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i received a free copy of false witness, by karin slaughter, in exchange for an honest review, thanks to harper collins nz.



star rating


false witness review

things to note about false witness: there is a lot of references to child grooming/molestation/r*pe.

if you can’t handle these things, it’s recommended that you don’t read this book.

lately, i’ve been reading a lot more mystery/thrillers than i usually would. i’m giving myself more breaks between the fantasy books that i read than i previously have, mostly because i don’t want to burn myself out (like last time). i’m mainly branching into mysteries/thrillers because i love true crime, and crime tv shows.

little explanation aside, i wanted to say that i absolutely enjoyed false witness. i’m not sure how the title related to the book, but i suppose that doesn’t matter.

the characters

the start of the novel came across very well, despite the events that occur, i felt a connection towards callie. i felt i could somewhat relate to her, due to her hobbies. callie comes off as a strong, independent girl, who can clearly fight for her survival.

unfortunately, this is about it in callie’s life. as we cut to the present day, i no longer felt that connection or fondness towards her. she started to bother me, and certain activities that she partook in annoyed me.

leigh, on the other hand, was the opposite. i didn’t really care for her much at the start, but as the story progressed, i started to like her more and more. She’s a strong willed, and determined woman. i enjoyed the discussions about her career: how she knows that she’s helping bad people, but to her it’s just a job.

in all honesty, i was hoping the bad guy wasn’t actually bad, i was hoping for someone else. these thoughts were quickly dismissed though. he was a charming man, which is probably how a lot of bad guys are.

the plot

as for the childhood trauma, i liked how there was small snippets of it, and how these small flashes can cripple the characters affected. The author uses brief quotes to remind us of this trauma, without having to go into detail every time.

the ending came as a surprise for me. it wasn’t what i was expecting. i felt it was a nice redemption arc for a certain character who deals with addiction, one that i felt was well deserved.

there were certain deaths at the end of false witness, which i felt wrapped things up nicely. however, i got more emotional than i normally would while reading a book.

overall

i felt the story was very well written, and important social issues were tackled nicely. the use of every element (through sexual abuse, mental health, and addiction) was handled well, and as a reader, i couldn’t have asked for anything better.

false witness is an easy 4.5 stars and a book that i’d recommend to anyone who can handle the heavier stuff mentioned throughout.


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6 Comments

  1. avatar

    I didn’t know about this book but you’ve piqued my interest so I’ll have to add it to my tbr. Great review!

    1. avatar

      it’s definitely worth a read!

  2. avatar

    This does sound good. Your review gives me enough information to gain my intersect without any spoilers! Thanks!

    1. avatar

      no worries! thank you for stopping by!

  3. avatar

    I love KS! What an awesome arc to ger!

    1. avatar

      definitely was! it was my first book by her, and it won’t be the last.

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