Thriller at it's Best

Triptych – Karin Slaughter

Triptych, now this new!

In 1985 a brutal rape and murder took place, John Shelley was the accused and was in prison for his last bit of childhood and the beginning of his adult life. Now he is out and remaining under the radar with his surprise visits from his parole officer. That is until he finds out someone is using his identity – for what? That’s what he needs to find out!

Gone are the characters from the Grant County series and say hello to our new characters for the Will Trent series!

Special Agent Will Trent, Trent is our loveable new character. He is severely dyslexic but he takes it in his stride. He has been chosen to be a part of Amanda Wagner (who you may remember from Indelible) new team. He offers his services to Atlanta police detective Michael Ormewood when faced with a string of rapes and now a murder. He is a sweet character who you can’t help but love.

Angie Polaski, Angie is a vie cop who seems to have her claws hooked in Will. They have known each other since being children in the orphanage and she offers up information regarding Will and his past. It’s safe to say that while you love Will, you hate Angie for what she does. She is a good cop and you do feel sorry for her considering her job but she doesn’t make it easy to like her.

John Shelley, John is our victim here; he was put in prison and a young age for the killing of Mary Alice a childhood friend. He has finally got out and wants nothing more than to live under the radar. He’s got himself and a job and an apartment (albeit crappy), he spots Robin a prostitute who becomes the apple of his eye. You cannot help but feel sorry for John; he is like the sweet, young, lost boy that you imagine being the nerd in the class. But John is far from giving up when he finds out someone is trying to ruin his life (again) You begin to relate to John while he goes through his old court cases and tries to proof his innocence.

Slaughter has stuck to what she knows but has changed it up just a little. Similar to Indelible the story flits between past and present. She involves different characters but does what she does best and brings them all together at the end.

Triptych is the first in the Will Trent series, and it introduces the series extremely well. You get to learn about Will and his past and read an interesting story along the way.

This book is a very readable read! Being the first in the series it can be difficult as things need to be explained but it can’t be boring. Slaughter introduces Will and Angie in this first book extremely well with a complex and interesting story to go alongside.

Verdict

My verdict for this book is better than good; it is a very strong start to the series with a good introduction to the characters and robust story to go alongside. The characters are likeable and a nice change from the Grant County series characters. The story was interesting with a lot of twists and turns. The best part of the book was the going back and forth between past and present, Slaughter knows her strengths and she plays to them.

7/10 

A tough read indeed!

Kisscut – Karin Slaughter

Kisscut is the second in Slaughter’s Grant County series. It starts with chief of police Jeffrey Tolliver shooting a troubled teenager. Her death leads to a twisted plot that will turn even some of the stronger stomachs. The plot thickens even more when secondary characters come into play with an intricate tale to tell!

Sara Linton, is our beloved main character once again as she investigates the death of the teenager shot and how this leads to further issues and plot twists. She is a strong woman character that is highly independent. She has accepted Jeffrey’s advances to an extent and you see a more personal side of Sara.

Jeffrey Tolliver, Tolliver is the chief of police in Grant is struggling in this book as he is riddled with guilt. He desperately investigates what was wrong with the victim and how he could have helped or even saved her. He is intuitive and leads a strong investigation; he also has a strong personality to match. 

Lena Adams, after the first book Lena struggles with her inner demons, after having lost her sister and becoming a victim she is seen to be tormented. Despite this, Slaughter still does not incur any sympathy for the character, she is hard-headed and strong that’s for sure but extremely unlikeable that despite what happened to her previously, no feelings are wasted on her. Her chapters are the dullest moments of the book. This is then made worse when she meets Mark a young, troubled boy, with Mark a strange, weird feeling is put on you while reading the sections with the interaction of these two characters, despite all the killing etc. it is these moments that make you feel uncomfortable.   

Once again Slaughter writes a mean crime novel. She sticks to what she knows and embraces the brutality of the self-mutilation and abuse that occurs in the small town. Once more it is difficult to realise the bad guys until towards the end she throws in many twists and turn which make it difficult to pick up which makes you think about the story and the characters which is refreshing the crime genre.

Kisscut is the second in Slaughters Grant County series and leads on very well from the first. The relationship between Sara and Jeffrey develops from the first book and the story is extremely intricate compared with the first.

Slaughter does it again with her story and this book is worth the read just for that. If gore and hard times are what you are looking for this book should make your list.

My verdict for this book is average but definitely better than the first; the story is once again the best part of the book which I admit is the most important but for the book to be good the characters also need to be interesting which once again Lena Adams ruins. The story is more intricate and hard-hitting than the first with the involvement of the abuse so if you have a weak stomach this is not a book you want to read. Slaughter has progressed from the first book and I hope this progression continues as she is going in the right direction!

5/10 

Permanent ...Indelible

Indelible – Karin Slaughter

Indelible, the forth and best one so far. Indelible explores a different story with past and present meet. The story goes back twelve years when Sara and Jeffrey are getting to know each other. Jeffrey takes Sara to his home town where nothing seems to go right. Their one night turns into a full blown murder with Jeffrey’s best friend being the murderer. The story goes back and forth between the past and the present when a hostage situation occurs in the police station. 

This time we are taken back to a time when Sara and Jeffrey are just getting to know each other, they are still the main focus of the story but we are introduced to many new characters such as Nell, Possum and Richard all from Jeffrey’s past. You find out a lot more about Jeffrey from this book as we explore his past and how this is now affecting him twelve years down the line.

There are many strong characters in the book which are mostly secondary; the common characters are back such as Frank, Brad and Lena but as small roles when compared with the main story line.

In this book Slaughter has taken a different approach with going back and forth between past and present, and it is a welcome change. Her writing and story remain strong with it being clear that we will not know who the culprit is until she wants us to. She gives us an insight into the main dynamics of Jeffrey and his relationships which is also welcome as not much is known about him.

In a way Indelible takes a step back, it is the forth in the Grant County Series and yet it goes back to the past before the first book is set. Not much is made in the form of story progression as she explores how the past is affecting the present. Sara and Jeffrey get closer and an incident at the police station pushes them closer together. More knowledge is known about Jeffrey and his past which progresses his character in the story.

This book is definitely readable! The story is interesting, you learn more about the characters and unlike before ALL chapters are interesting to read. She brings in new characters and personalities which bring welcome change to the series.

My verdict for this book is even better! Slaughter has definitely progressed since the first book. Her writing style is different in this book than the previous three but in this case it is not a bad thing. She is evidently strong at intricate stories but tying them all together in a nice neat bow. With us finding out more about the characters and being able to go into the past and present brings a welcome relief and change to the series. It is interesting, strong and well-written; Slaughter has outdone herself with this one!

7/10 

Faith...Faithless

Faithless – Karin Slaughter

Faithless does exactly what it says on the tin. A farm is investigated after Sara and Jeffrey stumble upon a little girl. It is clear of the religious ties within the farm which are taken too far. After the autopsy is done a much more chilling point is added to the already controversial story. While investigating secrets are revealed and it is clear that people are not what they seem.

Sara and Jeffrey’s relationship is heating up and he is looking to move in, along with struggling with this and other personal details they now have to investigation a child who has clearly been murdered. Even though throughout the series these two characters are bumping heads this is starting to get old, the will they won’t they scenario, thankfully this is cleared up at the end of the book which is probably the best part.

Lena Adams, Lena is once again involved in the story she is now fully instated after the last book and she finds this case difficult which is understandable. After getting called back from vacation she becomes helpful to Jeffrey except she still has Ethan. Now Lena has been my least favourable character throughout the whole series and with Ethan being in the picture she is not any better. She pushes Hank away when this just seems stupid. Her character has built from the first book however, throughout this book I found that whenever she is in I am left thinking ‘What the hell are you doing!’

As they investigate the farm a range of characters come into play from Lev to Paul, each with very different personalities. This is refreshing for the book to have so many different personalities involved in the story.

After the change in the last book Slaughter has gone back to what she knows. The writing style is back to where she started and an interesting family dynamic in the farm is introduced.

Unlike Indelible, Faithless brings progression back into the story. It is now the fifth instalment in the Grant County Series and finally Jeffrey and Sara’s relationship seems to be going somewhere.

This book is lacking some of what the forth one had however; it is still readable for the series. You are welcomed with the fact that Sara and Jeffrey relationship is progressing – which if you ask me was getting old – and the story and crime side of the book is definitely and interesting read.

My verdict for this book is okay. It is better than average but not as good as the last instalment. The story is interesting and Slaughter leaves bread crumbs throughout the novel which point to the bad guy at the end. Sara and Jeffrey finally seem to be going somewhere, which is long anticipated and I was grateful for this as the to and froing between them was getting very old! The book is worth buying and reading for the fact of continuing the story but after the last book it is a slight let down. 

4/10