Pieces of Her by Karin Slaughter

Andrea Oliver, or Andy as everyone calls her, is stuck in a rut and has been coasting through life with no real plan. She spends her days moping around and her nights working in Police dispatch. Her mum, Laura, seems to be the perfect suburban woman, living in the town she grew up in, working as a speech therapist. Everyone loves Laura.

While celebrating her 31st birthday at a diner, Andy is caught up in a violent attack. Laura steps in to defend her daughter and in doing so commits the unthinkable, murder. Laura seemingly becomes a different person, someone Andy no longer recognises.

As Laura recovers and with a video of the attack circulating the internet, Laura quickly becomes the target of unwanted attention.
Andy is sent on the run to find safety but instead she is determined to delve into her mother’s past and find out how she is connected with everything that is happening.

Pieces of Her is told between two timelines, today and 1986. Each timeline expertly draws the reader in and as you learn about Laura’s background you begin to question how much you really know about those who are closest to you.

How could Karin Slaughter not be crime writing royalty with a name like that? Her Grant Country series was one of my first forays into the crime world and I have had a soft spot for her ever since. Her most recent works are stand alone, all of which are worth the read.

Posted by Kristen

Catalogue link: Pieces of Her