Criminal (Will Trent, #6)

by Karin Slaughter

[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.