Karin Slaughter, the author of over 20 works of crime fiction, is known for her vivid characterizations and extensive portrayal of police and justice procedures in her novels. Slaughter's novels highlight mature and serious themes such as the psychological impact of crime and violence on individuals and their relationships. The author often uses detailed and graphic descriptions of crime to illustrate these complex, dark themes. For instance, in The Good Daughter, the shooting that kills Gamma is presented in precise, visceral detail, to enable readers to picture its horror and impact on Gamma's children, witnessing their mother's death. Pretty Girls, 2015, centered around a missing sister, contains frank descriptions of violent pornography. Slaughter depicts violence unflinchingly in her texts to highlight the real-life threat of gender-based crimes against women.

Slaughter has spoken about the importance of framing gender-based violence from the perspective of women (Conroy, Catherine. “Karin Slaughter: ‘I have a lot of readers who probably are Trump supporters.’” The Irish Times, 19 Jun. 2021). As in The Good Daughter, her novels examine how violence negatively affects women’s emotional lives and their family dynamics in the long term. In the novel, Sam and Charlie's varying experiences of trauma and coping strategies affect their relationships with their parents and with each other.