False Witness: A Novel

Don’t miss the next Will Trent thriller, This Is Why We Lied, coming this August! 

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

"There's deception, sabotage, violence, family secrets . . . all the stuff you could want from a fictional page-turner."— theSkimm 

Recommended by Washington Post • theSkimm • GMA.com • Popsugar • Bustle • Atlanta Journal-ConstitutionAugusta ChronicleSun-SentinelMystery and Suspense Magazine • and more!

He saw what you did. He knows who you are…

From the New York Times bestselling author of Pieces of Her and The Silent Wife, an electrifying standalone thriller.

AN ORDINARY LIFE…

Leigh Collier has worked hard to build what looks like a normal life. She’s an up-and-coming defense attorney at a prestigious law firm in Atlanta, would do anything for her sixteen-year-old daughter Maddy, and is managing to successfully coparent through a pandemic after an amicable separation from her husband Walter.

HIDES A DEVASTATING PAST...

But Leigh’s ordinary life masks a childhood no one should have to endure … a childhood tarnished by secrets, broken by betrayal, and ultimately destroyed by a brutal act of violence.

BUT NOW THE PAST IS CATCHING UP…

On a Sunday night at her daughter’s school play, she gets a call from one of the firm's partners who wants Leigh to come on board to defend a wealthy man accused of multiple counts of rape. Though wary of the case, it becomes apparent she doesn't have much choice if she wants to keep her job. They're scheduled to go to trial in one week. When she meets the accused face-to-face, she realizes that it’s no coincidence that he’s specifically asked for her to represent him. She knows him. And he knows her. More to the point, he may know what happened over twenty years ago, and why Leigh has spent two decades avoiding her past.  

AND TIME IS RUNNING OUT.

Suddenly she has a lot more to lose than this case. The only person who can help is her younger, estranged sister Callie—the last person Leigh would ever want to drag into this after all they’ve been through. But with the life-shattering truth in danger of being revealed, she has no choice...

“A high-stakes thriller . . . Her heroines are believable, flawed and courageous.” –OYINKAN BRAITHWAITE

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Published Apr 19, 2022

496 pages

Average rating: 7.8

212 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

CheriF
Sep 25, 2025
10/10 stars
4.5 rounded up

I didn't know what to expect going in with False Witness. I've had hit and miss reactions to Ms. Slaughter's books and this one is a definite hit. Nearly a grand slam when I figure in the narration because that was a huge bonus for me.

You can check out the blurb if you want plot specifics - I tend to not rehash the general story in reviews. We've got a pair of sisters who share a shitty mom, a violent past, and a dark secret that threatens to destroy everything in their lives that they care about.

I mostly loved everything about this book. There was plenty of tense-thrillery goodness but there were also some shockingly touching scenes. I'm not going to lie, I nearly cried three times. This is where the narrator really shone. Before the story really got going, I wasn't sure that I was going to dig the narrator at all. The non-dialogue portions were done in a very boring manner but, wow, did she bring that dialogue to life. If I was ever on the fence about an audiobook, seeing her as the narrator would be the tipping point. Watch for her: Kathleen Early.

Big thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the audio ARC!
Shakira94
Sep 11, 2025
7/10 stars
There were many twists and turns, overall I found the book to be rather depressing. It was good, but I wasn’t satisfied with the ending and it definitely had me feeling really down afterwards. Also, major major MAJOR TW for r@pe and drug use!! Seriously, if any of those trigger you, please stay away from this book! This is nothing against the author.
Mollyandthebooks
Nov 25, 2024
5/10 stars
Good story, took a long time to get there.
DarS
Mar 06, 2024
4/10 stars
4.5
Meghan Hansen
Jul 10, 2023
8/10 stars
Karin Slaughter does not beat around the bush and I think that’s why I gravitate to her novels. I have only read one of her series books and it didn’t resonate the way her standalone novels have with me. That said, there were some loose threads that were pivotal to the story but not really developed - i.e. Maddy.

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