Pieces of Her

By: Karin Slaughter

Narrated by: Kathleen Early

Length: 16 hrs and 5 mins

Publisher's summary

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)

Another masterpiece

Just as intriguing as her prior books, but with a fresher plot line. Loved it!

Outstanding book…

This book is very different from Slaughters others. It is written with two different timelines which ultimately come together in the present. The characters have great depth and are fully fleshed out.
The daughter starts out as very immature and metamorphoses into a woman. The violence around her mother sets her off on a road trip to discover the truth.
This book is highly recommended.

Holy Moly!!

What a book! It seriously amazes me, the imaginatioin Karin Slaughter has! Where do these things come from!!??
Good news for those of you that won't read her books because they're too graphic. This isn't bad at all. Just mind bending. READ! THIS! BOOK!

Of course, the narrator, Kathleen Early is fantastic as always!

Couldn't stop listening!

Typically I listen to a book as I'm falling asleep. I create a bookmark, set the timer, and I'm asleep before the time is up. Things were completely different this time. I'd set the timer and still be awake and listening when time was up! After resetting my timer 3 times (60 mins. each!) I finally gave up and finished it. There were so many questions that I wanted answers to. If you like mysteries and strong female leads, you'll LOVE Pieces of Her!!!

Predictable, excessive profanity, skip it

Apparently socialist anarchists have a problem with excessive swearing. If you believe the heroine in this book, evil business owners deserve punishment and will do anything to get a buck. This book is long and boring. At the end I wanted the hours of my life back and to cleanse my mind from hearing the constant use of the f-word.

lots of surprises

Very entertaining at some point I thought it needed a warning for graphic scenes because the descriptions of the violence were explicit and detailed. Good story about how secrets can destroy a family

Hard to follow

There are lots of twists and turns and multiple names for the people. Trying to follow while driving was tough. Maybe worth a listen for someone not trying to focus on more than one thing.

Not her best.

Didn't really get interesting until chapter fourteen. Main character sooo boring and wimpy. Story too long.

Riveting

Slaughter has a knack for connecting pieces of the puzzle together to complete a riveting story. Only criticisms are the various leftist political statements woven throughout all of her books.

Excellent!

I had no idea where this book was going! It was great! I got a bit irritated when she kept quiet so much, but learned to live with it.
Narrator was ok, but not great