False Witness: The stunning new 2021 crime mystery suspense thriller from the No.1 Sunday Times bestselling author
- Downloads：6897
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-11-29 00:51:17
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Karin Slaughter
- ISBN：0008303541
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
Leigh Collier has worked hard to build what looks like a normal life。 She’s an up-and-coming defense attorney at a prestigious law firm in Atlanta， would do anything for her sixteen-year-old daughter Maddy， and is managing to successfully coparent through a pandemic after an amicable separation from her husband Walter。
But Leigh’s ordinary life masks a childhood no one should have to endure … a childhood tarnished by secrets， broken by betrayal， and ultimately destroyed by a brutal act of violence。
On a Sunday night at her daughter’s school play， she gets a call from one of the firm's partners who wants Leigh to come on board to defend a wealthy man accused of multiple counts of rape。 Though wary of the case， it becomes apparent she doesn't have much choice if she wants to keep her job。 They're scheduled to go to trial in one week。 When she meets the accused face-to-face， she realizes that it’s no coincidence that he’s specifically asked for her to represent him。 She knows him。 And he knows her。 More to the point， he may know what happened over twenty years ago， and why Leigh has spent two decades avoiding her past。
Suddenly she has a lot more to lose than this case。 The only person who can help is her younger， estranged sister Callie—the last person Leigh would ever want to drag into this after all they’ve been through。 But with the life-shattering truth in danger of being revealed， she has no choice。。。
But Leigh’s ordinary life masks a childhood no one should have to endure … a childhood tarnished by secrets， broken by betrayal， and ultimately destroyed by a brutal act of violence。
On a Sunday night at her daughter’s school play， she gets a call from one of the firm's partners who wants Leigh to come on board to defend a wealthy man accused of multiple counts of rape。 Though wary of the case， it becomes apparent she doesn't have much choice if she wants to keep her job。 They're scheduled to go to trial in one week。 When she meets the accused face-to-face， she realizes that it’s no coincidence that he’s specifically asked for her to represent him。 She knows him。 And he knows her。 More to the point， he may know what happened over twenty years ago， and why Leigh has spent two decades avoiding her past。
Suddenly she has a lot more to lose than this case。 The only person who can help is her younger， estranged sister Callie—the last person Leigh would ever want to drag into this after all they’ve been through。 But with the life-shattering truth in danger of being revealed， she has no choice。。。
Reviews
Stephanie Laurenza
，
Funny， I was feeling like I had hit a bit of a reading slump then remembered I had a Karin Slaughter book downloaded and waiting for me。。。and I did the stay-up-way-too-late-to-read-it-all-in-one-sitting thing。 While I'm not sure where I stand on things COVID- and pandemic-related as we are clearly still In The Shit， I do appreciate how it was introduced and a part of the story without being The Story。 I also love and appreciate the realness of Callie and Leigh （and Walter！ And Dr。 Jerry， as much Funny， I was feeling like I had hit a bit of a reading slump then remembered I had a Karin Slaughter book downloaded and waiting for me。。。and I did the stay-up-way-too-late-to-read-it-all-in-one-sitting thing。 While I'm not sure where I stand on things COVID- and pandemic-related as we are clearly still In The Shit， I do appreciate how it was introduced and a part of the story without being The Story。 I also love and appreciate the realness of Callie and Leigh （and Walter！ And Dr。 Jerry， as much as he makes me shake my head）; also can appreciate but have zero love for the realness of Phil。 It is not an easy read nor a fun one， but that's not why I read Karin Slaughter: I read her to get immersed in a fucked up situation， commiserate and maybe learn a thing or two。 An A+ standalone that has me re-committed to reading all of the Will Trent series。 。。。more
Daisy
，
My first Karin Slaughter book and I'm so happy to say that I LOVED it！ It was dirty， it was gritty， it was heart wrenching， and I loved every single god damn minute of it。 My first Karin Slaughter book and I'm so happy to say that I LOVED it！ It was dirty， it was gritty， it was heart wrenching， and I loved every single god damn minute of it。 。。。more
Bethany Hanson
，
A little too dark & twisty for me。 The story had a lot to keep up with & seemed to back track to retell parts the first 1/3 of the book。
Danah
，
I would have rated this book a 4 had the author left out the preachy Covid references。 I don’t read fiction to get the author’s social and political opinions crammed down my throat。 The lengthy discussion of masks， hand sanitizer， etc was， at best， gratuitous and should have been edited out。
Jamison Shock
，
Great book。 This book with have you all over the emotional spectrum。 Great character development and will leave you thinking about it long after finishing it。
Keith Regets
，
Wow！ I love the way Karin Slaughter tells a story。As expected from the author， a fast-paced， page turning thriller that keeps you wanting more。 A great read！
Karissa
，
The concept of the story was already a stretch to me so I'm not surprised that a 150 pages in I decided to quit reading it。 There was just too much lawyer lingo， cursing， anxiety， and drug addiction for me to take。 There were better books for my time。 The concept of the story was already a stretch to me so I'm not surprised that a 150 pages in I decided to quit reading it。 There was just too much lawyer lingo， cursing， anxiety， and drug addiction for me to take。 There were better books for my time。 。。。more
Cathy Flenor
，
I absolutely enjoyed this book！ Warning: the content is sensitive and my trigger some people。 The story was compelling and enthralling。 One of Karin Slaughters best！！！
Anne
，
Leigh has worked hard to become a defence attorney and has worked hard over the last two decades to leave behind a childhood and a past and bury it as a secret not to be discovered。 A case comes across Leigh's desk， a man accused of rape and he has requested that Leigh represent him。 When she meets her client， Leigh knows him straight away and he certainly knows her and could blow her world apart exposing her deepest secrets。 There begins a nightmare for Leigh， who can she turn to for help ？Anot Leigh has worked hard to become a defence attorney and has worked hard over the last two decades to leave behind a childhood and a past and bury it as a secret not to be discovered。 A case comes across Leigh's desk， a man accused of rape and he has requested that Leigh represent him。 When she meets her client， Leigh knows him straight away and he certainly knows her and could blow her world apart exposing her deepest secrets。 There begins a nightmare for Leigh， who can she turn to for help ？Another gripping thriller from Karin Slaughter。 。。。more
Alison Pickett
，
My third Slaughter book and it did not disappoint！ Superbly written， suspense， intrigue， character and plot development ， no loose ends！ Relevant， current and keeps you wanting to flip to the next page。
Luvinthislife
，
Good， but not her bestWhile it was fairly strong overall， this story was a little lacking in character development when compared to other efforts by the usually fantastic Ms。 Slaughter。 Instead， she opted for focusing more in the heinous past crimes committed by someone who was long gone。 I liked the story quite a bit but found those two changes to be less than ideal。
Emily
，
At the beginning I found it a little too much Covid this， Covid that。 But， I guess that accurately depicts how we were in the middle of the pandemic。 Everything was all about Covid。 I worried at first it would take away from the story - it didn't。 Whether I got used to the Covid talk or it was less frequent later in the book， it wasn't a distraction and I thoroughly enjoyed this one。 At the beginning I found it a little too much Covid this， Covid that。 But， I guess that accurately depicts how we were in the middle of the pandemic。 Everything was all about Covid。 I worried at first it would take away from the story - it didn't。 Whether I got used to the Covid talk or it was less frequent later in the book， it wasn't a distraction and I thoroughly enjoyed this one。 。。。more
hannahreads____
，
I wanted to love this so badly as I like Karin Slaughter as an author， but this was SO boring！ And all the covid references。。。。 blergh。I made it to the half way point and dnf'd， couldn't force it any longer。 I wanted to love this so badly as I like Karin Slaughter as an author， but this was SO boring！ And all the covid references。。。。 blergh。I made it to the half way point and dnf'd， couldn't force it any longer。 。。。more
Opiated
，
This is the second Karin Slaughter book I've read and there seems to be a pattern to her writing。 The first act that kicks off the story is brilliant。 There's suspense， there's tension and there's a whole lot of shock。 The second act is set several years later and chock full of repetitive inner monologues of the main characters but is for the most part bearable。 Lots of cliches later we get through this act to the finale。 Here is where Slaughter completely loses the plot。 Literally。 There's a lo This is the second Karin Slaughter book I've read and there seems to be a pattern to her writing。 The first act that kicks off the story is brilliant。 There's suspense， there's tension and there's a whole lot of shock。 The second act is set several years later and chock full of repetitive inner monologues of the main characters but is for the most part bearable。 Lots of cliches later we get through this act to the finale。 Here is where Slaughter completely loses the plot。 Literally。 There's a lot of twists for the sake of twists; logic and reason be dammed。False witness starts off on a solid note。 As the blurb on the back cover says， the client Leigh has to defend knows what she did twenty years ago， and him playing a game of cat and mouse with her is suspense done right。 But once Leigh and her sister Calli figure out his game the book goes downhill really， really fast。 Everyone acts completely irrationally and the story gets as pulpy as pulp fiction can get。 Sydney Winslow is hands down the worst character in this book。 There is no explanation for what she does other than the aforementioned twist for the sake of twists。Read this book if you like twists but be warned you will have to leave your logic aside。 I am done with Slaughter。 。。。more
Ariana Chapin
，
Karin Slaughter has the ability to create these horrible gruesome stories with truly the most compelling characters。 Some pages are hard to get through but you push through because of the characters and their stories。 And that to me is so powerful。False Witness is no exception。 The story follows sisters Callie and Leigh who went through something unspeakable as teens and now the past is back for revenge。 Leigh is now a lawyer and Callie is a drug addict but together they have to stop what’s comi Karin Slaughter has the ability to create these horrible gruesome stories with truly the most compelling characters。 Some pages are hard to get through but you push through because of the characters and their stories。 And that to me is so powerful。False Witness is no exception。 The story follows sisters Callie and Leigh who went through something unspeakable as teens and now the past is back for revenge。 Leigh is now a lawyer and Callie is a drug addict but together they have to stop what’s coming back。 Their bond was like nothing I’d read in a book before。 It was hard seeing them blame themselves for what happened but even harder watching them try to fix it all。 I was on the edge of my seat for most of this book。This book out the gate is shocking and through dual timelines creates a story of pain， grief， revenge， and love。 It’s not by any means an easy read but it’s one I’ll never forget。 The last 100+ pages I couldn’t put down because I needed to know there would be something good that came out this book。CW: rape， sexual abuse， child abuse， drug abuse， addiction 。。。more
Jill
，
I thought this was interesting and pretty good as a stand alone。 It was interesting to see how Karin Slaughtered weaved the past to the present by having a character be introduced from the past in the beginning of plot。
Jill Jacob-Cabrera
，
Karin Slaughter is one of my favourite thriller authors and this one did not disappoint。This is not a mystery。 I personally like Slaughter because she explores the darkness of the psyche as an overarching metaphor regarding societal issues。 This is dark and gorey and misogynistic in a way that society is misogynistic。The relationships in this book is very good， and I do find there is a reoccurring theme within Slaughter's books， which is familial reconciliation， and it's beautiful and warm in st Karin Slaughter is one of my favourite thriller authors and this one did not disappoint。This is not a mystery。 I personally like Slaughter because she explores the darkness of the psyche as an overarching metaphor regarding societal issues。 This is dark and gorey and misogynistic in a way that society is misogynistic。The relationships in this book is very good， and I do find there is a reoccurring theme within Slaughter's books， which is familial reconciliation， and it's beautiful and warm in stark contrast to how dark everything is。 Slaughter's female protagonists are strong， resourceful and flawed and I enjoyed this。 This reminded me of Pretty Girls， and I thought， Pretty Girls was a little more impactful。 。。。more
Kelly
，
Did I just read a novel， or was it a PSA for the CDC about Covid and safe practices？ I'm surprised the author didn't dedicate the book to Anthony Fauci， for all the time she spent talking about Covid。 I get enough Covid propaganda in my realy life。 I DON'T need to read about it， and especially read about it in a book where it takes center stage。 Honestly， the starring role in this book IS Covid， with supporting appearances by hand sanitizer， masks， and social distancing。 If she cut the Covid ref Did I just read a novel， or was it a PSA for the CDC about Covid and safe practices？ I'm surprised the author didn't dedicate the book to Anthony Fauci， for all the time she spent talking about Covid。 I get enough Covid propaganda in my realy life。 I DON'T need to read about it， and especially read about it in a book where it takes center stage。 Honestly， the starring role in this book IS Covid， with supporting appearances by hand sanitizer， masks， and social distancing。 If she cut the Covid references out， the book would have been about 1/2 as long。 It seemed to be mentioned on almost EVERY SINGLE page。 And it was SO preachy about Covid。 All the 'bad' people didn't wear masks， or wore them improperly。 The author clearly has some strong feelings about the pandemic。And another lead role in this book is opioid addition。 I feel like I just read a how-to on being an opioid addict， with all you could ever want or need to know， and then plenty more， about buying/using/stealing/covering up your drugs and drug use。 The author almost seemed to glorify addiction。The characters were horrible。 Really， I couldn't find anything likeable about either sister。 Typical liberal hypocrites。 And obviously the author was letting her own political and social views shine through with the sisters。 I have to wonder if Karin Slaughter was working on earning her Social Justice Warrior badge by writing this one。 She clearly hates white men， and of course there were the now-to-be-expected in almost all book slams against conservatives。 I even learned a term for a new social justice offense: cultural appropriation。 And it seems that the more 'woke' a person is， the worse their language is。 Is foul language a measure of 'wokeness？' The language was absolutely terrible。The whole book was a terrible， disgusting， offensive， hypocritical， judgmental disappointment。 I was already getting tired of the Will Trent series （this is not part of the series， but one of her stand-alone books） and think this might just be enough to make me never read any more by Karin Slaughter。 You know a book is bad when before you're done you start reading through the 1 and 2 star Goodreads reviews looking for similar opinions。 。。。more
Insiya。
，
4。5I was tearing up so good job！
Noa
，
cried reading this omfg heartbreaking and brutal as always but damn Slaughter can write
Amy
，
Overall good book。 There were times I could have used more focus on the murder and mayhem and less on the family drama…but good！
Vir
，
Es lo primero que leo de esta autora y me ha gustado mucho。 La historia es muy dura y toca temas complicados como la pedofilia o la drogodependencia， además que la autora no se corta un pelo por lo que algunas escenas pueden resultar bastante fuertes e incómodas。 Por lo que he leído sobre sus otros libros todas sus historias son bastante oscuras， retorcidas y con temas peliagudos aunque eso no hace que tenga menos ganas de leer más de sus novelas。 La única pega que le pondría es que los capítulo Es lo primero que leo de esta autora y me ha gustado mucho。 La historia es muy dura y toca temas complicados como la pedofilia o la drogodependencia， además que la autora no se corta un pelo por lo que algunas escenas pueden resultar bastante fuertes e incómodas。 Por lo que he leído sobre sus otros libros todas sus historias son bastante oscuras， retorcidas y con temas peliagudos aunque eso no hace que tenga menos ganas de leer más de sus novelas。 La única pega que le pondría es que los capítulos son larguísimos。。。 En este tipo de historias prefiero capítulos cortitos que me mantengan atrapado en todo momento。 Aún así me ha entretenido un montón y me ha mantenido en tensión hasta el final， además los personajes están súper bien construidos y la trama muy bien llevada， cuando parecía que ya tenías todo figurado aparecía un plot twist que le daba la vuelta a todo。Sin duda， seguiré leyendo más de esta autora aunque en pequeñas dosis porque sus historias son muy duras y creo que necesito repartirlas en el tiempo para seguir teniendo fe en la humanidad。 。。。more
Dori Gray
，
Not a bad story but much longer than it needed to be。 I could have skipped almost all of Callie’s sections。
Allyson Holmes
，
4。5 stars - another great thriller from Karin Slaughter！
Jennifer Chappell
，
Didn’t finish :/ had a hard time with it
Marianne
，
Karin Slaughter is masterful with characters。 Dr。 Jerry is especially memorable。
Mandy Kool
，
This book。 I couldn’t put it down。 Any chance I could get I was reading。Slaughter has a way of making characters that are beautifully broken and you root for them even with their tragic stories。 Calli and Leigh are no different。There’s heaviness and some pretty triggering topics， but this book is so good and so relevant for life in 2021。
Jackie
，
An intense thriller！ I really enjoyed her detail but could have done without the covid references。 A bit too much。 Very captivating read！
Irma
，
An emotional rollercoaster ride。 Karin Slaughter does it again。
Christie’s Books
，