The Good Daughter by Karin Slaughter

Good morning, readers! Today I'm kicking off the TLC blog tour for Karin Slaughter's latest, The Good Daughter.

Charlie was only thirteen when her mother was murdered. Her father, a defense attorney known for getting some of the most controversial defendants in their area off, had made a lot of enemies. In fact, just one week earlier their house had been burned in the wake of yet another accused being set free under her father's eye. But this crime, this one was one meant to wipe out a debt. And Charlie witnessed the whole thing. 

Twenty-eight years later, Charlie has taken up the mantle as an attorney herself. And like her father, she's chosen defense as her specialty. Unlike her father, though, most of her cases are juveniles and drug offenders - a bit less likely to catch the ire of the Pikeville's public. 

Charlie's worked hard to get where she is and to put her past behind her. To bury the memories of that terrible night. But when she becomes witness to a shocking crime, all of those old memories come back to haunt her. 

I love a book that's the whole package - insane pacing, fabulous plotting, and characters that leap off the page. The Good Daughter has all of that and more!

The book begins with Charlie's sister Sam. It's 1989 and just eight days after their house has been firebombed. They've taken up residence in a musty farmhouse whose owner died in one of the lower bedrooms. This fact is something that keeps both Sam and Charlie from venturing into said room! Sam answers a call from her father who says the sheriff is sending a man over because his (dad's) latest case has gone in his favor once again. Given the result last time (the fire) he's concerned.

But the sheriff is too late. Sam and Charlie witness their mother's murder. Sam is shot and buried alive. And she has no idea whether Charlie, who she ordered to run, has made it away. But both girls know the name and face of one of their attackers.

And that's our prologue!!! And I don't know if you can imagine it, but the book gets more intense from there!

And poor Charlie (though she wouldn't want your sympathy) is going through a lot when we jump to present day. She's in the midst of a separation that hasn't yet become a divorce, and it's clear she doesn't want it to. And then she witnesses a terrible crime. And becomes wrapped up in the case. Which, as I mentioned, brings back tons of old memories of the day that's pretty much defined her life, much as she'd like to say it hasn't.

Fair warning, this book delves into some pretty dark territory. Slaughter never shies away from that, to be honest, and has literally no problem putting her characters through the virtual ringer.

The Good Daughter is a stand alone, so if you've been curious about delving into Slaughter's work but haven't been sure where to start, this is a great place! And though this one is a bit of a chunkster, just over 500 pages, it moves super fast. Though you probably will want to carve out a day to devote yourself to it, it's definitely not one you want to put down once you've begun!

To see more stops on the tour be sure to check out the official TLC tour page here.

For more on Karin Slaughter and her work you can visit her website here. You can also like her on Facebook.

Purchase Links: HarperCollins | Amazon | Barnes & Noble