Criminal (Will Trent, #6)

by Karin Slaughter

'One of the boldest thriller writers working today' TESS GERRITSEN
'Her characters, plot, and pacing are unrivalled' MICHAEL CONNELLY
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The sixth Will Trent novel, from the #1 bestselling author.

A woman is found brutally murdered in a sordid Atlanta apartment.

But there's something strange about this particular slaying. Her blood-soaked body bears a chilling similarity to a woman found dead almost 40 years earlier. Could it be the work of a long-dormant serial killer?

Soon Special Agent Will Trent finds himself returning to the home he grew up in, and a past that could hold the clue to the killings...
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Crime and thriller masters know there's nothing better than a little Slaughter:

'I'd follow her anywhere' GILLIAN FLYNN
'Passion, intensity, and humanity' LEE CHILD
'A writer of extraordinary talents' KATHY REICHS
'Fiction doesn't get any better than this' JEFFERY DEAVER
'A great writer at the peak of her powers' PETER JAMES
'Raw, powerful and utterly gripping' KATHRYN STOCKETT
'With heart and skill Karin Slaughter keeps you hooked from the first page until the last' CAMILLA LACKBERG
'Amongst the world's greatest and finest crime writers' YRSA SIGURDARDOTTIR

• ISBN10: 0345528506
• ISBN13: 9780345528506
• Publish Date: 3 July 2012 (first published 1 January 2012)
• Publish Status: Remaindered
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Delacorte Press
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 448
• Language: English

Reviews

[ibeforem]

I am a big fan of Will Trent, and this one goes back to his well-hidden roots. We also learn more about Amanda, and why she is so invested in Will’s well-being. In fact, Amanda’s story is probably the more enlightening of the two. We already know that Will’s upbringing sucked, and that his father was a criminal. What we get that is more surprising is a softer side of Amanda. She’s relatively new on a police force that doesn’t yet know what to do with women who don’t spend all day typing. On top of that, her father is a major presence in her life, for better or worse. By making friends with other female officers and striking out on her own to investigate a case no one wants to acknowledge, she’s stepping way out of her comfort zone and possibly killing her budding career.

I like Karin Slaughter’s writing, though I haven’t yet picked up her Grant County series. Sara (from that series) is still in Will’s life, but she has some difficulty dealing with what the books revelations are doing to him. To her credit, she sticks with him, and to his credit, he lets her, despite his basest instincts.

One thing that is great about this book is the different atmospheres. With part of the book taking place in the present and part of it in the mid-70s, the story lines just felt different. The steamy, sweaty, disgusting heat of that Atlanta summer just jumped off the page.

Will remains one of my favorite lead detectives, and I look forward to seeing where he goes next.

[Amanda]

Original review: http://onabookbender.com/2012/08/23/review-criminal-by-karin-slaughter/

4.5

There are so many reasons to love this book. SO. MANY. But, well, let me break it down for you.

Every single character. I could spend hours and hours talking about these characters. This is our sixth Will Trent book. We have had Sara for even more (all of the Grant County series, plus the majority of these). I have loved Will from the very start. He is incredibly smart, but in many ways lets himself be beat down by his past, which is terrible and sad and broken. In Criminal, we get to learn about Will’s parents and how he ended up at the children’s orphanage. Previous books have explored Will’s time at the orphanage, but Criminal goes into the part of Will’s that even he is not aware of. It is both tragic and freeing. On Sara, briefly: I think (and have always thought) she is the perfect match for Will, and am very interested to see what plays out as far as her crime solving role in the future.

Though this was a Will Trent book, I think Amanda Wagner stole the show. This book seemed to really be about the case that Amanda and Evelyn worked the summer that Will was born. I’ve never been to Atlanta (nor have I been to Atlanta in the 1970s — obviously), but Karin Slaughter has a way of making the city (and its history) come alive. The way that the entire world seemed to be against women as police officers (never mind them as detectives) was chilling because it felt authentic and completely plausible. And the 1975 Amanda and present day Amanda are so incredibly different that it was fascinating to see the dichotomy.

And, of course, I don’t think I can write a review without mentioning Angie. Oh, how I hate her! She’s like a constant thorn in our sides and attempts to sabotage as much of Will’s life as possible. Clearly Will is trying to move on with a relationship with Sara, but Angie keeps popping up when you least need her around. And she is poisonous. I’m ready to say goodbye to her. Or to have Will sever ties completely with her. Either way is good. As long as she goes.

And the mystery! I loved the way Karin Slaughter has woven two stories into one with the alternating time shifts. And, of course, even when you think you know what’s going to happen, there is some kind of twist thrown in that skews everything just a bit so that your entire view of the case is altered. The mysteries that Karin Slaughter create are often bloody and violent and graphic, but they are always riveting. So, to sum up: I have mad love for Karin Slaughter’s characters and mysteries, and if you’re any kind of mystery fan who doesn’t mind a bit of blood and violence, I suggest you pick up these books.