The Good Daughter: A Novel

I checked this out on my digital library card and then went and got the book at the library because I couldn't access it on my computer. That should tell you what kind of a page-turner it is. However, I do have to say that there were some parts that were deeply disturbing to me, as a woman.

This was brilliant. I can't wait to read the follow up. It was a slower paced novel in comparison to her other books, but it gave time to ready be drawn into the characters and their history. The story is not as important as the character developments because i think Karin is brewing something with the two main characters for future books. Looking forward to it.

I enjoyed it, but it did take me a while to finish. It wasn’t a book that I couldn’t put down. I put it down….a lot. I did predict the ending, which is why I gave it an 8/10.

This book had me angry, happy, sad, confused, etc. She takes you on a journey, and then there are some twists of who was thought to be guilty wasn’t, and vice versa. Child rape, gruesome scenes, not for the weak. Like I said I went through some emotions with this book.

This was my first Karin Slaughter.
It sounds like a confession, doesn't it?

I expected something decently written with a big KABOOM whodunnit moment.
What I got was something well written with a kaboom ohthatiswhodunnit moment.

But you know what? I'll gladly take the latter because before that "kaboom ohthatiswhodunnit" moment, I laughed and I cried. I had a very difficult time putting it down (and probably wouldn't have had my old Kindle not been dying every two hours).

YES! (OR WHAT LEAD TO FOUR STARS)

-The focus wasn't on the crime but rather the two women who became "involved" due to certain circumstances. These two sisters had had a horrific crime (seriously, I was having a very hard time sleeping) committed against them when they were children, so much of the book is focused on that crime and the psychological effects on them as a result. Which leads me to...

-The characters. Let's start with said sisters, Charlie and Sam. They are competitive, smart, usually tough, sometimes vulnerable. I loved these strong, stubborn sisters to the point that I cried for them, my heart broke for them. I loved the men in their life, too. Rusty's humor ("And now you're too busy helping Bullshit, Incorporated, sue Bullshit, Limit, over some bullshit?") and resilience. Ben's loyalty. Even Anton whom we never get to actually meet for being exactly what Sam needed. Honorable mention to Lenore and Gamma.

-Back to not being able to sleep. This is what a good mystery/crime/thriller/whatever this is should be. I even had bad dreams. The kind that leave you tossing and turning as you drift in and out of them. It was worth it. I wanted to know what happened in the current day crime. I wanted to know more about the past crime. I wanted to know how the characters dealt with both. There was nothing in the book that I didn't care about and that kept me wanting to read and read and read.

NO! (OR WHERE OH WHERE DID THAT LAST STAR GO?)

-Here's the thing. I'm not great at wrapping gifts. The bow I throw on top of my gifts (if there is one at all) has usually been crushed by the gift bags and wrapping paper and scissors and tape and all the other crap I throw in the rubbermaid container I keep it all in. My looks a little droopy, a little rough. Perfect bows freak me out. How do you not crush that thing in the car on the way over?! The ending of this was tied up a little too nicely. I just felt like it didn't match the rest of the book. I wanted it to be a rough around the edges and not sound like a Nora Roberts ending (no disrespect AT ALL, just a different type of book that works with that type of ending!).

4 Stars.
I'm in to read more.