Review: Triptych – Karin Slaughter

Will Trent / Atlanta #1

SYNOPSIS: In the city of Atlanta, women are dying—at the hands of a killer who signs his work with a single, chilling act of mutilation. Leaving behind enough evidence to fuel a frenzied police hunt, this cunning madman is bringing together dozens of lives, crossing the boundaries of wealth and race. And the people who are chasing him must cross those boundaries too. Among them is Michael Ormewood, a veteran detective whose marriage is hanging by a thread—and whose arrogance and explosive temper are threatening his career. And Angie Polaski, a beautiful vice cop who was once Michael’s lover before she became his enemy.

But another player has entered the game: a loser ex-con who has stumbled upon the killer’s trail in the most coincidental of ways—someone who may be the key to breaking the case wide open…  – via IMDB

Karin Slaughter has again proved how she is a phenomenal writer, and not just good for the Grant County series. We have met a whole new array of characters, some that tie into the Grant County series (such as Amanda Wagner that was the negotiator in Indelible) and others that are brand spanking new and fresh. It stands testament to Slaughter’s writing that she could bring in a whole new angle and story and still be good, and not be too caught up in her previous work – this stands alone really well.

The writing style is again tight and very well laid out, and the story skips between present, a few months prior to that, as well as the past from a couple of decades ago (yeah, this book is really aptly named). The story weaves together effortlessly and has you hooked from the beginning. It takes some time to get a read on certain characters (intentionally), and it just ratchets up the tension, too.

You get to learn about a new cast of characters, and they are fresh, new, and totally different from Grant County books. Will and Angie have such a heartbreaking past, and it is really difficult to read about. Their relationship is so dysfunctional, and it makes you pity them a bit more. Will Trent is a character you cannot help but adore the more you read about him, I am definitely a fan! Angie, on the other hand, is a right piece of work, but there is some part of her, so inextricably tied up with Will, and the relationship between them is so complex.

The story told in Triptych is a solid one, one that draws you in and delivers all the goods you could possibly hope for. The pacing is just right, the storytelling does not leave the reader lost and wondering what is going on, and you get pretty invested in the outcome as well as what is going on. I also quite enjoyed reading about the interactions between Will and Amanda, as that is something that is fascinating.

This is definitely a brilliant way to start a fresh story, independent from the comfort zone that she is used to, and she pulls it off so well! Man, Slaughter is totally my cup of tea. Flawed characters, loads of development, horrendous gore and a solid thriller? She never fails to impress me!

Review: The Kept Woman – Karin Slaughter

Will Trent #8

SYNOPSIS: A body is discovered in an empty Atlanta warehouse. It’s the body of an ex-cop, and from the moment Special Agent Will Trent walks in he knows this could be the most devastating case of his career. Bloody footprints leading away from the scene reveal that another victim – a woman – has left the scene and vanished into thin air. And, worst of all, the warehouse belongs to the city’s biggest, most politically-connected, most high-profile athlete – a local hero protected by the world’s most expensive lawyers. A local hero Will has spent the last six months investigating on a brutal rape charge.

But for Will – and also for Dr Sara Linton, the GBI’s newest medical examiner – the case is about to get even worse. Because an unexpected discovery at the scene reveals a personal link to Will’s troubled past. The consequences will wreak havoc on his life and the lives of those he loves, those he works with, and those he pursues.

But Sara’s scene-of-the-crime diagnosis is that they only have a few hours to find the missing woman before she bleeds out . . . – via Goodreads

Ah man, it was like Christmas when I saw that there was finally another Will Trent novel! The man is just phenomenal, and I am always itching to read about him. This book? No exception! I have to say, I really wish the characters in this series (and I am not talking about that bitch Angie) would stop telling Will that Sara is too good for him. I mean come on! They are both human, and he is not a person who is “not good enough” for anyone, or not allowed to have someone to love him. Pfffffff.

I am also not pleased with how Sara treats Will – really. The man has had it rough in life, and he loves the heck out of her and will do anything for her, and she is trying to make him jump Jeffrey hoops, and carry on as though he has never had an issue in life, and it is not fair. Anyway. Coming back on Will and his crazy past, that also brought that nasty piece of work, Angie, back. I was not pleased when I saw how large a part of the book she got, especially when the story flipped to a telling from her side. I swear, I like her about as much as I like Lena Adams. In fact, I like her less, and that is not an easy jump to make. While Angie took up way too large a part of the book (for me), I was glad to see that she had finally pushed Will far enough, and that he finally saw her as others see her – a horrible person, terrible, cruel, and nasty. Dangerous.

I really do enjoy any books that feature Amanda – call her what you will, I think that woman is sassy, badass, and a touch crazy, but I thoroughly enjoy her. It was really nice to see a return of characters we all know and love. The pacing and story for this are both good, and they keep you hooked and engaged the whole way though, and the novel barrels along. I was pleased to read a little about Jeffrey Tolliver again – I know it was nothing in depth, but that he finally breached into Sara and Will’s relationship was a relief. He is an issue that has always been skirted. I wish Sara would stop being a bitch and just come out and tell Will how she really feels about him, and about how special he is. Nobody has ever done that for him, so why can’t she?

Anyway, The Kept Woman was another solid entry to the Will Trent series, and definitely worth checking out.

Review: Snatched – Karin Slaughter

Will Trent / Atlanta #3

Georgia Bureau of Investigation special agent Will Trent is in the dog box with his boss, Amanda Wagner. He is on duty in the airport toilets to arrest men who are looking for a little illegal fun. Instead, while on the job, a man comes in with a young girl who does not seem to want to be anywhere near him. Will’s instincts kick into overdrive, and he is immediately suspicious. However, with no cause, there is really nothing that he can do. Following the man out of the airport bathroom, he follows him, and the girl remains so fragile looking and afraid.

Upon the decision to take action, Will loses the man and the little girl, and comes to when he sees the man in a whole new outfit, though without the child. Panic stricken, Will calls in all sorts of favours, and almost instantaneously Amanda Wagner and his partner, Faith Mitchell, rush to his aid. Time is running out and there is no news on the little girl, and their suspect refuses to say anything. What will they do to find the little girl? The knowledge that the child has been trafficked is there, yet there is no proof. Their suspect is incredibly egotistical, cocky and arrogant, sure that he cannot be caught, and sure that he will not talk.

The team that has been assembled in the airport and with all the different jurisdictions that come into play are all working together tirelessly to find a small child who seems to have been spirited away. Will they recover the girl? Will they discover the identity of their client and be able to crack him?

It was by no stretch a weak story, and it was not too long or too short for a short story. It conveys what it needs to, and it is concise. No long, on-going ramblings and all that, though there is also no real character growth or revelation, but it is a nice “filler” to read, so to speak. Will remains a wonderful character, Amanda Wagner ever the short and snappy woman in power. Faith’s role is very minimal in here, though I expected a slight bit more. Not a bad way to tie a short story in to a whole array of novels, though Karin Slaughter is most definitely more mind-blowing in a more lengthy novel where she gets to take you through the glory that is the world she built and the wealth of characters she has, and the emotions that she attaches to them.