Pieces of Her

By: Karin Slaughter

Narrated by: Kathleen Early

The number one international best-selling author returns with an electrifying novel of devastating secrets and hidden lives that probes the fraught relationship between daughters and mothers and the lengths we go to protect those we love.

What if the person you thought you knew best turns out to be someone you never knew at all? Andrea Cooper knows everything about her mother, Laura. She knows Laura has spent nearly her whole life in the small beach town of Belle Isle, Georgia; she knows Laura's never wanted anything more than to lead a quiet, normal life in this conventional community; she knows Laura's a kind and beloved speech pathologist who helps others; she knows Laura's never kept a secret in her life. Andrea knows that Laura is everything she isn't—confident, settled, sure of herself. Feeling listless, with no direction, Andrea, unlike Laura, struggles to find her way.

But Andrea's certainty is upended when a visit to the mall is shattered by an act of horrifying violence that reveals a completely different side of Laura—a cool woman who calmly faces down a murderer. It turns out that before Andrea's mother was Laura, she was someone completely different. For nearly 30 years, she's been hiding from the woman she once was, lying low in the hope that no one would ever find her. But now she's been exposed, and nothing will ever be the same again.

The assailant was a mentally troubled teenaged scion of Georgia law enforcement royalty, and now the police want answers about what really happened in those terrifying moments at the mall. Though she's being scrutinized at every level of the criminal justice system and her innocence is on the line, Laura refuses to speak to anyone, including her own daughter. She pushes Andrea away, insisting it's time for her to stand alone and make a life for herself. To save her mother, Andrea embarks on a desperate journey following the breadcrumb trail of her mother's past. Andrea knows that if she can't uncover the secrets hidden there, there may be no future for her mother...or her.

Filled with intriguing turns, surprising revelations, and a compelling cast of characters, Pieces of Her is Slaughter's most electrifying, provocative, and suspenseful novel yet.

©2018 Karin Slaughter (P)2018 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Once listeners start Karin Slaughter's new mystery, stopping won't be an option. From the first words, Kathleen Early's narration snares us in a labyrinthine web of lies, deceits, betrayals, and truths that span decades.... Slaughter's clever plotting and Early's high-voltage performance will keep listeners glued to their listening devices." (AudioFile)

Not Slaughter’s best

I was looking forward to this one and I found it overlong, redundant, and outside Slaughter’s style. The main character is so wishywashy that it’s hard to be interested in her or her situation. Am I alone in wanting a Will Trent book?

My favorite listen of 2019...

And I listen to a TON of audiobooks. Absolutely fantastic from start to finish. Struggled to pause it in order to keep up with real life. Don’t pass up this one.

Hard time finishing this book

Ok, so I finished this book. It got better. the characters finally grew a bit of a backbone and stepped up to face the bad guys. It took a while and was very frustrating, but was worth listening to the end.

This book looked really interesting. The story is good so far, but I'm having a really hard time listening to the main characters lack of grit. Talk about damsels in distress. The daughter freezes up so often, it's surprising she can speak a whole sentence. I don't know when the mother finally grows a spine, but her dependence on her boyfriend, is driving me insane. I will finish the book, I just needed to vent.
I have read other books from this author, and enjoyed them. But the constant portrayal of spineless women is getting tiresome. Are most women like that?

Holy plot!

So I purchased this book from seeing the trailer for the Netflix premier. The worst thing in the world is a television series or movie ruining a good book. With that being said, I won’t be watching the series because this book was too damn good! Buy the book.

Ehh

The last 24 minutes were not necessary. I am becoming annoyed with the women in her stories.