Title: False Witness by Karin Slaughter
Publisher: William Morrow
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery, Suspense
Length: 448 pages
Book Rating: B+
Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through Edelweiss
Summary:
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..
Review:
False Witness by Karin Slaughter is a suspenseful mystery set against the backdrop of the Covid pandemic.
Leigh Collier is a successful attorney who is separated from her sixteen-year-old daughter Maddie and estranged husband Walter due to the ongoing COVID pandemic. She misses Maddie (and Walter) but since she must attend court in person, she would rather not put them at risk. But the biggest threat to Leigh turns out not be from the pandemic. Instead, it is from her new client, Andrew Tenant, who knows things about Leigh and her opioid addicted sister Callie that could destroy her if he reveals shocking details from her past. How much is Leigh willing to risk to keep this information under wraps?
Leigh is stunned when her boss leaves her no choice except to take Andrew’s case. Her client is accused of a brutal sexual assault and Leigh has a week to get up to speed since the case is about to go to trial. She is also not expecting a long-ago connection to Andrew but so she is relies heavily on her ability to compartmentalize her life. But Leigh is so unnerved and frightened by Andrew she is finding it very difficult to remain detached. And, an even bigger concern is how does he know about a time from her life Leigh has worked so very hard to put behind her?
Callie has had a very difficult life due to her drug addiction. She and Leigh do not have much contact but they both have each other’s backs. Leigh and Walter have paid for Callie to go into rehab but she can never kick her drug habit for long. Andrew’s threat to reveal damaging information does not just affect Leigh. Callie would also be caught up in the revelations but she has much less to lose than her sister. Will Callie be able to keep it together long enough for Leigh to make it through the upcoming trial?
False Witness is a fast-moving mystery with a multi-layered storyline. Leigh might be a successful attorney but she remains guilt-stricken over her self-perceived failings as a teenager. Callie is able to manage her addiction but it still rules her life. Andrew is a chilling character who is completely devoid of a conscience. The sisters attempt to save themselves from Andrew’s devious machinations is perfectly balanced with the legal elements of the plot. With jaw-dropping twists and unexpected turns, Karin Slaughter brings this legal drama to an edge of the seat conclusion.
