False Witness
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-08-09 04:52:03
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Karin Slaughter
- ISBN：1460757068
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
He saw what you did 。。。 He knows who you are。 The stunning new standalone from the no。1 international bestselling author
AN ORDINARY LIFE 。。。
Leigh Coulton has worked hard to build what looks like a normal life。 She has a good job as a defence attorney， a daughter doing well in school， and even her divorce is relatively civilised - her life is just as unremarkable as she'd always hoped it would be。
HIDES A DEVASTATING PAST 。。。
But Leigh's ordinary life masks a childhood which was far from average 。。。 a childhood tarnished by secrets， broken by betrayal， and finally torn apart by a devastating act of violence。
BUT NOW THE PAST IS CATCHING UP 。。。
Then a case lands on her desk - defending a wealthy man accused of rape。 It's the highest profile case she's ever been given - a case which could transform her career， if she wins。 But when she meets the accused， she realises that it's no coincidence that he's chosen her as his attorney。 She knows him。 And he knows her。 More to the point， he knows what happened twenty years ago， and why Leigh has spent two decades running。
AND TIME IS RUNNING OUT。
If she can't get him acquitted， she'll lose much more than the case。 The only person who can help her is her younger， estranged sister Calli， the last person Leigh would ever want to ask for help。 But suddenly she has no choice 。。。
AN ORDINARY LIFE 。。。
Leigh Coulton has worked hard to build what looks like a normal life。 She has a good job as a defence attorney， a daughter doing well in school， and even her divorce is relatively civilised - her life is just as unremarkable as she'd always hoped it would be。
HIDES A DEVASTATING PAST 。。。
But Leigh's ordinary life masks a childhood which was far from average 。。。 a childhood tarnished by secrets， broken by betrayal， and finally torn apart by a devastating act of violence。
BUT NOW THE PAST IS CATCHING UP 。。。
Then a case lands on her desk - defending a wealthy man accused of rape。 It's the highest profile case she's ever been given - a case which could transform her career， if she wins。 But when she meets the accused， she realises that it's no coincidence that he's chosen her as his attorney。 She knows him。 And he knows her。 More to the point， he knows what happened twenty years ago， and why Leigh has spent two decades running。
AND TIME IS RUNNING OUT。
If she can't get him acquitted， she'll lose much more than the case。 The only person who can help her is her younger， estranged sister Calli， the last person Leigh would ever want to ask for help。 But suddenly she has no choice 。。。
Reviews
Lora King
，
Once again， Karin left me crying like a baby after an emotional rollercoaster of a book。 Two pre teen girls have a horrendous life with a disgusting mother but what happens while babysitting will set these girls on two different paths with so much luggage to carry。。。。one a junkie， one a defense attorney。 The past always comes back to haunt in Karin Slaughter books。 I didn't see how this one would work out but I left an emotional wreck。 Such an excellent writer！ Once again， Karin left me crying like a baby after an emotional rollercoaster of a book。 Two pre teen girls have a horrendous life with a disgusting mother but what happens while babysitting will set these girls on two different paths with so much luggage to carry。。。。one a junkie， one a defense attorney。 The past always comes back to haunt in Karin Slaughter books。 I didn't see how this one would work out but I left an emotional wreck。 Such an excellent writer！ 。。。more
Sharon Bell tabbert
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GoodI have a lot of Krini Slaughters books & loved them。 This one， not so much。 Went into info not really needed。 I skipped a lot of it & still got the best of it。
Sara Ennis
，
Karin Slaughter is one of my automatic buy authors for a lot of reasons。 She tells great stories with complex characters and twisty plots， and on a personal level， she's the one who showed me there are readers for these kinds of stories and gave me 'permission' to write the books of my soul。This is one of my favorites of hers， despite the dark themes of mental， physical， and sexual child abuse; drug addiction; and COVID and politics thrown in because 2020/21。 Callie and Leigh are people I 'know' Karin Slaughter is one of my automatic buy authors for a lot of reasons。 She tells great stories with complex characters and twisty plots， and on a personal level， she's the one who showed me there are readers for these kinds of stories and gave me 'permission' to write the books of my soul。This is one of my favorites of hers， despite the dark themes of mental， physical， and sexual child abuse; drug addiction; and COVID and politics thrown in because 2020/21。 Callie and Leigh are people I 'know' - black， white， and all shades of gray in between。 They have flaws， and challenges， and take turns being strong or not so much。 While I don't have sisters， I have friends that are like sisters， and their relationship felt familiar。I loved the exploration of how these two women responded to a shared event of the past。 How do people who have similar traumatic events move forward so differently？ Can you be a troubled person and still be smart， kind， and loving？ Yes。 Can you be a mostly strong person and still make bad choices and put others in harm's way？ Again， yes。 And as always， Kathleen Early's performance in the audio version is spot on。 I found myself wondering if， after so many stories told together， KS writes some parts （the funnier scenes， especially） with Early's style in mind。This is a thumb's up for me。 。。。more
Nancy Hunt
，
So soThis one took me a while to read。 I don't know if it was the subject matter or what。 After the "set up" for the story， I was all right。 This one was a bit too strong for my tastes。 So soThis one took me a while to read。 I don't know if it was the subject matter or what。 After the "set up" for the story， I was all right。 This one was a bit too strong for my tastes。 。。。more
Rob Bick
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very good stand alone。
Machelle
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A moving， gritty novel about how things that occur in a person's childhood can create a life long travel in multitudes of directions - good and bad。 Amazingly moving story。 A moving， gritty novel about how things that occur in a person's childhood can create a life long travel in multitudes of directions - good and bad。 Amazingly moving story。 。。。more
Randi Daeger
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Karin Slaughter is frightfully smart。 She is also the kind of writer that puts you right into her characters heads。 My gut was clenched through most of this book and Dr Jerry had me gasping for air through my sobbing。 Calle and Leigh will stay with me for a long time…。。and Walter too…。can’t help but love that guy。 Go Walter！
Jodine
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***Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC via the publisher in exchange for an honest review***Leigh Coultan is a successful defence attorney， a mother & has an amicable relationship with her ex husband。 She has a normal life & has worked hard for it。Leigh's sister Callie is her polar opposite。 A pivotal moment in their teenage years sent the sisters spinning on different axes。 They have both kept that moment buried but when a rape case lands on Leigh's desk it is clear that it hasn ***Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC via the publisher in exchange for an honest review***Leigh Coultan is a successful defence attorney， a mother & has an amicable relationship with her ex husband。 She has a normal life & has worked hard for it。Leigh's sister Callie is her polar opposite。 A pivotal moment in their teenage years sent the sisters spinning on different axes。 They have both kept that moment buried but when a rape case lands on Leigh's desk it is clear that it hasn't stayed as hidden as they thought。Another brilliant novel from Karin Slaughter。 She never shies away from difficult subjects and this is no exception。 Delving into child abuse， rape and murder， this is a fantastic page turner from the off。 。。。more
Heather Balog
，
Wow。 What did I just read？ Was that a suspense thriller or a pamphlet from the CDC about the importance of social distancing and wearing your mask？ What should have been a riveting tale of revenge turned out to be a frustrating tale of virtue signaling and holier-than-thou preaching about Covid that completely removes the reader from the story。 I get it。 The story took place in the middle of a pandemic。 A few mask mentions would have sufficed。 Instead， Slaughter chose to shove her views on Covid Wow。 What did I just read？ Was that a suspense thriller or a pamphlet from the CDC about the importance of social distancing and wearing your mask？ What should have been a riveting tale of revenge turned out to be a frustrating tale of virtue signaling and holier-than-thou preaching about Covid that completely removes the reader from the story。 I get it。 The story took place in the middle of a pandemic。 A few mask mentions would have sufficed。 Instead， Slaughter chose to shove her views on Covid down our throats on almost every other page。 If I had played a drinking game and took a shot at her every mention I would have been dead of alcohol poisoning by chapter 3 （and that’s only because the prologue takes place in 1998）。 It also didn’t escape my attention that all the “bad” guys in this book had not worn masks or questioned the validity of the vaccine。 Sanctimonious much？ I read to escape my real life。 As a nurse I’ve been inundated with Covid since day one。。。I don’t need it to pervade my reading。 The pandemic could have been handled with grace in this novel but she chose to use this book as a soap box。 As for the story， I don’t know how I feel about it。 I was too busy rolling my eyes at the Covid references and passing over the insipid info dumps that were either there to make you think Slaughter was a genius about law and medicine AND technology， or was just looking to fulfill a word count。 Either way I’m done with this author’s work。 A shame too because when she sticks to the actual suspense part of writing I enjoyed reading her work。 。。。more
Amanda's Happy Bookshelf
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Karin Slaughter is one of my favorite authors。 Took me awhile to read this one cuz I'm in a funk but she definitely didn't disappoint！Leigh has to represent a man who is accused of being a sadistic rapist， and she needs to win or he threatens to reveal her deepest secret。 I like Leigh and her sister Callie。 Leigh is strong and will fight for her family。 She's a pretty good role model even if she doesn't always play by the rules。 Callie is a drug addict， but possibly the sweetest woman ever。 I fo Karin Slaughter is one of my favorite authors。 Took me awhile to read this one cuz I'm in a funk but she definitely didn't disappoint！Leigh has to represent a man who is accused of being a sadistic rapist， and she needs to win or he threatens to reveal her deepest secret。 I like Leigh and her sister Callie。 Leigh is strong and will fight for her family。 She's a pretty good role model even if she doesn't always play by the rules。 Callie is a drug addict， but possibly the sweetest woman ever。 I found it interesting reading about their relationship and at what lengths they would take to protect each other。 I like that I didn't see the ending coming。 I wouldn't necessarily call this book a thriller， but it definitely was a mystery。 What I didn't like was how chaotic the last few chapters were。 It felt a bit choppy but I still recommend this book to anyone who likes a good mystery。 。。。more
Meli
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3。5 stars - very dark and graphic
Ilona Van Spellen
，
This book shows us the best and the worst of humankind， the love and showing up and the hurt and pain。 And it gives a commentary on the pandemic that is going on and how it affects everyone in different ways。I was sucked in from the first page， wanting to know how this could possibly end。 This books feels incredibly fast and slow paced at the same time， which I only realized after finishing。 When I was reading it， I could not stop， the stakes are so high。 If I put it away however， I could leave This book shows us the best and the worst of humankind， the love and showing up and the hurt and pain。 And it gives a commentary on the pandemic that is going on and how it affects everyone in different ways。I was sucked in from the first page， wanting to know how this could possibly end。 This books feels incredibly fast and slow paced at the same time， which I only realized after finishing。 When I was reading it， I could not stop， the stakes are so high。 If I put it away however， I could leave it alone for days at a time。 Docked a star for this reason。 。。。more
Pamela
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More than a thriller， in this book Slaughter gives a sensitive portrayal of a heroin addict and two sisters， both survivors of childhood sexual abuse。 The lies the sisters tell themselves and each other in order to try to protect each other are even more heartbreaking then the series of crimes that make up the “thriller” parts of the novel。
Nele Dierckx
，
I’ve always been a Karin Slaughter fan。 So each time she releases a book I’m one of those who buys it immediately。This book felt different to me。 It took me a while before I got in the story but boy， after chapter 8 I was totally on board with it。I believe this is one of KS best stand alone novels！
Jennifer Landry
，
As always， this author holds nothing back。 She writes about bad things happening to women and she writes about women getting things done。 This book could come with a lot of content warnings。 A lot。 But I thought she did such a good job of honestly portraying the struggles these characters faced。 This is a automatic read author for me and that is not changing！
Lance Kirby
，
If your a Karen Slaughter fan like me you will not be disappointed with this book I found it to be a page turner and a very good read definitely recommend
Patricia A
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Did not enjoy as much as I have enjoyed other books she has written。 Was not a book that I could not put down。
Kaitlynn Taylor
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Wow wow wow！！ False Witness was my first book by this author but it won’t be my last！ This story was absolutely amazing！！ It’s twisted， dramatic， mysterious， thrilling and truly captivating！！ I enjoyed every twisted second of reading this！！
Rinna
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This is only my second Karin Slaughter book， the first being The Good Daughter。 It was a good read， very hard to put down， but I started to see a bit of a formula from what she has done with The Good Daughter。 On the plus side， it was very empathetic and heart-wrenching at times， and the end was not what I expected （okay， fine， I cried…a lot）。
Nikki Ian
，
Phenomenal ReadKarin Slaughter does it again…her books are each a world of experience。 They aren’t for the faint of heart but they are so well-written that they come alive as you read them and transport you to another world。 The characters spring off the pages。 And this is a writer who really knows her stuff。
Jennifer Schrecengost
，
3。7
Chrislyn Potesta
，
The Queen is back and she did it to me again！ This book put me through the emotional paces and I loved every second of it！ Easily my favorite book of the year！ Dark themes， fantastic characters and one hell of a story！ Brilliant！！！！
Sonica
，
Review to come。 This is definitely my new favourite slaughter。 Next to Pretty Girjs
Tara Stapledon
，
KS deftly handles difficult topics including drug use and child molestation as well as the current state of the country dealing with Covid。 This was not the crime thriller I was expecting but more of a story about screwed up people， relationships and family dynamics that are the result of childhood trauma and secrets。 Although I found the beginning a bit slow and repetitive， it did get much better and it was an interesting read。
Charlene
，
Another masterpiece by the master of the craft！ I love how Slaughter chose to work the pandemic in to the story。。。I've found so many writers have chosen to ignore it in their work。 The author's note explains why she chose to include it， and it totally makes sense。 How do you write a novel set in the present without mentioning such a huge influence on our lives？ So many twists and turns in this one。。。I'm going to be thinking about this for quite a while。5 ★ Another masterpiece by the master of the craft！ I love how Slaughter chose to work the pandemic in to the story。。。I've found so many writers have chosen to ignore it in their work。 The author's note explains why she chose to include it， and it totally makes sense。 How do you write a novel set in the present without mentioning such a huge influence on our lives？ So many twists and turns in this one。。。I'm going to be thinking about this for quite a while。5 ★ 。。。more
Dale
，
This is certainly a thriller that keeps you turning pages。 I think I would have given it a five except I felt there was too much time explaining some of the ins and outs of addiction。 It was a case to telling not showing。 The story is gripping and horrifying。
Cecil Huston
，
As always， at the top of her game！ This one truly sucked you into an emotional investment in the characters; sometimes with affection， sometimes with frustration， even sometimes with anger。 Less "twists" in the plot than deeper revelations into those character's backgrounds。 And that was enough to get you to change your perspective of them at times。 （Why did the sister's mother remind me so much of Angie？ Oh yes， I was hoping someone would give her what she truly deserved。） Violent scenes writte As always， at the top of her game！ This one truly sucked you into an emotional investment in the characters; sometimes with affection， sometimes with frustration， even sometimes with anger。 Less "twists" in the plot than deeper revelations into those character's backgrounds。 And that was enough to get you to change your perspective of them at times。 （Why did the sister's mother remind me so much of Angie？ Oh yes， I was hoping someone would give her what she truly deserved。） Violent scenes written with typical grit and wince-worthy descriptions， but always just inside the limits of what the reader could bear。 （At least in my case。 I've read all Karin's other stories， so know what I'm getting into。） Like her other novels， this is NOT a quick read。 There is much to be absorbed， and pondered。 It's never cut and dried， or predictable。 That's what makes her books so great。 But alas， now comes the wait for the next one。。。Bravo！ Well done。 And the letter to readers at the end was written from the heart。 She always has something important to say; about life， current issues， and how both those things take a crap on the female gender too often。 We hear you Karin， we hear you。 Just keep 'em coming！ 。。。more
Onceinabluemoon
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Got for my husband and gave it a try， not my kind of book， quit at 30%。。。
Christie Daley
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This one was rough。 Very Karin Slaughter， though。
Mabelline Grey
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Leigh and her sister Callie share a dark secret。 Leigh is a successful lawyer but Callie， a heroin addict， cannot escape the past。 When Leigh is appointed to represent a client accused of a violent rape the past catches up with her too and soon her sister and her daughter Maddie are in mortal danger。 To say more would be to give the plot away but this is the kind of bestseller that graced airport bookstores before the pandemic hit （maybe still do it's a while since I was in an airport bookshop）。 Leigh and her sister Callie share a dark secret。 Leigh is a successful lawyer but Callie， a heroin addict， cannot escape the past。 When Leigh is appointed to represent a client accused of a violent rape the past catches up with her too and soon her sister and her daughter Maddie are in mortal danger。 To say more would be to give the plot away but this is the kind of bestseller that graced airport bookstores before the pandemic hit （maybe still do it's a while since I was in an airport bookshop）。 It's very long and the violence is graphic。 Like a man in a sumo suit， the action is buried in a lot of padding and I kept wanting to scream 'get on with it' at the narrator （I listened to the audiobook）， there are lots of flashbacks to the same scenes and some odd digressions as if the author has Googled something and can't resist putting it in （angler fish， crested rats， Mu receptors。。。）。 For me， it would have been better at half the length and with the violence implied rather than described in technicolor detail。 Based on her message to readers Karin Slaughter sounds like a great person and she clearly has a lot of fans but unfortunately， this book wasn't for me。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=False Witness
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=False Witness&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,False Witness&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0