The #1 internationally bestselling author returns with a new novel in the vein of her New York Times bestsellers Pretty Girls and The Good Daughter—a story even more electrifying, provocative, and suspenseful than anything she’s written before.
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. . . .
**
Review
Praise for Pieces of Her: “[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))
“If you’re into mystery thrillers, then you’re into Karin Slaughter.” (The Skimm)
“Enter the world of Karin Slaughter. Just be forewarned, there’s no going back.” (Lisa Gardner)
“Breathtaking…. Fiction doesn’t get any better than this.” (Jeffery Deaver, New York Times-bestselling author of Solitude Creek and The Skin Collector)
“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)
“A propulsive, high-stakes thriller rife with intrigue and suspense.” (USA Today 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”)
“Simply one of the best thriller writers working today. I’d follow her anywhere.” (Gillian Flynn)
“It’s a compelling story that swept me along, unable to resist and unable to stop reading.” (Suspense Magazine on Pieces of Her)
“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)
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.
Description:
The #1 internationally bestselling author returns with a new novel in the vein of her New York Times bestsellers Pretty Girls and The Good Daughter—a story even more electrifying, provocative, and suspenseful than anything she’s written before.
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. . . .
**
Review
Praise for Pieces of Her: “[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))
“If you’re into mystery thrillers, then you’re into Karin Slaughter.” (The Skimm)
“Enter the world of Karin Slaughter. Just be forewarned, there’s no going back.” (Lisa Gardner)
“Breathtaking…. Fiction doesn’t get any better than this.” (Jeffery Deaver, New York Times-bestselling author of Solitude Creek and The Skin Collector)
“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)
“A propulsive, high-stakes thriller rife with intrigue and suspense.” (USA Today 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”)
“Simply one of the best thriller writers working today. I’d follow her anywhere.” (Gillian Flynn)
“It’s a compelling story that swept me along, unable to resist and unable to stop reading.” (Suspense Magazine on Pieces of Her)
“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)
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.