Readability Review No. 6: False Witness by Karin Slaughter
I felt like a bad feminist because I kept reading
Hello, readers! Here’s my latest edition of Readability, reviewing how engaging books can be. As a reader, I enjoy books for many reasons. A good book is more than a good story, in my eyes, so here I examine books, from first glance to the final page.
On my nightstand: Genre fiction
This week, I’m reviewing Karin Slaughter’s False Witness, and I offer some critique of it. I’m hesitant to do so, knowing how dedicated her readers are. Have you ever met a Will Trent fan?
False Witness comfortably straddles the genres of crime and thriller and is described in book reviews as suspense. One Amazon listing describes it as a “crime mystery suspense thriller.” Wherever it sits on the self, this is a book that sells. Slaughter’s books, according to the Very Authoritative Internet, have sold over 40 million copies.
Books in the genres of romance, crime, thriller, speculative fiction, and hybrids like romantasy may not be book club picks, but they are bought and passed along by dedicated readers. I’m a huge fan of crime novels. It’s an interest that also crosses over into my television viewing, too. Amateur detective is fun, and a good police procedural keeps me turning pages. And there will always be room on my shelf for literary crime novels, like Bluebird Bluebird by Atticka Locke, which I finished last week.
I am not alone as a reader of crime fiction: Louise Penny’s The Grey Wolf, the nineteenth book in her Three Pines series, was Number 2 on Canada’s bestselling fiction books list in 2024, even though it was only released on October 29. The Top 10 list was dominated by genre fiction, with romance titles and romantasy. Romance writer Carley Fortune appears twice. You can view the list on BookNet Canada.
Do you read genre fiction? What’s your favourite? Which books are keeping you up at night?
Turning off the noise
I’ve had a slow start to my book year. I’ve been reading news stories—so many news stories! But the onslaught of distressing news is getting to me, so I’m trying to turn it off and spend my time reading books on my shelf. Here are the books I’m reading this week.
READABILITY: Readers, Engaged
Book reviews that measure engagement with the book.
Readability Review:
False Witness, by Karin Slaughter
Fast reading, compassion in evidence, but I felt guilty all the same
Type of book: Print
Bought or borrowed: Inherited
Provenance: At a family breakfast last year, my sister-in-law circulated a box of books she had already read, offering them up to anyone who wanted to read them. I chose two fat paperbacks by Karin Slaughter and set them aside for the right mood.
The book’s promise:
Bestseller status and a famous name - Slaughter’s books are everywhere. If you browse crime fiction shelves, you have seen her books. Labelled a “New York Times Bestseller,” it was worth a second glance.
Fast-paced storytelling - The image of a woman on the run is featured on the cover, and a blurb on the back promises it is a “page-turner.” I was in the mood for a fast read, one that could carry me through the stress of a week where I needed to make many decisions and judgement calls. I didn’t want a complex mystery or to sit with beautiful language. I needed to read for escape. The mass paperbook size and decent type size convinced me I could read with speed and set aside the pressures of daily life.
What the cover tells us: The story itself, as described on the cover, is fairly generic. Leigh Collier is a defence attorney who must defend a terrible man accused of sexual assault. But when she meets him, she realizes he knows her and what she did as a teen to protect her sister Callie. Now she must act, and she has to ask her estranged sister for help before the “life-shattering” truth is revealed.
Okay, cool, I thought. Let’s see what this is. The cover description did its job: There wasn’t much to go on, but I wanted to know more.
Readability qualities:
The story is better than the cover promised - The past event that returns to haunt Leigh is pretty serious—and satisfying if you like vengeance. It hooked me, and I had to keep reading. It places the protagonist in an awful quandary, where action is necessary if she wants to protect the life she loves, and her sister, as it turns out. It was a page-turner, as promised, and the twists upped the tension.
Compassion for pain - In the storytelling, Slaughter does an excellent job building Callie into a character we root for. She struggles with addiction, yet Slaughter avoids defining her as an addict. I also enjoyed the characterization of Dr. Jerry, who runs his veterinary business poorly but makes amends for his personal and business failures in human effort. He embodies compassion. Both characters, I felt, were treated fairly by the author, as whole people despite the challenges and limitations they faced. Other characters were not so clearly drawn, but of all of them, these two were most important to the book’s message.
The relationship between Leigh and Cassie - The sisters, now grown adults, have negotiated a relationship that allows them to be sisters, and the substance use addiction of one of them, while complicating, doesn’t diminish the dedication they have to one another. We see love and loyalty, thorny yet possible. I really loved seeing sisterhood represented like this.
Visceral reaction - I want to make sure all of you know this: There are parts of this story that are hard to read. I’m not spoiling it much by revealing a girl is brutally sexually abused by an older man. But I think you should know it will be described more than once in detail. I’m hardly a sensitive reader, but as the mother of a teen girl the same age as the character experiencing this, I was sickened—and furious—that the author was using violence against women—girls—as a plot point. Yes, these crimes happen in real life, and art imitates life, but a mass paperback crime novel/thriller is entertainment, and brutal rape should never be entertainment. I stopped watching Criminal Intent years ago for this reason. The gender-based violence was abhorrent and repelling—and yet the author’s skill at maintaining tension kept me turning pages. I wanted to throw the book away. I felt guilty for reading it, yet I continued. I felt like a bad feminist. The fact that the two main female characters are strong women didn’t redeem it for me, although I did appreciate the author showing the complexity of women, and how we are capable of deep love and also harm.
Verdict: Karin Slaughter is a master of the fast-paced crime novel. The writing carries the reader through the story with speed and great emotion. Suspense is on every page. The mass paperbook format helps. Read it for messages of compassion and to explore sisterhood. But this isn’t a book for readers who worry about women’s abuse being used to justify revenge, as satisfying as it might be to imagine. Reader engagement: 3 out of 5
This is for you if:
you want a fast read - suspense is on every page
you want to see sisterhood on the page
you can stomach the nature of the crimes
If you want to read it:
Publisher: William Morrow Date: 2021 ISBN: 978-0-06-285895-5
Buy it at Bookshop.org Buy it on Amazon
Buy it at Indigo Chapters Look for it in a library near you
Have you read False Witness? What are your thought on violence as entertainment? Leave a comment!
More Readability reviews coming soon:
Here is what is coming next.
Do you want to submit your own Readability Review? Email me at hello@dinahlaprairie.com
Before I go…
12 free coaching calls in February
It’s hardly a secret that I love reading, and I’m making it my mission to connect writers to their best readers. Books make the world better. Honestly, the book coaching work just lights me up, and I’m seeing that I can deliver really good support to writers as they work through their book projects, from the first glimmer of an idea through manuscript preparation to publishing. They are telling me they feel more confident, motivated, and love having deadlines and editorial feedback as they make important decisions about their books.
I want to do more of this work, and that’s why I’m spreading the news that I have set aside 12 complimentary coaching sessions in February for writers who need support with their book projects—in planning, drafting, revising, pitching or publishing. I want to give them a chance to meet me and try out booking coaching. I offer accountability support, feedback, and project advice. My best clients are the people who are writing to bring hope and healing to their communities.
Word-of-mouth referrals bring me the best clients. If there is anyone in your circle who is writing a book—a novel, a how-to, self-help or memoir—I wonder if you’d consider inviting them to take one of these coaching spots?
All they need to do is follow this link and book a time.
All you need to do is share this post:
(Hear that sound? It’s my thanks, whizzing through cyberspace to you!)
PS. If you would rather connect me to your writer-friend by email, you can. Here’s my email address: hello@dinahlaprairie.com
Check it out: My article for Book Coaches Canada
Whether you're just starting out or you've hit a roadblock in your manuscript, a book coach can be the missing piece of the puzzle. A publishing professional can help you finish your project strong, and book coaches have expertise to get you to your goal — at all stages of the process. You can find out more in my article for Book Coaches Canada, published last week.
Coming soon in The Book Case
What happens when we ask for help
More ‘3 Small Items of Great Delight’
I’m so grateful you’re all here, reading. Thanks for showing up.
Interesting perspective on the crime mystery thriller suspense (what order DO those go in? 😆) novel you read. I share your squeamishness around violence against women—I’m much more a cosy mystery person—but there’s something immediately urgent about physical danger. Thanks for making me think about plot!