This is Why We Lied: The stunning crime mystery suspense thriller from the No.1 Sunday Times bestselling author (The Will Trent Series Book 12)

This is Why We Lied: Is Karin Slaughter's Will Trent 12 Worth It?

Why Starting at Book 12 Is Your First Decision

Let's deal with the elephant in the room. This is the twelfth Will Trent novel, and the listing is upfront about that. Slaughter's series has a habit of rewarding people who've followed the characters over time. Relationships shift, old cases cast long shadows, and a good chunk of the emotional payoff depends on knowing who these people were three or four books ago.

Can you read it cold? Probably, yes. Crime series of this vintage tend to be written with newcomers in mind, at least enough that the central mystery stands up by itself. But you'd be getting the plot without the full weight of the characters, which is a bit like turning up to a wedding halfway through the speeches. You'll follow it. You won't feel it quite the same way.

The Slaughter Formula, and Whether It Still Works

Karin Slaughter has built her name on dark, procedural-heavy suspense, and the series sits firmly in that tradition. Expect a crime at the centre, a pile of secrets that people would very much prefer stayed buried, and a title that does a lot of thematic work. This is Why We Lied is a title that tells you most of the cast are hiding something, and I'd wager the fun is in working out who and why.

The danger with a long-running series is repetition. Twelve books in, an author can start leaning on the same beats. Reader chatter around long-running thrillers like this one tends to split into two camps: people who love the familiarity and people who've started to feel the seams. I can't tell you which camp you'll fall into, but I'd suggest that if the last Will Trent you read left you cold, this one is unlikely to reconvert you.

What £5.99 Gets You

The price is the most persuasive thing about this listing. At £5.99 you're paying less than a pub pint in plenty of UK cities, for something that'll occupy you for a few evenings or a long train journey. Paperback thrillers of this calibre can easily creep towards double that, so the pricing feels fair, even slightly generous.

Worth mentioning, though, that the listing doesn't specify the format in the information I had, so check whether you're buying the paperback, the ebook or an audio edition before you click. Format affects both the experience and whether £5.99 is a bargain or merely reasonable.

The Honest Downsides

First, the obvious one. Slaughter writes grim. If you want a cosy, low-stakes mystery to wind down with, this isn't it, and the series reputation for darker content is something to weigh up beforehand. It's a thriller that wants you slightly uncomfortable.

Second, the series-depth issue I mentioned earlier. Starting here means you'll miss context, and the book can't fully compensate for that. Third, the lack of a visible Amazon rating on the listing I worked from means I can't point to a crowd verdict. Take my read as informed by the series pedigree rather than backed by a score.

Who Should Actually Pick It Up

If you've read the earlier Will Trent books and enjoyed them, buy this without much hesitation. It's cheap, it's from a reliable name, and it's the next chapter in a story you're already invested in.

If you're new to Slaughter, I'd go back to the start of the series, or at least pick up an earlier entry first. You'll get more from this one when you arrive with the history. And if you simply want a punchy, twisty crime read for a holiday or a commute, it'll do that job too, with the caveat that you'll miss some of the character texture.

It's a solid, sensibly priced entry from an author who knows exactly what her audience wants. Not a revelation, but at £5.99 it doesn't need to be.