Showing posts with label Karin Slaughter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Karin Slaughter. Show all posts

Friday, February 24, 2023

Book Review - Girl, Forgotten (Andrea Oliver, #2) by Karin Slaughter

 

Girl, Forgotten by Karin Slaughter is the second book in the Andrea Oliver series.  The book has a dual timeline with a murder connecting two characters together. In 1892, Longbill Beach, Emily Vaughn was a high school senior who was getting ready for prom.  She is described as beautiful and was well-liked by peers and by her conservative community, until the unthinkable happened. When it becomes evident that she is having a baby out of wed-lock, the community closes ranks and tries to protect its respected members, because they are afraid that Emily may claim that one of their own is the father. 

Emily tries to navigate her life from being a beloved member of the community to an ostracized high school student. She has a few secrets that she is keeping from her friends and family, including who the father is of her baby. Someone is desperate to keep Emily from telling her secrets and they want to silence her. When Emily leaves prom, someone is following her and they will stop at nothing to keep Emily quiet… 

Forty years later, Emily’s murder is still unsolved and no progress has been made. Her close friends keep to themselves and her family has tried to move on. 

Newly minted U.S. Marshal Andrea Oliver arrives at Longbill Beach with her first assignment. She and her partner, Bible, are to protect a judge who is getting death threats. Andrea knows she should be focusing on her assignment, but she feels a special connection to Emily. She is determined to find what happened to Emily forty years ago. As Andrea digs into the death of Emily, she realizes that not everyone in Longbill Beach is as friendly and forthcoming as they pretend to be. When a new body is discovered and it is eerily similar to Emily, will Andrea be able to figure out who the killer is before they strike again?

The novel is the second book in the series but it can be read as a standalone. However, I do recommend reading the books in order as it will help explain Andrea’s relationship with her mother, and also will give context to her motives for wanting to solve Emily’s murder. I felt that Andrea has grown so much from the first novel. She went from being a useless character who came across like a fish out of water to a strong and smart Marshal.  She progressed into a surer version of herself and she was able to stand on her own two feet. Her keen instincts allowed her to piece together clues before others even more senior to her.

The book was a highly engaging read and kept me on my toes. There were a few unexpected twists that were delightful, but also a few predictable ones. The characters were well developed and complex. The character dialogues were realistic and immersive as Bible and Andrea were trying to put together the clues.  I enjoyed following the dual timelines and trying to figure out how Emily’s story interplayed with the present murder.  I found the book to be an engrossing read and I can’t wait to read more books by the author. I would recommend the novel to any crime or thriller fans.

Tuesday, January 31, 2023

Book Review - Pieces of Her (Andrea Oliver, #1) by Karin Slaughter

 


Andrea thought she knew everything about her mother, Laura. They have spent their entire life in a small beach side town and Laura prefers a quiet life. All that changes when they get caught in between a mall shooting. Andrea sees a different side to her mother. As Andrea digs deeper into her mother's past, she realizes that her mother had a different identity and Laura is hiding from someone. With the mall shooting becoming national news, Laura has no choice but to try and escape her past again. Will Laura be able to keep her secret without endangering Andrea's life?

The novel was an interesting read. However, I thought the main character was so annoying. She acts like a child but, she was in her 30s. I felt like she had no common sense and continuously made the same mistakes over and over. I enjoyed reading about Laura's past and how it all tied together. But, I was a bit confused on how Laura went from someone who was like Andrea to someone who was willing to risk it all for someone she loves while her daughter still remains spineless. They did mention that Laura had training and did drills but, in the flashbacks they didn't make her out to be a badass that she currently is. The book didn't really have much twists and I felt that it was longer than it needed to be.