’s latest psychological thriller, The Good Daughter.

We are first introduced to Charlie and Sam Quinn as teenagers, twenty-eight years ago. Their home has been burned down and the family has been forced to relocate to a farmhouse outside of Pikeville, Georgia. All of their possessions were destroyed in the fire, so they are slowly rebuilding by purchasing items a local thrift store. Their mother, Gamma (Henrietta) is a nontraditional mother in most aspects but loved nonetheless. A home invasion with the intent of robbery and revenge quickly turns violent leaving Gamma dead, fifteen-year-old Sam severely wounded, and thirteen-year-old Charlie traumatized and brutalized. Fast forward twenty-eight years and both Sam and Charlie have become lawyers like their father Russell “Rusty” Quinn, with Sam specializing in patent law in New York City and Charlie having an independent practice in the same office as her father in Pikeville, Georgia. Sam is widowed and Charlie is married to her college sweetheart. After Charlie and Ben’s marriage suffers through a separation, Charlie has a one-night-stand that ends with a phone-swap the morning after at the local middle school and then a school shooting. If that tragedy wasn’t enough, later that day Rusty Quinn is found brutally stabbed in the driveway of his home. Sam returns home to Pikeville to be a support to Charlie and winds up handling the arraignment of the school shooter. Charlie’s one-night-stand man winds up having ties to her family’s past that she knew nothing about and that brings up memories she’d rather never remember. Is it possible that the events of twenty-eight years ago are linked to current events? Can the past ever be allowed to die?

I’ve said it before and it bears repeating, Ms. Slaughter is an amazing writer. I’ve read almost everything she’s written and nothing has ever disappointed me as a reader, including The Good Daughter. This was an incredible read! I loved the characters (especially Lenny/Lenore), the multiple storylines, the twists and turns, the small town setting, even the bad guys (okay, I didn’t really “Like” the bad guys, but they were an integral part of the story so without them, it just wouldn’t have worked). I particularly enjoyed the sibling struggle between Charlie and Sam. We are given glimpses into Sam’s emotional and physical recovery of the years and how she copes with her current disabilities. Charlie, on the other hand, has never truly been allowed to emotionally heal from the trauma of twenty-eight years ago and that is making a huge impact on her current life in a variety of destructive ways. In many ways, both Charlie and Sam can be seen as “The Good Daughter” but they view one another that way than see themselves that way. It isn’t until another tragedy strikes (no, I’m not telling you what it is…read the book!), that Charlie and Sam truly come together as a family and learn to deal with the past. Obviously, there’s a lot more going on in the story than just Charlie and Sam and their family drama, there’s psychological thrills, school shooting, murder, mayhem, police brutality, marital infidelity, small-town prejudice and bullying, school bullying, and more. For those of you that have read anything written by Karin Slaughter then you already know you’ll want to read The Good Daughter. If you haven’t read anything by Karin Slaughter but you enjoy reading well-written psychological thrillers, then put The Good Daughter on your TBR list. If you’re not quite sure about psychological thrillers but are looking for something a little bit different to read, grab yourself a copy of The Good Daughter to read. Seriously, this is a darn fine read and one I plowed through in one day despite an ever-increasing migraine and a bout of bronchitis (the ever-increasing migraine was probably caused by the constant coughing from the bronchitis, but this story kept my mind off my physical ills). I’m incredibly grateful to the publisher for affording me the opportunity to read a review copy of The Good Daughter. I look forward to reading more from Ms. Slaughter in the future (review or purchased copy).

Disclaimer: I received a free digital review copy of this book from the publisher for review purposes via Edelweiss+. I was not paid, required, or otherwise obligated to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Read an excerpt from The Good Daughter here.

Karin Slaughter

Author Bio:

Karin Slaughter is one of the world’s most popular and acclaimed storytellers. Published in 36 languages, with more than 35 million copies sold across the globe, her sixteen novels include the Grant County and Will Trent books, as well as the Edgar-nominated Cop Town and the instant New York Times bestselling novel Pretty Girls. A native of Georgia, Karin currently lives in Atlanta. Her Will Trent series, Grant County series, and standalone novel Cop Town are all in development for film and television.

Catch Up With Our Author On:

Website , Goodreads , Twitter , & Facebook !

Tour Participants:

Visit the other great hosts on this tour for more great reviews, interviews, guest posts, and giveaways!

Enter To Win!

This is a rafflecopter giveaway hosted by Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours for Karin Slaughter and William Morrow. There will be five (5) winners of one (1) print edition of The Good Daughter by Karin Slaughter! This giveaway is open to US residents only. The giveaway begins on August 1 and runs through September 3, 2017.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Get More Great Reads at Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tours

Buy the Book

Available from BookDepository | Alibris

Shop Indie Bookstores

The Good Wife (A Brennan Sisters Novel) by Jane Porter
ISBN: 9780425253670 (paperback)
ISBN: 9781101625194 (ebook)
ASIN: B00BC24NAS (Kindle edition)
Publication date: September 3, 2013
Publisher: Berkeley

Is it possible to love someone too much?

Always considered the beauty of the family, the youngest Brennan sister, Sarah, remains deeply in love with her husband of ten years. Boone Walker, a professional baseball player, travels almost year-round while Sarah stays home and cares for their two children. Her love for her husband is bottomless—so much so that her sisters say it will end up hurting her.

Living apart most of the time makes life difficult, especially since Sarah often wonders whether Boone is sharing his bed with other women on the road, even though he swears he’s been true to her since his infidelity three years ago. While she wants to be happy and move forward in her life, Sarah constantly fears that Boone will break his promise. Now with Boone facing yet another career change, tension rises between the two, adding more stress to an already turbulent marriage. Emotionally exhausted, Sarah can’t cope with yet another storm. Now, she must either break free from the past and forgive Boone completely, or leave him behind and start anew. . .

The Good Wife is the final book in the Brennan Sisters’ trilogy by author Jane Porter. The previous books, The Good Woman and The Good Daughter, highlighted the lives of the oldest and then the middle Brennan sisters, Mary Margaret (Meg) and Katherine Elizabeth (Kit). All of the books focus on the greater Brennan family dynamics, as well as spotlighting the individual sisters and their personal issues and problems. Sarah is the youngest Brennan sister and has spent much of her adult life away from her family. Her husband, Boone Walker, is a professional baseball player. Sarah and Boone have been married for over ten years and all of that time has been spent following Boone as he’s moved from team-to-team. Now Sarah is thirty-five years old, a dedicated wife, and mother of two children: five-year-old Ella and eight-year-old Brennan. Unfortunately she doesn’t think she has a role in life other than wife and mother. Can she find happiness with her husband and children if she isn’t happy with herself?

Mirroring Sarah’s saga is the story of Lauren Summer, a local chef/baker. Lauren became an unwed teen mother at the tender age of seventeen. Fortunately she had the love and support of her parents and older sister and eventually became the co-owner of a local bakery-cafe. Lauren was dealt an intense blow when her son was killed in a tragic car accident. Due to the circumstances surrounding her son’s conception and birth, Lauren has severe trust issues with men. Her life had centered on her son and business for almost seventeen years and she needs time to grieve and reassess her life. This means leaving her hometown and family and moving a few hours away. When she attracts the attention of a professional baseball player she has to decide if she’s willing to accept male friendship, companionship and open herself to the possibility of love.

I found The Good Wife to be a fast-paced read. It was fascinating to see how Lauren and Sarah’s lives mirrored one another with their trust issues. Parts of the story were literally heart-wrenching as I read about the Brennan family’s grief over the death of the matriarch, Marilyn Brennan, to cancer, not to mention Lauren’s prolonged grief over the untimely death of her teenage son. Ultimately both Lauren and Sarah must learn to accept who they are and put just as much time and importance on their goals as they have with others. The Good Wife is much more than a story about an unhappy wife. Ms. Porter delves into the issue of self-fulfillment, marital fidelity, marital trust, forgiveness, grief, despair and a host of other family, as well as inter- and intra-personal issues. Sarah must decide if she has truly forgiven her husband for his past infidelity and trust that he is willingly in their marriage. Her doubts wind up making her borderline crazy and have the potential for causing her marriage to disintegrate due to her lack of trust issues. Is it possible to love too much? It probably isn’t possible to love too much as long as we learn to love without sublimating our individuality. If you enjoy reading about realistic family situations, then you’ll definitely want to add The Good Woman, The Good Daughter, and The Good Wife to your reading list. (Although this is the final book in the Brennan Sisters’ trilogy, I personally want more!)

Learn more about author Jane Porter and her books by clicking here or visit the author’s website: www.janeporter.com.

Disclaimer: I received a digital copy of this book free for review purposes from the publisher via Edelweiss. I was not paid, required or otherwise obligated to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Buy the Book