Book Review: False Witness by Karin Slaughter
4****
I'm in two minds about False Witness. On the one hand, it was entertaining, well written and with interesting characters. On the other, it was too long for the story it told, and I guessed most of the twists well in advance. My main issue, however, is neither with the mystery nor with the writing, but perhaps more of a personal one. It felt very strange for me to read a novel set during the pandemic. I think that really impacted how I felt about it. We've been living with the fear of this horrible disease for one and a half years at the time I write this, and it looks like it will be with us for some time to come. I think reading a book in which covid is a part of the story, in addition to violence and murder and abuse might have just been a bit much for me right now. It's really a case of right book, wrong time. Reading, for me, especially in these times, has been a source of escapism, and that wasn't to be found here. That being said, Slaughter handles the pandemic plot-line well. I also appreciated her afterword about her work and research and the difficulty of writing this book. I can imagine this is a topic many authors will struggle with, and I am lucky that my own novels are set well in the past and I need not worry about this conundrum myself. All in all, a well written mystery, though one I should have saved for some time in the future.
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