Pieces of Her - by Karin Slaughter (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Coming to Netflix!

Karin Slaughter has--by far--the best name of all of us msytery novelists.--James Patterson

Mother. Hero. Liar. Killer. How can you tell when all you have is...

PIECES OF HER

What if the person you thought you knew best turns out to be someone you never knew at all . . . ?

Andrea knows everything about her mother, Laura. She knows she's spent her whole life in the small beachside town of Belle Isle; she knows she's never wanted anything more than to live a quiet life as a pillar of the community; she knows she's never kept a secret in her life. Because we all know our mothers, don't we?

But all that changes when a trip to the mall explodes into violence and Andrea suddenly sees a completely different side to Laura. Because it turns out that before Laura was Laura, she was someone completely different. For nearly thirty years she's been hiding from her previous identity, lying low in the hope that no one would ever find her. But now she's been exposed, and nothing will ever be the same again.

The police want answers and Laura's innocence is on the line, but she won't speak to anyone, including her own daughter. Andrea is on a desperate journey following the breadcrumb trail of her mother's past. And if she can't uncover the secrets hidden there, there may be no future for either one of them. . . .

From the Back Cover

What if the person you thought you knew best turns out to be someone you never knew at all?

Andrea Oliver knows everything about her mother, Laura. She knows Laura has spent nearly her whole life in the small beachside town of Belle Isle, Georgia; she knows Laura's never wanted anything more than to lead a quiet, normal life in this conventional community; she knows Laura's a kind and beloved speech pathologist who helps others; she knows Laura's never kept a secret in her life. Andrea knows that Laura is everything she isn't--confident, settled, sure of herself. Feeling listless, with no direction, Andrea, unlike Laura, struggles to find her way.

But Andrea's certainty is upended when a visit to the mall is shattered by an act of horrifying violence that reveals a completely different side of Laura--a cool woman who calmly faces down a murderer. It turns out that before Andrea's mother was Laura, she was someone completely different. For nearly thirty years she's been hiding from the woman she once was, lying low in the hope that no one would ever find her. But now she's been exposed, and nothing will ever be the same again.

The assailant was a mentally troubled teenage scion of Georgia law enforcement royalty, and now the police want answers about what really happened in those terrifying moments at the mall. Though she's being scrutinized at every level of the criminal justice system and her innocence is on the line, Laura refuses to speak to anyone, including her own daughter. She pushes Andrea away, insisting it's time for her to stand alone and make a life for herself.

To save her mother, Andrea embarks on a desperate journey following the bread crumb trail of her mother's past. Andrea knows that if she can't uncover the secrets hidden there, there may be no future for her mother . . . or her.

Filled with intriguing turns, surprising revelations, and a compelling cast of characters, Pieces of Her is Slaughter's most electrifying, provocative, and suspenseful novel yet.

Review Quotes

"If you're into mystery thrillers, then you're into Karin Slaughter." --theSkimm

"Karin Slaughter has - by far - the best name of all of us mystery novelists. More to the point, The Good Daughter is Karin Slaughter's most ambitious, most emotional, and best novel. So far, anyway." --James Patterson on The Good Daughter

"[Slaughter's] talent for writing convincingly flawed yet sympathetic characters is in high relief here... Readers will find themselves totally immersed in the suspenseful, alternating story lines and won't want either of them to end."
--Booklist (starred review) on Pieces of Her

"All of Slaughter's books... are satisfyingly surprising and plausible, but it's Slaughter's prodigious gifts of characterization that make her stand out among thriller writers.... Slaughter's satirical touches are as deft as her grimmer renditions of real life."--Washington Post

"With an intrigue and suspense-filled plot, Slaughter's well-crafted, tense, and exhilarating story will keep readers on the edge of their seats."--Library Journal on Pieces of Her

"Breathtaking.... Fiction doesn't get any better than this."--Jeffery Deaver, New York Times-bestselling author of Solitude Creek and The Skin Collector

"Enter the world of Karin Slaughter. Just be forewarned, there's no going back."--Lisa Gardner

"A propulsive, high-stakes thriller rife with intrigue and suspense."--USA Today on Pieces of Her

"It's a compelling story that swept me along, unable to resist and unable to stop reading."--Suspense Magazine on Pieces of Her

"The ever-popular crime novelist is back with another pulse-pounding standalone, this one considering the twisted relationship between a mother and a daughter after the latter realizes she may not know the woman who gave birth to her at all."--Entertainment Weekly on Pieces of Her, "20 New Books to Read in August"

"It's a top-notch story that will keep the reader engrossed from start to finish. Karin Slaughter is a fabulous writer and one thing I love with her books is she has a way of creating characters that you care about."--Freshfiction.com

"A hell-raising thriller . . . a genuinely exciting narrative driven by strong-willed female characters who can't wait around until the boys shake the lead out of their shoes."--New York Times Book Review on Pretty Girls

"A stunning family tragedy and a hold-your-breath pedal-to-the-metal thriller magically blended by Karin Slaughter's trademark passion, intensity, and humanity. Certain to be a book of the year."--Lee Child on Pretty Girls

"But the success of writers like Gillian Flynn and Paula Hawkins and Karin Slaughter isn't just due to the fact that they're women... It's about writers comprehending why women are so compelled by stories about brutal, graphic violence in the first place."--The Atlantic

"Searing, searching, soulful: a major achievement from a writer of extraordinary talents. Every Karin Slaughter novel is a cause for celebration--but simply put, Pretty Girls is the finest novel of her career."--Kathy Reichs, #1 New York Times-bestselling author of Speaking in Bones, on Pretty Girls

"Simply one of the best thriller writers working today. I'd follow her anywhere."--Gillian Flynn

"This is a great writer at the peak of her powers. Karin Slaughter is at her nail biting, heart stopping, emotionally draining best."--Peter James on The Good Daughter