The Girl Who Survived (2024)

EXCERPT: She was seven again, unlocking the attic door and running down the stairs that curved around and around, spiraling downward to the sound of music - Christmas music. It was faint and there was conversation. Her father arguing with someone. A door slamming. Her mother's screaming. Marlie's warnings insisting that she keep quiet and stay in the attic. Faster and faster Kara ran, always downward along the never-ending staircase, her bare feet stumbling on the wetness, her fingers grazing the rail that was slick. "Mama," she called. "Daddy . . ."

But her voice was muffled over the sound of thuds and shouts and shrieks and that song, that carol echoing loudly as the grandfather clock resounded up the staircase.

Bong, bong, bong.

She lifted her hand from the rail. It was red with blood.

And her feet? They, too, were red, slipping in the blood that dripped from one step to the next.

"Mama!" she cried as the clock's tolling and the horrid Christmas Carol echoed through her brain.

"Sleep in heavenly peace . . ."

ABOUT 'THE GIRL WHO SURVIVED': All her life, she’s been the girl who survived. Orphaned at age seven after a horrific killing spree at her family’s Oregon cabin, Kara McIntyre is still searching for some kind of normal. But now, twenty years later, the past has come thundering back. Her brother, Jonas, who was convicted of the murders has unexpectedly been released from prison. The press is in a frenzy again. And suddenly, Kara is receiving cryptic messages from her big sister, Marlie—who hasn’t been seen or heard from since that deadly Christmas Eve when she hid little Kara in a closet with a haunting, life-saving command: Don’t make a sound.

As people close to her start to die horrible deaths, Kara, who is slowly and surely unraveling, believes she is the killer’s ultimate target.

Kara survived once. But will she survive again? How many times can she be the girl who survived?

MY THOUGHTS: If you're looking for a read to make your heart race, pick up a copy of The Girl Who Survived. My heart beat at an accelerated rate from beginning to end. This was a read that kept me on the edge of my seat throughout, never knowing until the big reveal, just who really was behind the gruesome killings.

This is a twisty and twisted tale. There is a lot of enmity between the various factions of the extended and blended McIntyre family. Lust, jealousy and greed combine to form a maelstrom that many don't survive. But the burning question is 'Did Jonas do it?'

Kara is a complex character. She has been in therapy for the twenty years since the massacre. She suffers from anxiety (no surprise there!) and paranoia, always feeling as though she is being watched. She still has nightmares. She has anger and trust issues, and drinks more than is good for her to try and keep her demons at bay. She feels guilty about an off duty policeman having lost his life while saving hers, but is resistant to the efforts of his son to connect with her. And all the time in the background is Aunty Fai, the woman entrusted with her care and the administration of her parents estate, badgering her, and trying to make money from the family tragedy. No wonder Kara hides from the world!

Although this is a pulse pounding read, it does have a few faults. Just how many times do we need to have the massacre described in full? It became repetitious, and was unnecessary. The ending felt rushed and just a little OTT, BUT I loved the scene with the turntable. Maximum points for that Lisa Jackson! I think the chapter at the end with the police recapping exactly what they thought had happened and Kara and Wesley doing the same, was unnecessary and overkill. We got what really happened. It would have been much better to have cut straight to the epilogue.

But overall, I enjoyed this. And next time I want a prolonged period with an elevated heart rate, I will be picking up another Lisa Jackson thriller.

The Girl Who Survived by Lisa Jackson is due for publication 28 June 2022.

⭐⭐⭐⭐.2

#TheGirlWhoSurvived #NetGalley

I: @readlisajackson @kensingtonbooks

T: @readlisajackson @KensingtonBooks

#contemporaryfiction #crime #familydrama #murdermystery #suspense #thriller

THE AUTHOR: Before she became a nationally bestselling author, Lisa Jackson was a mother struggling to keep food on the table by writing novels, hoping against hope that someone would pay her for them. Today, neck deep in murder, her books appear on The New York Times, the USA Today, and the Publishers Weekly national bestseller lists.

With over thirty bestsellers to her name, Lisa Jackson is a master of taking readers to the edge of sanity – and back – in novels that buzz with dangerous secrets and deadly passions. She continues to be fascinated by the minds and motives of both her killers and their pursuers—the personal, the professional and downright twisted. As she builds the puzzle of relationships, actions, clues, lies and personal histories that haunt her protagonists, she must also confront the fear and terror faced by her victims, and the harsh and enduring truth that, in the real world, terror and madness touch far too many lives and families. Before she became a nationally bestselling author, Lisa Jackson was a mother struggling to keep food on the table by writing novels, hoping against hope that someone would pay her for them. Today, neck deep in murder, her books appear on The New York Times, the USA Today, and the Publishers Weekly national bestseller lists.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Kensington Books via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of The Girl Who Survived by Lisa Jackson for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

This review is also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...

3.5⭐

At the age of seven, Kara McIntyre’s world was shattered when during the Christmas holidays, her parents and two of her three half-brothers ( from her parents’ previous marriages) were butchered by an unknown assailant in their family cabin in Oregon. After locking her in the attic to keep her safe, her older half-sister Marlie disappeared and her fate was unknown. Kara after escaping the attic was later saved by an off-duty copy who died from his efforts. Her older half-brother Jonas, eighteen at the time was injured in the attack but survived. Circ*mstantial evidence has Jonas convicted for the murder and he serves 20 years in prison but is being released because of a glitch in the chain of evidence recently discovered by his lawyer.

As a child, her statements during Jonas’s trial helped put him away though that was not her intention and her words and testimony were twisted to suit the purpose of the prosecution. Twenty years of trauma and memories of her family have haunted Kara throughout her life as has her questions about the fate of her half-sister Marlie. Her life has been mostly devoid of friends, raised by an aunt whose intentions were driven mostly by greed for Kara’s family fortune which she is weeks away from inheriting and her life has been a series of therapy sessions, anxiety and the occasional alcohol to take the edge off. The Cold Lake Massacre as the tragedy is dubbed has been the subject of much media attention through the years and the twentieth anniversary of the killings along with Jonas’s impending release has sparked renewed interest in the case – the media are all over it, the police are reopening the investigation and Kara is at the center of it all. She is being hounded by a freelance journalist whose interest in the truth is personal. As the narrative progresses, Kara starts receiving cryptic messages seeming to indicate Marlie is alive and people related to the case are found murdered, the method of killing eerily similar to the massacre years ago.

What really happened to Kara’s family all those years ago? Was Jonas innocent of the crimes for which he had been incarcerated and if so, who was responsible for the massacre? What happened to Marlie? Is she alive? Is Kara in danger?

Lisa Jackson’s The Girl Who Survived is a gripping thriller that captures your attention from the first page and keeps you engaged till the very end. I am a bit tired of the overused traumatized alcoholic female protagonist trope. However, the author does manage to keep the alcohol-induced moments within reasonable limits. Please note that the descriptions of the scene of the crimes are quite vivid and might be disturbing for some. The law enforcement officials handling the case in the present day were a bit sloppy in some crucial moments which was frustrating since we readers could make more sense of some of the clues that were uncovered along the way. Overall, I enjoyed the mystery and suspense and the consistent pacing as the plot progressed. Lisa Jackson's thrillers are always a pleasure to read. As with most thrillers, the ending is a bit far-fetched but the twists and turns and the red herrings make for an absorbing read.

Many thanks to Kensington Books and NetGalley for a digital review copy of this thriller in exchange for my honest review.

I managed to make it a little over halfway and then skimmed the rest. It’s a shame because I think the story core was a good one, but the entire book read like a first draft. Typos, grammar issues, telling instead of showing, sometimes telling and showing, repetitive sentences, unnecessary scenes, and clunky dialogue. Basically, it was a bunch of issues that should have easily been caught and corrected by someone. This felt like the essay you’re writing for a college class the night before. I’ve included below just a few of the many issues I caught for your reading displeasure;

“Marlie licked her nips nervously.” (Some points for this one since I’m apparently a 10 year old boy and found it hilarious)

“… stepping through a snow covered yard slowly, lifting each paw slowly….”

“Forested mountains rose on the passenger side of her jeep, while the oncoming lane, narrower than in summer because of the snow that had been plowed and left to freeze on the shoulder.” (I reread this 20 some odd times to try and figure out wtf she was trying to say. I think maybe if she had replaced the second comma with was? Even then it’s clunky but at least it makes some sense.)

These are just a few of the errors. I appreciate the free copy of this. I would have been more angry if I’d spent money on a book the author and publisher clearly didn’t care about. It’s an insult to your readers to put out these rubbish errors. Do better. And, dear fellow readers, please don’t spend money on this book.

P.S. If any hardcore fans come at me because I missed some grammar issue in my review, I would like to kindly remind you I am not trying to monetize this review. There is a difference.

UPDATE: It has been mentioned to me that a lot of the errors I mentioned were fixed by the publisher in newer copies. I won’t be trying to read it again, but take my review with a grain of salt now since I don’t know what the most recent version has and has not fixed.

Twenty years ago a brutal slaying left four members of one family dead. Seven year old Kara was hidden in the attic by her older sister, Marlie and told to wait for her. When Marlie didn’t return Kara crept downstairs to find her mother and father slain and her two step-brothers - Sam Jnr. and Donner also dead. Her other step-brother, Jonas, urged her to run and get help. She ran but was chased by a man, she ran onto the ice of a frozen lake and fell in. The man, Officer Tate, was trying to help her. He saved her life but later died himself. Jonas was later convicted of the killings, even though he was injured. Who else could it have been? And the murder weapon was his sword, his prints the only ones on it. Marlie is never heard from again.

Now, 20 years later with the anniversary of the deaths coming up, one of the officers on the old case has an attack of conscience and says there was a break in the chain of custody of the sword and Jonas is to released from prison. Detective Cole Thomas and his partner Detective Aramis Johnson are charged with reviewing the case from scratch and going over all the evidence. They soon realise there are other potential suspects.

Meanwhile, Wesley Tate, the son of the man who saved Kara and working as a journalist is seeking an interview with Kara. She is not receptive.but she is getting strange anonymous messages saying “she is alive!” Are they from Marlie? Where has she been? And as Jonas is released from prison and the killings start again Kara, who is feeling increasingly anxious, decides to trust Wesley and they pool their resources to try and work out what really happened that night.

It was certainly suspenseful and a very engaging read. Towards the end though it all got a little bit much and stretched the limits of my credulity. Some of the dialogue was a bit cheesy too. I didn’t think the characters were as fully developed as they could be but the pace was crisp and the book was very readable. It certainly fits the bill for some light reading with a bit of a bite to it! Many thanks to Netgalley and Kensington Books for the much appreciated arc which I reviewed voluntarily and honestly.

DNF for me. This is not a good book so don't waste your time.

What's wrong with it? Everything. The book is like a soap opera, a lot of overexaggerated emotions and reactions without any depth. It is written from too many different point of views (the girl who survived, a journalist, a detective and even including one who is killed within the next few chapters), it has a lot of people and dialogues that add no value to the story and in contrast they distract from it and loses the momentum of suspense. Characters speak like children, very basic language and everyone uses profanity, a bit too much for my taste. I even thought that the author was a teenager because the speaking style and thoughts were quite immature.

The premise is a cliche and has been used before but it would have worked if the author was a better thriller writer. I do not remember whether I have ever heard Lisa Jackson's work before but I am surprised that she is a bestselling author - I do not see it from this book at all.

Thanks to Netgalley for a free copy in exchange of an honest review.

The amount! Of exclamation marks! Is unlike! Anything I’ve read! In a while!

Pass!

4.5 stars. Chapter One starts off at Christmas in Oregon at the McIntyre home with Silent Night singing on the CD player. Kara was 7 years old. Her older sister Marlie hid Kara in the attic while the family was massacred - parents and 2 brothers. Another brother Jonas was severely injured. Kara was saved by an off duty cop vacationing next door. Marlie is gone with the wind - never seen since. Jonas was convicted and sent to prison for the murders. Jonas has always proclaimed his innocence and he is now set free from prison after 20 years. Kara begins to receive texts that say "she's alive".

For some reason, I like to read books with the scenario where a family was massacred except for one family member who is targeted later. The murder scene was both terrifying and riveting. I was glued to the story throughout and definitely felt the suspense. There's a plethora of potential suspects if Jonas is not the real killer. I liked the different points of view. I loved Rhapsody the rescue dog.

Note: graphic murder scenes.

The Girl who Survived was made available for me to download in March this year, and the publication date is April 6. Usually I read other reviews here on GR after I’ve read a book so as to avoid being influenced by other reviewers. I was a bit surprised to see all other reviews date back to 2022. However, reviewer Alexis will be happy: as far as I can see the publisher took your comments to heart and had this book revised. No ‘nibs’ and no ‘paws’ anymore.

So, does this make this book more readable? A little, I think. My main problem with this story is the endless repetition of what happened the night of the murders. Now Jonas, the alleged murderer, is being freed from jail on a technicality, suddenly everybody is (again) talking about it. That doesn’t mean that we would like to read the same story multiple times.

And then there is the family history. I get it that people in blended families have different family names. But here we have a man who already has two children from two previous marriages, a woman who’s in her second marriage, and a daughter from that marriage. The woman apparently has a first name and two family names, but no middle name? Why did she kept the family name of her first husband? And very, very strange: her eldest son gets the two family names as first and last name. Poor child. What makes it more complicated to read is the fact that the author keeps referring to people in different ways. Sometimes by their first name, sometimes by their family name. Since there are a lot of characters in this story, the reader has to remember all those names in full.
Then there is the aunt, aunt Faiza. Faiza and her husband have been skimming money from the estate that will be legally Kara’s when she turns 28. Now Kara is nearing this important birthday but she is not doing anything about this. She visited a solicitor once and he told her all the money was gone, gone to Faiza’s luxurious life style. And that’s it?

Kara spent a lot of time growing up with the former family lawyer, and she trusted him and his second wife (it’s not important for the reader to know she’s his second wife because she’s dead by the time Kara is in her twenties and the lawyer married someone else) but he is also guilty of helping Faiza to skim the money.

I could go on and on but I think my point is clear: there is an interesting story here but it’s muddled by too much information and not enough real action.

Thanks to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for this review copy.

By far one of the WORST written books I have ever read. Very disappointed. I kept on reading to see if it got better, but wow… what a waste of time. I had high hope for this book because the plot was so intriguing. However it was written terrible with so much useless information and then a messy wrap up. If you’re interested in reading this, read chapter 1-2 and the last 20 pages, that’s the story lol everything in between is pointless. Don’t waste your time on this one, folks!

the writing was pretty good and some twists were okay, but anything that blew my mind

Lisa Jackson's The Girl Who Survived is an intricate book alternating between present-day events and bone chilling memories of the past. Through her descriptive writing, Jackson takes thriller fans on a dark intense journey they will not soon forget.

Synopsis:
It has been over twenty years since seven year old Kara escaped a brutal massacre at her family's cabin in Oregon. On Christmas Eve, Kara's father, mother and two step-brothers were brutally murdered. Marlie, Kara's older sister disappeared that day without a trace. Kara's other step-brother Jonas survived with minor injuries and was later convicted of the crime. As an adult Kara still struggles with the emotional aftermath of this horrific event.

Kara receives word that Jonas is being released from prison on a technicality. Jonas has always claimed he did not commit the murders and was wrongfully convicted. However, when brutal recurrent murders start happening after Jonas is released from prison, police reopen the old murder case. Kara is unsure who to trust or what she should believe. Will Kara's quest for truth endanger her life?

Lisa Jackson is one of the most popular and highly acclaimed writers of today. I always find her books to be extremely spooky and entertaining. Lisa is not afraid to take on tough topics and present them in a realistic manner. The Girl Who Survived does contain graphic violence so check the trigger warnings before proceeding.

The Girl Who Survived is available June 28th. Applause to Lisa Jackson for writing this fantastic 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ book!

Thank you, NetGalley and Kensington Books for this nail biting novel! I love every page of it!

Great Read!

Kara survived a family massacre around Christmas when she was a child. Her brother was sent to prison for the crime.
Now he’s out and people are getting killed. This was a thrilling read that kept up at night! Many twists and turns.

The best part of this entire book was probably the opening chapters. It was perfectly done with just the right amount of suspense, horror, and the fear of a child (our main character is seven when these events take place). And then it jumps to the present day, where our MC is now a twenty-seven-year-old adult, and everything just falls apart.

To begin with, this story is told from multiple points of view, which I would usually enjoy, except this one not only has too many characters telling their side of things, but also in entirely way too much detail. I don't need pages and pages of details about every little thing they see, hear, or sense. Perhaps I'm in the minority here, but when I read something, I like to let my imagination fill in some of the blanks. I feel that this not only makes the story feel more immersive as a reader, but it adds to the suspense. When everything is "told" to the reader, we lose a lot of that suspense.

I also felt as though the ending lacked the "shock" value that the author was going for. It was hard for me at that point to connect to the murder having spent so little time with them. I barely remembered who they were and the "truth" of the night was just, in my opinion, completely unbelievable.

Finally, It is my very sincere hope that this book has undergone another round of heavy editing between the advanced copy that I read, and the final product. Because while this one had the potential to be something amazing - it failed on every level, and some of that had to do with the rampant spelling errors (and overuse of an exclamation point). Another issue I had with this one is all of the times when the same character performed the same actions on the very next page. One example of this that immediately springs to mind is when our detectives are interviewing a potential suspect, on one page it says, "the woman cop opened her phone, made a call and turned away". Then two pages later it says, "the detectives shared a look and the woman turned away, pulled a cell phone from the pocket of her jacket, punched in a number, and turned away". To me, it was very off-putting that it seemed like the author either forgot (or didn't care) that they had already provided this information.

Now, with any novel I review, just because it didn't work for me doesn't mean it won't work for someone else. If after reading my review, you still think this would be a novel you would enjoy, please give it a shot and decide for yourself.

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

After twenty years, Kara is getting some strange messages. Her sister, who is supposed dead after the massacre of the family is sending messages.
Nice thriller, thanks to Netgalley for this nice read.

This was wretched.

I am perhaps being a little too harsh in rating this book with 2**. It started out well and I became engaged with the story. I liked the premise. Kara, at the age of seven, was the survivor of a horrific family massacre. Her brother was convicted of the murders. Twenty years later, Kara is trying to live a normal life and, then, the brother is released from prison. The past is coming back to haunt her ...Unfortunately, by the midpoint of this book of around 370 pages, the story seemed to drag. I actually put the book down a couple of times and read other things, something I very rarely do when reading a good mystery. I kept on with the book to finish it because I had received it as a giveaway from the publisher and wanted to give it an honest review. I was hoping for a good ending. Instead, the conclusion seemed rushed. Anyway, the whole last part of the book struck me as unrealistic. I like fantasy--when it is supposed to be fantasy. So, sorry to say, the book did not work for me.
Thanks to Kensington Publishing Corp.for gifting me with a copy of this book.

DNF at 64%

Thanks, Netgalley for giving me the chance to read this ARC.

Do you know crime shows that are on around that 10pm hour? Everything that feels cliche, dated ways ( racially biased) people communicate to each other, and thin. Thin stories, bare minimum character traits, and random details that happened to show up mid season to catch viewers. This is that show. This is that story.

I didn’t care about anyone and the level of intensity of the first chapter vanished. This felt like those thick paperbacks that are trade and sit on library back shelves.

I can’t do it. I can’t put my precious reading time into finishing.

Thank you to the author, Kensington Books and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Great premise, but unfortunately ruined by excruciatingly bad writing. Clunky dialogue, emotionally overwrought characters without any depth to them, very basic language, too many POVs - and even for an ARC way too many typos and grammar mistakes. I only slogged through this due to my feeling of obligation, having been granted an ARC, but definitely would not recommend.

Kara survived a horrific killing of most of her family.
Her brother Jonas was barely alive ad her sister Marlie was missing.
Jonas was convicted of the murders and sent to prison.

Kara was fearing she was the next target.
I thought the book would be better than it was.

DNF

I must say, I'm quite impressed that an author who has published so much work and is regarded as a "bestselling author" can sound like a middle schooler attempting to write a crime story. Had the audiobook and had to stop because of how repetitive the language was, it felt like the same scene was happening three times in a row. The audiobook was was 14 hours long and I simply did not have the energy to deal with these characters. None of the characters are focused on enough for me to care about their outcome or what the conclusion was and there were far too many to it to keep making sense. The changes of perspectives were never clarified so I'd spend at least three or four pages believing I was reading from one character's point of view, only to find out it was a completely different one. Just a mess and so disappointing, the synopsis and first chapter are captivating and then everything after it is poorly executed.

Wow jakie to było wszystko pomerdane, dobrze stwierdził na koniec to jeden z bohaterów hahaha, nie będę Wam zdradzać żadnych imion, bo chyba wszystko by mogło być tu spoilerem.
Bardziej czułam to jako obyczajówkę ze sporym wątkiem kryminalnym/thrillerem, bo ksiazka była po prostu długa, historia mimo ze opierała się na tych wszystkich zbrodniach których z każdą stroną było coraz więcej (a ja coraz mniej ogarniałam co się dzieje hahaha) to jednak duża część była tu po prostu historią, Karą i jej problemami, traumami.
Nie czułam żadnego napięcia - to ten minus, ale sama historia była serio fajna, dobrze spędziłam przy tej książce czas. Na końcu mnie zaskoczyła - o to tak!

This book is about 150 pages too long ... and not nearly enough suspense or action to make it worth it. I ended up skimming a lot of this just to get through it.

I knew this was going to be great as soon as I read the blurb and I had to read it. Kara's family were slaughtered 20 years ago and on that fateful night, Kara's sister Marlie hides her in the attic upstairs to keep her safe. Kara is frustrated being locked away and when she bravely decides to emerge she ventures down the stairs and Marlie is no where to be seen, only her stepbrother Jonas seems to be alive, Jonas is injured but tells Kara to run and when she sees a man in a mask in the loungeroom this is what she does, as fast as she can.

Kara survives but Marlie is missing presumed dead but her body is never found. Jonas is accused of the crime and is sent to prison for 2o years. Local journalist Tate is trying to get Kara to speak to him about the events of that night. Not only does he want a story but it was his father who saved Kara that night but sadly died at the scene of a heart attack. Kara is extremely hesitant to let anyone in but between the two of them they set out to find out what really happened that night.

I loved this book and was pretty unhappy that life kept getting in the way of me reading it continuously. A great story line that had you guessing until the end and well thought out characters. Five starts from me. Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest unbiased review.

So boring :(

The Girl Who Survived by Lisa Jackson

One night changed much for Kara and her family. Most of her family were slaughtered and though she survived, what she saw changed her forever. Two decades later she is haunted by the past, unable to move forward, and a bit of a basket case. Her brother’s release from prison seems to act as a catalyst for more murders, introspection, and looking for truth…but…will the truth be revealed so many years after the massacre?

What I liked:
* The twisted tale
* The cunningly plotted and written story
* Not knowing for sure what the truth was till nearly the end of the story.
* Detectives Thomas and Johnson and the way they pursued the case(s)
* Tate the father who saved Kara and Tate the son who was there for her twenty years later
* Thinking about what might really have happened…
* The many threads of the story so well woven together to complete the tale
* Kara – though a bit broken and not easy to love…I did admire her tenacity
* The inkling of potential romance between Kara and Tate
* That justice, of sorts, was meted out

What I didn’t like:
* Knowing that people like the ones in this book do exist and that they can ruin so many lives

Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would I read more by this author? Yes

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4-5 Stars

This is quite literally one of the worst books I have read in a long time. The writing was awful and there was so much filler and exaggerated emotions by the characters that it became boring to read. I skimmed over a lot of it - I'm not even sure why I bothered finishing it.
Ugh. So much for Lisa Jackson. I definitely won't be reading any of her other 10,000 books.

DNF @ 16%

All her life, she's been the girl who survived. Orphaned at age seven after a horrific killing spree at her family's Oregon cabin, Kara McIntyre is searching for some kind of normal. But now, twenty years later, the past has come thundering back. Her brother, Jonas, who was convicted of the murders has unexpectedly been released from prison. The press is in a frenzy again. And suddenly, Kara is receiving cryptic messages from her big sister, Marlie - who hasn't been seen or heard from since that deadly Christmas Eve when she hid little Kara in a closet with a haunting, life-saving command: don't make a sound.

This book stars off with the slaughter of the family. That was enough to draw me right into the story to see how the rest of the book would unfold. I wasn't disappointed. Kara was just seven when survived the killing spree that saw most of her family slaughtered. Her sister Marlie disappeared, and her half-brother Jonas was convicted of the murders. But now he's being released early from prison. The pace is fast, the plotline gripping and suspenseful. I never knew what the truth was until nearly the end of the book. There are many threads to this story, but they are all tied up nicely by the end.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #HodderSoughton and the author #LisaJackson for my ARC of #TheGirlWhoSurvived in exchange for an honest review.

It's taken me forever to finish this book but only because work has been extremely busy and it's hard to read when I have a head cold.

The novel begins with a horrific murder where an entire family is slaughtered except for the youngest daughter, Kara. The culprit is her brother, Jonas who spents years in prison. Now he's released and Kara worries what will be Jonas's next move. Then the bodies start to pile up...

I felt the plot was fast paced and right up until the last few chapters this book held me in a chokehold. Liked some characters more than others but I wanted to be as scared as I was in the beginning of my reading experience.

I selected this title from Kìndle Unlimited.

Goodreads review published 02/10/23

This seemed like the perfect first pick from prolific Jackson, a riveting standalone thriller with a strong mystery surrounding the main protagonist.

Kara McIntyre was only seven years old when she survived a brutal family murder.
Twenty years later, still struggling with the trauma of that night, Kara is desperate for answers...

The horrific massacre instantly pulls the reader in, the fact that her brother who was believed to be behind the killings has just been released from prison - with threatening messages and another murders indicates that Jonas was the murderer.

I found the novel to be a little slow in places, though the author really convays the led up to an anniversary of these types of events with both the press interest and how an individual deals with the trauma.
Especially as this was set around Christmas too.