Uscirà in Italia il 9 novembre, con il titolo La Figlia Modello. Dopo aver visto la loro madre uccisa, Charlotte e Samantha sono portate nella foresta da due uomini armati. Ventotto anni dopo, Charlotte lavora come avvocato con suo padre e una mattina assiste ad una sparatoria alla scuola locale. Convinta che qualcosa non quadri, Charlotte convince suo padre a rappresentare il giovane assassino. Questo caso riporterà a galla memorie di quel terribile evento di quando era bambina.
Charlotte and Samantha Quinn are used to the critics against their father, a lawyer that represents the criminals of the small town Pikeville. But when two men come to their house, kill their mother in front of their eyes, and take them into the woods at gunpoint, things get worse and worse.
Twenty-eight years later, Charlotte is a lawyer working with her father. One morning, she is at the local school to confront the one-night stand from the night before when she hears gunshots in the hall. While holding the body of a little girl in her arms, she sees a sixteen-year-old girl holding the gun. Despite being a witness to the tragedy,
Charlotte convinces her father to represent the girl. As Charlotte investigates, the shooting seems to have a connection with her past and as memories resurface and risk to take over her life, she has to decide how much she wants to remember.
This is the first novel I read from Karin Slaughter and I really loved it. I enjoyed how the author alternates between the past and the present, never giving too much away, and creating suspense and tension. You never really know what happened in those woods twenty-eight years earlier, until the end and the revelation is twisty and surprising.
The small town setting is perfect for this novel: a place where everybody knows everybody and gossip runs free. The author explores the psychology of the characters, especially Charlotte and Samantha, in depth and I loved to see how they develop throughout the novel.
This is not only a story about two crimes, but also a novel about family, sisters, and children who lose their innocence a little too soon. Very descriptive, dark, and thought-provoking, this is a gripping novel not to miss!
