Pieces of Her by Karin Slaughter Narrator: Kathleen Early
Published by Blackstone Audiobooks on August 21, 2018
Genres: Suspense, Thriller
Length: 16 hours, 5 minutes
Format: Audiobook
Source: Purchased
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What if the person you thought you knew best turns out to be someone you never knew at all . . . ?
Andrea knows everything about her mother, Laura. She knows she’s spent her whole life in the small beachside town of Belle Isle; she knows she’s never wanted anything more than to live a quiet life as a pillar of the community; she knows she’s never kept a secret in her life. Because we all know our mothers, don’t we?
But all that changes when a trip to the mall explodes into violence and Andrea suddenly sees a completely different side to Laura. Because it turns out that before Laura was Laura, she was someone completely different. For nearly thirty years she’s been hiding from her previous identity, 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 police want answers and Laura’s innocence is on the line, but she won’t speak to anyone, including her own daughter. Andrea is on a desperate journey following the breadcrumb trail of her mother’s past. And if she can’t uncover the secrets hidden there, there may be no future for either one of them. . . .
I’ve been on a Karin Slaughter kick and since there aren’t any new Will Trent books, I’m still working my way through her backlist of standalone stories. This one is a bit different. Andrea moved back to her small hometown to take care of her mother with cancer and never left again. She’s in a rut just living her life with no aspirations to do anything more than her dispatch job with the police. Then everything changed when a kid decides to kill his ex-girlfriend and plans on suicide by cop. Laura is the one who stays cool and tries to talk to the kid down and ends up killing him in a very particular way (one that the average person wouldn’t or couldn’t know how to do) and it is posted on YouTube.
I don’t want to go too much into what is going on to prevent spoilers, but let’s say that Andrea doesn’t know her mother as well as she thought. Her mother sends her away to a storage unit in a nowhere town in a different state. Andrea works to try to figure out who her mother actually is.
This is a typical Karin Slaughter story with a ton of twists and turns. She keeps you on your toes and earbuds in because you never know what is going to happen next. I really had a great time learning who Laura is along with Andrea. I will say that this book isn’t as violent as some of her other books, which makes it a great place for someone to start with her, if you’ve never tried her.
There is also a show on Netflix that I watched after finishing the book. It is like everything, not as good as the book. There are some things they changed and I really don’t understand why. I think people who haven’t read the book will enjoy the show more than I did. It wasn’t bad, just not as good as the book (no shocker there). I did enjoy it. I did go in knowing it wasn’t going to be as good as the book, which helps.
Narration:
Kathleen Early performs this story (she narrates almost all of Slaughter’s books) and does another great job. There’s nothing I can say that I haven’t already said. She does a great job. If you haven’t tried Kathleen Early, I highly recommend checking out one of her performances, even if it isn’t a Slaughter book.
Listen to a clip:
About Kathleen Early
Kathleen Early has performed on Broadway, as well as performing off-Broadway and at a number of regional theaters. She has made forays into the film and television world, winning a Beverly Hills Film Festival Outstanding Female Performance Award for her part in Trip in a Summer Dress. She was most recently seen as Dr. Dasiy Pepman on Grey’s Anatomy, and will be Nurse Kathy on the upcoming series Miami Medical.
About Karin Slaughter
Karin Slaughter is one of the world’s most popular and acclaimed storytellers. Published in 120 countries with more than 35 million copies sold across the globe, her nineteen novels include the Grant County and Will Trent books, as well as the Edgar-nominated COP TOWN and the instant NEW YORK TIMES bestselling novels PRETTY GIRLS, THE GOOD DAUGHTER, and PIECES OF HER. Slaughter is the founder of the Save the Libraries project—a nonprofit organization established to support libraries and library programming. A native of Georgia, Karin Slaughter lives in Atlanta. Her standalone novels PIECES OF HER, THE GOOD DAUGHTER, and COP TOWN are in development for film and television.
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I started listening to audiobooks when a new book in a series was coming out and I wanted to get a refresher, but didn’t have time to read all the books (I think it was Anita Blake). I fell in love. I stayed with strictly re-reading books that I’d already read for a long time. I eventually tried an audiobook for something that I hadn’t read first and was hooked there too. Now, I listen to audio for both re-reads and first time. I have some series that I’ve given up reading and only listen. I try to get any many books/audiobooks from the library to help save on my budget. Books on CD and the newer digital downloads from the library really allow me to listen more. I then purchase my favorites (because who can wait in line for your favorite book??) and less mainstream books from Audible or some other online retailer.
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Yes, I read this. I love Karin Slaughter. She sure knows how to turn you inside out. I just finished False Witness and I’m still reeling a bit after a few days.
I read False Witness right before this one. I don’t know what I’m gonna do when I’m caught up on her backlist. LOL
Do you have a favorite Karin Slaughter book?
That’s a tough one. I can say that I love the Will Trent series the best. I’m sure one of those books is my favorite. He is just such a likable character. If I were to give a recommendation on where to start with her work, I would recommend Triptych (Will Trent #1). The Grant County series takes place before this series, but I think Will Trent is a better series and it doesn’t hurt to read them completely separately. I started with Will Trent and went back to Grant Count after several books. I hope you enjoy.
looks wicked good. i don’t know why they change things for tv or movies. i don’t see any need for it. most the time i like the books better. maybe because i read them first
I don’t understand why they change things either. Stuff like her heading towards Maine versus Idaho, could be location for shooting the film/show. That I would get (and they did change that here), but there are things that change how the story goes and not for the better.
I’m with you…the book is better! The changes made to the TV series were curious and shifted the whole vibe of the story.
Great review, Melanie💜
Yeah, it really made no sense. Sometimes I get it, like the ending of The Martian. That I understood. This, I have no idea where they were going with it.
I have not read a Karin Slaughter book yet, but I want to someday.
I hope you get a chance. She writes some of the best suspense stories I’ve ever read.
I didn’t even realize this one had been made into a Netflix series. I think I’ll stick with the book.
Smart. I wish I hadn’t watched it. Just doesn’t live up to the book at all. And I’m good about going in, thinking that if the movie/show is half as good as the book, it is a win. And this wasn’t even half as good, in my opinion.
I should listen to something from Kathleen Early!
I’m trying to think if I’ve listened to her perform anything other than Karin Slaughter. I don’t think I have. She does read almost every Karin Slaughter book, though. I hope you get a chance to listen to her. Kathleen Early is a wonderful narrator.
This sounds really good. I should give Karin Slaughter’s books a try sometime soon.
I highly recommend her if you like suspense. I will say that her standalone stories tend to be darker than the Will Trent series, she writes. I love Will Trent to death. He is such a great character. I love watching him grow as a character throughout the series. That is where I would recommend someone to start with her work.
The most wicked lst name for her genre
She really does. I wonder if it is a real name or pen name. I’m betting pen name.