Thoughts on : The Good Daughter by Karin Slaughter
The Good Daughter by Karin Slaughter
Audio narration : Kathleen Early
Genre : Thriller
Series : Stand alone
About the Book :
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, Charlotte 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, Charlotte 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.
My Thoughts :
It was last spring that I listened to my first Karin Slaughter novel and it was quite a ride. In my review of Pretty Girls, I described it as an anxiety inducing experience, in which I found the violence to be close to unbearable. I added The Good Daughter to my collection soon after, but it took me about a year before I felt ready to give it a try.
The Good Daughter is definitely not a book with a slow beginning. It starts with a bang, a chilling scene taking place in Charlotte and Samantha’s past where they and their mother are attacked in their home by a few strangers. I was immediately hooked. I needed to know what would happen next, and how this scene would impact the two girls’ lives.
It’s fair to say that The Good Daughter is possibly just as violent and uncomfortable as Pretty Girls. It has some very harsh, graphic scenes, as well as some very though themes. However, here I felt the disturbing scenes were more evenly distributed through the story, which gave me time to breathe and get ready for the next part.
While my reactions to the book weren’t as strong, I think overall I enjoyed The Good Daughter even more than Pretty Girls. I thought the connection between past and present stories was very well done, and I was equally intrigued by them both. I also liked that they were quite different, so it didn’t feel as though the author was writing the same story twice.
Most of all, I enjoyed the relationship between Charlotte and Samantha. Karin Slaughter excels at describing the complexities of sisterhood, just as much as she does at creating realistically flawed characters you can relate to, even when you haven’t shared their experiences. I loved them both.
I’m not sure who I would compare Karin Slaughter to, but I’d love to find more similar authors. Her thrillers are about more than just a mystery to be solved and shocking twists. The Good Daughter was riveting and compelling from beginning to end, and I am already looking forward to reading more from the author.
