He entered, in the midst of a bloody and fairly gory murder scene, after a brief moment of concern for Betty, his small dog, who needed her teeth cleaned, because if the vet was to be believed, you needed to take out a mortgage to pay for the bills associated with poor dental hygiene in dogs.
And there you have a taste of Karin Slaughter. Her books are darkly amusing, clever and gruesome. And that's before you've met the characters.
Will Trent is a special agent, with a messed up past that will never leave him alone. His feisty partner, Faith is a single mother, and determined to be the best agent in the GBI (Georgia Bureau of Investigation). Amazing Amanda is their bitchy boss, who never fails to fling a sarcastic, poisoned comment that will leave your jaw hanging. And they've just been joined by medical examiner Sara Linton, a beautiful doctor (if you've read Karin's Grant County, you know her already). Sara and Will are trying being in love, and the fact that the murder scene has large amounts of blood belonging to Will's wife, Angie (yes, I did say wife!) is not helpful.
Will thinks he can find her, because he knows her. Sara can tell from the scene that her chances of survival are small. Angie is from the same shattered past as Will, and now a cop, so she is tough, resourceful and has friends in the highest of low places.
Karin Slaughter, do you sleep at night? Because we can't. Not until we've read to the end. This is another gripping crime thriller. A page turner of note, there is a lot of blood, so not for the faint-hearted. The characters are caught up in horrific scenes and the plot moves at a cracking pace - good confronting evil at every turn.
It's a brilliant read, and ticks all the boxes - psychological crime at its very best.
4 stars
ISBN: 9781780893570
If you like the sound of this, but aren't up for the series, try Pretty Girls or Cop Town (both stand alone) by Karin Slaughter. Or you may enjoy Daisy in Chains by Sharon Bolton.
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