#BookReview Pieces of Her by Karin Slaughter

‘Mother.

Hero.

Liar.

Killer?

How can you tell when all you have is…Pieces of Her’

Pieces of Her is the latest novel from international bestselling author Karin Slaughter.

Due for publication this coming week with Harper Collins, it is described as ‘an unforgettable psychological suspense novel which combines a pulse-pounding chase across the US with a devastating exploration of the lengths a mother will go to protect her daughter.’

I have to put my hands up and admit that I have never read a novel by Karin Slaughter so I went in with no expectations!!

I would like to thank Harper Collins Ireland for my copy in return for my, as ever, unbiased review.

About the Book:

You’ve known her your whole life…
Andrea Oliver knows everything about her mother Laura. She knows she’s always lived in the small town of Belle Isle; she knows she’s a pillar of the community; she knows she’s never kept a secret in her life.

but she’s hiding something…
Then one day, a trip to the mall explodes into a shocking act of violence and Andrea suddenly sees a completely different side to Laura.

and it could destroy you both…
Hours later, Laura is in hospital, her face splashed over the newspapers. But the danger has only just begun. Now, Andrea must go on a desperate race to uncover the secrets of her mother’s past. If she can’t, there may be no future for either of them…

My Review:

Pieces of Her is a complicated novel weaving in and out from 1986 to the present day. Andrea (Andy) Oliver always thought she knew her Mum, Laura. Now living on her own after separating from Gordon, the man Andy always treated as her Dad, Laura is a successful speech pathologist in her middle years. After Laura had a breast cancer diagnosis, Andy packed up her bags and left her New York house share to assist her Mum in any way she could. Andy never settled into the New York scene, always an outsider living a very lonely existence, so the move back home was one that suited her. Laura and Andy meet regularly for lunch dates and it is on one of these days that Andy’s life changes forever. An attack on their lives in the Mall sends Andy into shock but Laura reacts in the most unexpected manner and Andy witnesses her mother as someone else completely.

‘The gun dropped first. Then his knees hit the floor. Then his chest. Then his head. Andy watched his eyes as he fell. He was dead before he hit the ground.’

Was this just self-defense? How did her mother know how to react in such a cold-blooded way? Who really is this woman?

As video of the incident goes viral, Andy is about to discover that her mother is a person with an extremely complicated history, a person who has been hiding away from the world for years…but why?

Andy gets embroiled in her mother’s story and as she searches for the truth, she soon discovers that her own life is in danger. Andy has to think on her feet and soon finds herself taking on the most daring and frightening challenges in order to just survive. Unfortunately, for me, Andy wasn’t a great character. Against the steely backbone of her mother, Andy was quite an immature individual. Her behaviour, at times, didn’t equate to that of a woman in her thirties and was more fitting to an older teenager or person in their early twenties. In parts of the book I did find her character to be somewhat irritating but that is only my own personal opinion.

The story takes the reader on a fast-paced, intertwining narrative where you do really need to have your wits about you. There are some very dark personalities within this book that are brilliantly portrayed. The psychopathic traits are described very vividly which really gives the reader an insight into the degree of fear and terror that exists for some of the individuals involved.

Pieces of Her is one of those books that I have quite mixed feelings about. There are many parts that I thoroughly enjoyed and other parts that I was very willing to suspend reality for, but I did find myself getting a little frustrated at times and putting the book to one side. But I persisted and I am so glad I did as the momentum picked up and I found myself completely caught up in the story.

Pieces of Her is an exciting read. It IS a suspense novel and it most certainly plays with your mind, as you attempt, in my case very unsuccessfully, to figure out the truth behind Laura. Having read other’s thoughts on the novel I think that there will continue to be many differing opinions on this book. Will it satisfy fans of Karin Slaughter? We will just have to wait and see…but I do expect it will be another bestseller for the author.

Intriguing. Ruthless. Entertaining.

Purchase Link ~ Pieces of Her

Bio (via Harper Collins)

Karin Slaughter is one of the world’s most popular and acclaimed storytellers. Published in 120 countries with more than 35 million copies sold across the globe, her eighteen novels include the Grant County and Will Trent books, as well as the Edgar-nominated Cop Town and the instant New York Times bestselling novels Pretty Girls and The Good Daughter.

Slaughter is the founder of the Save the Libraries project—a nonprofit organization established to support libraries and library programming.

A native of Georgia, Karin Slaughter lives in Atlanta.

Her standalone novels The Good Daughter and Cop Town are in development for film and television.

Website ~ http://www.karinslaughter.com/

Twitter ~ @SlaughterKarin