User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
Well Played Karin Slaughter, Well Played. Oops You did it again
You played with my heart..
My oh My.. what a wild, crazy, heart stopping, laugh out loud, tearfilled ride “The Silent Wife” turned out to be.
Going in, I had no idea what to expect. What I got was Jeffrey. My Jeffrey. Jeffrey Tolliver. Be Still My Heart. Sara Linton, is now an Atlanta resident, where she is the medical examiner at the GBI and the girlfriend of Will Trent, who is an investigator with the GBI. Sara, however, was once a resident of Grant County, when she was married to the Chief of Police, Jeffrey Tolliver, before he was murdered.
When Will Trent, his partner Faith Mitchell and Sara are called into investigate a crime at a prison, old cases of Jeffrey’s are called into question: murders of young women at Grant Tech. His reputation and that of the Grant County PD are on the line. Unfortunately for Will, Faith and Sara, the only officer who can shed light on the situation is a very pregnant Lena Adams, now a Detective with the Macon PD. Can you say
Meow?!To make matters much worse, the GBI discovers several other victims with the same MO whose deaths have occurred in the years since the original murders, leaving the team racing to find a serial killer in their midst.
Told in both the Past (with Jeffrey) and the Present (with Will and Sara), what happens here is seriously intense. Heartstopping, thrilling, terrifying and sometimes, extremely violent. Karin Slaughter knows how to scare a girl. Although I guessed the who and the why fairly early on, it did not detract from my enjoyment in any way whatever.
Then there’s Jeffrey.
A huge part of me loved revisiting Jeffrey. How could I not? He has my heart and he always will. That said, this Karin Slaughter novel tore me in two. I really like Will Trent. A lot. I love his partnership with Faith and laughed hysterically at their antics in this novel. I also like Will with Sara, although, I personally don’t think she’s good enough for him. (Sorry NOT Sorry!!). That said, I absolutely LOVE Jeffrey Tolliver. Yes, I am one of those women. When he died my heart was RIPPED OUT of my chest. It is something that I have not gotten over to this day. When I started reading this book and realized that Karin Slaughter was drudging it all back up AGAIN, with Will, Sara, LENA and JEFFREY.. My stomach churned and turned and I felt ill. I finished this novel two days ago and I am still a mess over it all and will be for a long time. It is to Karin Slaughter’s credit that she is able to pull all of these emotions out of me.
“The Silent Wife” is a spellbinding, intense, mystery thriller that is a must read for Karin Slaughter fans. I personally suggest reading all of the Grant County and Will Trent novels in order before reading this so that you can experience the characters and the raw emotions that Karin Slaughter brings to the table. Kudos to Ms. Slaughter for slaying me yet again.
Thank you to my book buddy Kaceey for being there for me throughout. I started bingeing this series last September and she has been there for me every step of the way. She has laughed and supported my love and utter despair over Jeffrey, my anger and frustration at Sara, my adoration of Will and Faith and my defense of Lena. I would not have gotten through this series without you. We read this one together and it was the best!
Thank you to HarperCollins, William Morrow, Edelweiss and Karin Slaughter for the arc.
Published on Goodreads on 7.5.20.
Rating: really liked it
Finally we got a real,gripping, gory, gritty, graphic, disturbing, dark and unputdownable Will Trent story that we’ve been waiting for. Don’t get me wrong, the brilliant, ultra talented author always gives us one book at a year but last two books were like regular, fast pacing thrillers and I missed the real essence, dysfunctional dynamics of Will’s world.
But this book brought that missing essence by meticulously merging past and present, that means without coming clean, facing their pasts, the characters cannot move on because they’re stuck with the ghosts of their old lives.
Quick summary of the book’s plot line: Brutal attacks on women by serial killer start to occur, which is bearing same MO of a rapist who has been locked for life 8 years ago and who has insisted that he has been innocent. Now a dangerous serial killer/ rapist out there to hunt the innocent women. And the prisoner Daryl Nesbitt who has been put behind the bars for the past allegations of brutal rape murders demands to see Will and longtime partner Faith Mitchell and during their meeting he insists he’s been framed by the corrupted cops.
Of course Nesbitt points at: Jeffrey Tolliver, Grant County’s Chief Officer for wrongly accusing him of two violent rape attacks, the same officer who has been brutally murdered and the deceased husband of Will’s girlfriend, medical examiner Sara Linton. These accusations open up can of worms and force to face both Will and Sara with the skeletons they hid in their locked closet doors, questioning their intimate relationship.
The book is divided between two different timescales: We go back to 8 years ago to witness Jeffrey’s investigation progress, seeing young Sara and we move back to the present to witness Faith, Will, Sara who’s racing against time to solve the murderers and catching the killer.
Overall: it was gripping, thrilling, action packed , captivating novel and even though from the beginning I have some questions about Sara and Will’s relationship: at this book we see a clear picture about what holding them to move on and what they are scared of.
And Faith is always one of my favorite characters of this book. Her partnership with Will, their opposite characteristics, their banters and the way of special, quirky communication between them are adorable, giving us dark humorous parts when we need to take break and relax after reading breathtaking, depressing, dark chapters of the book.
The only thing disturbed me was detailed and long parts which made me slowed down. But instead of that, for so long this was one of the best Will Trent books I’ve read so long and I also enjoyed promising ending, looking forward to read the next one sooner.
Rating: really liked it
Karin Slaughter's latest addition to her Georgia Bureau of Investigations (GBI) agent Will Trent and medical examiner, Dr Sara Linton, series is a dark, unsettling and disturbing nightmare of a affair. GBI have been called in to to investigate the murder of inmate, 38 year old Jesus Vasquez, at the penitentiary during a riot, when they are offered information on the perpetrators by another prisoner, Daryl Nesbitt. He claims that he is innocent of the brutally devastating attacks, sexual assaults and murders of women in Grant County, pointing the finger at the then Chief of Police, Jeffery Tolliver, Sara's dead husband, and his fellow police officer, Lena Adams, as responsible for a corrupt investigation. Nesbitt says he can prove he is innocent, that there have been at least eight other women murdered since his imprisonment, by the real serial killer, furnishing GBI with newspaper articles on their deaths, demanding they investigate in exchange for revealing who killed Vasquez.
Will and Sara's relationship develop tensions, fears and insecurities as Sara is plunged into her past, the trauma of Jeffery's original investigations, a bitter period where she had been divorced from the handsome Jeffery after his infidelities, before she later married him again as she had never stopped loving him. GBI and Sara begin to look at the deaths of the women, beginning with the most recent, Alexandra McAllister, thought to have been an accident. Lena, loathed and not trusted by the GBI in the slightest, is now pregnant informing them she has shredded her notebooks, making it difficult to uncover the truth of her and Jeffery's actions that led to Nesbitt being identified as the killer. It soon becomes alarmingly clear that the serial killer has continuing raping and killing women through the years, becoming more adept at disguising the deaths as accidents. His MO though has remain the same, stalking the women, stealing hair accessories from his victims as trophies, hitting them on the head with a hammer, drugging them, rape and sexual assault, paralysis, leaving their bodies in the surrounding woods.
GBI find themselves up against a killer that is smart, deliberate, methodical, a risk taker, relishing hiding in plain sight, continuing to prey on women relentlessly, with never a flicker of remorse. Sara's personal relationship with Tolliver comes under the spotlight, the past taking up so much of her head space in the present, impacting on her relationship with Will, and having her examining the different natures of the men she had fallen in love with. The highlights in Slaughter's terrifying narrative of extreme violence and rape against women, is the sliver of hope in the theme of survival through the worst of horrors and trauma that could befall a woman, and the undeniable love portrayed between Sara and Will. This is brilliant, if tortuously dark and disturbing, storytelling that I highly recommend to crime and thriller readers. Many thanks to HarperCollins for an ARC.
Rating: really liked it
“A really gritty, violent love story.”
The Silent Wife is a dark, suspenseful, and violent thriller. But a love story? Love stories do play a central role, but the Will Trent series is really about the characters, their relationships, and friendships, and the horrible crimes they investigate. Most significantly, all of the characters are survivors.A murderer dangles evidence that demonstrates that he has been wrongfully convicted. His revelation leads to the realization that a depraved serial killer has been on the loose for eight years, brutally raping and terrorizing his victims. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation investigates, forcing them to take a closer look at some of their own.
This is one of the most brutal books in the series. The details are graphic, the crimes are sickening and hard to read about. This book is not for the faint of heart. The presence of Will, Faith, Amanda, and Sara, along with some characters in the past from Grant County, make it readable.
This book is not as much about the killer (their identity is made pretty obvious early on), but more about the victims who survived being raped and tortured. Their lives have been stolen, and every day is a struggle for them to get through. As Slaughter writes, it’s an “honest telling of survivors, fighters, mothers, daughters, sisters, wives, friends, and rogues.”
The other main focus is on the characters who are at the heart of this series: Will, Sara, Faith, and Amanda, with some ghosts from the past making appearances.
The narrative is split between Sara and Will in the present, and (view spoiler)
[Jeffrey (yes, Jeffrey Tolliver!!) in the past! (hide spoiler)]Will and Sara are at a crossroads, continuing the pattern of not talking about their relationship. Faith is still battling being a single mother, and Amanda is still not sharing. I love Faith’s sense of humor--she is such a fun character, and her one-liners were much needed to lighten the tone of this book.
This book can be read as a standalone, but really the whole series needs to be read to appreciate the characters and their relationships. I loved and appreciated KS’s author’s note. Her wit and humor and love for these characters and series shine through.
I reread the ending 5 times. After binging this series over the last four months, I am not ready for a break from Will, Sara, Faith, and Amanda, and one of my favorite book dogs, Betty. While waiting for the next book in the series, I will be catching up on all the KS books that I have not read. Hopefully, they will fill the void! 4.5 stars
Thank you to Harper Collins for sending me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: really liked it
These books are basically crack to me so you’re not going to get a super balanced or neutral review here. I probably also shouldn’t be making drug jokes right after reading Dopesick, but I don’t have a better way to describe it! Karin Slaughter’s books just do it for me—as soon as I finish one I’m immediately looking around to see if there’s another. Luckily we got
The Silent Wife less than a year after The Last Widow, and honestly:
I had to double check, but I believe this is the first police/crime thriller I’ve read since the George Floyd protests, at least where the protagonists are almost entirely members of law enforcement. It’s interesting to revisit a beloved series with this different point of view, almost as if I’m seeing some things for the first time. While there
may have been time for some tweaks, based on the international publication days I’m assuming pretty much all of
The Silent Wife was written without this added layer of scrutiny. Therefore I was really pleasantly surprised with how well the material holds up.
Slaughter has never been one to hold back, especially when depicting some of the realities for women and non-white members of the community and police force. Spoiler for Triptych: (view spoiler)
[Hell the first villain that we see Will Trent chase down is a rapist cop. (hide spoiler)] But I was also glad to see that she didn’t gloss over prison mistreatment and all kinds of systemic corruption. It was a bit of a reality check, though, to see my beloved Will and Faith toeing the ‘Thin Blue Line’, even if they did so reluctantly.
The Silent Wife is definitely a book about cops—I mean duh it’s a police procedural. But if you’re hesitant to see any glamorization of the law enforcement given the uptick in violence against protestors and the constant over-policing of communities of color, this one definitely isn’t going to make anyone feel all warm and fuzzy towards the boys in blue.
Which brings us to the elephant in almost every room of the
Trent series, Jeffery. One of the best ways Slaughter is able to pass a critical eye over some of her previous books, special attention to several of the
*ahem* questionable members of the Grant County Police force of the past, is through utilizing flashbacks. In the case Trent and Mitchell are following-up on, they’re led towards one of former Chief Jeffery Tolliver’s prior cases. Every piece of information they collect is a knock against him and the people who worked under him. It’s yet another Jeffery-shaped strain put on Sara and Will’s relationship, but it’s also tough for anyone who’s carrying a badge to admit when mistakes are made at any level. I did love seeing Jeffery again, even in this manner, and even though it meant seeing Lena (🤮) once more. But after 16 books I feel like I finally understand a crucial piece of their symbiotic relationship.
My biggest complaint has to do with the previous book, The Last Widow. (view spoiler)
[That one was insane. A suicide cult, an assault on a government building by an armed militia, presumably HUNDREDS dead, and not even a mention of any of that?? I swear, it’s like that book happened in a vacuum. Nearly every other previous plotline was woven into this book one way or another, but I can’t understand why she left that book out. Maybe she’s saving it? I’ll be kind of annoyed if it’s never brought up again. (hide spoiler)] All that said, Ms. Karin, ma’am. I will follow you anywhere, read anything you write and try to force your books on everyone I know. 💙
*Thanks Jordan for an early copy!!!!!**
For more book talk & reviews, follow me on Instagram at @elle_mentbooks!
Rating: really liked it
Whewww! This was
my first full-length Karin Slaughter book and it did NOT disappoint.
This book takes place across two timelines.
There's present-day Atlanta, Georgia - where we follow the police investigation of a woman who's been brutally attacked.
The
trail is cold but when Will Trent (the investigator) gets a call to the local prison, he realizes that there's far more to the case than he ever expected.
There was a string of murders about 10ish years ago across cities that suddenly (and horrifically) begin to spell out a pattern.
Meanwhile, in the past, we follow Jeffery as he stumbles upon the original set of murders. Two victims, a short timespan and possible connections and far-reaching implications.
The more present-Will unravels this secret, the sicker it becomes.
Overall - I really enjoyed this book.
It did feel a little weird to jump in on this series at book 10 but at the same time there was enough background given that it wasn't too much of a leap. (Though, the quick rundowns of all the relationship stuff did slightly make my head spin).
The mystery aspect of this book was
fantastically done - I had absolutely no idea where the book was taking me but I was 110% there for it.
The way Slaughter set up all of those dominoes for this story - fantastic. The grand reveal - completely and utterly satisfying. Loved the tension and the build.
I was slightly thrown by the relationship dynamic between Sara and Will - it felt more like
drama for drama's sake but ultimately I was okay with how it played out.
Past videos involving this book 
New week,
new BookTube Video - all about the books sent to me in July and August!
I'm LOVING the sound of this one - I don't even care that I'm jumping on the series at book 10. I just want to read it now!
A huge thank you to William Morrow and Karin Slaughter books for sending me a free copy in exchange for an honest review.YouTube | Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Snapchat @miranda_reads
Rating: really liked it
Nineteen years ago, Karin Slaughter wrote the first book in her Grant County series and she has been my favorite ever since. Karin Slaughter fans know that the books began with the Grant County Series and then the Will Trent Series came along with Sara doing a crossover and the rest is history folks. If you have not read these two series, I highly recommend them. Be warned - they are dark, full of heinous crime, full of love, full of suspense, full of medical and investigative jargon, and simply my favorite page turners of all time. She has had some awesome stand-alone books as well. Okay, I am done fangirling and gushing....
Atlanta, Georgia - A young woman is brutally attacked and left for dead. After investigation, the case unfortunately turns cold. That is until GBI investigator Will Trent is at a crime scene in a state penitentiary and a prisoner says he recognizes the MO - after all, he was committed for the same type of crime years ago. He always claimed he was innocent, he always blamed/claimed Jeffrey Tolliver, put the wrong man behind bars.
As Will and his team begin to investigate, ghosts of the past come back. The biggest one being Jeffrey Tolliver, Sara's dead husband (Sara and Will are a HOT item, in case you have not read the books). There is a lot of history that is about to be dug up. To give some background, as I previously mentioned, Sara Linton is Will's girlfriend but was once the pediatrician and medical examiner of Grant County where she was married, divorced and married again to Jeffrey Tolliver, who was the Chief of Police.
This book was a roller coaster ride for many reasons. Told through the past and present, readers got to see Jeffrey Tolliver again! This was fun and bittersweet all at the same time. Boy did I want to punch Slaughter in the face after she ripped my heart out at the end of the Grant County series. Like King, she is not afraid to kill her darlings. It was a nice walk down memory lane. Plus, we got more information on the crimes, the investigation, and saw things from Jeffrey's POV.
LOVED IT!
In the present day, we see Will, Faith, Amanda, Sara, and even Lena. We also see their investigation, the strain the investigation puts on Will and Sara's relationship (how could it not?) and even learn the truth. Amanda still wants things ASAP! Faith continues to be a funny, strong, single mother, investigator and partner to Will. Will continues to be Will and Sara continues to be Sara. Which are all great things. We also get to see members of Sara's family and I continue to love Sara's Mothers love and wise words.
"My precious child, her mother said. Let me carry the burden of your hate. Let me do that for you so that you can move on." But along the way, this was a love letter for fans of both series. A bloody, dark and suspenseful love letter! Bless her heart! I loved every single page of this book.
"With Jeffrey, Sara had known that there were dozens, possibly hundreds of other women who could love him just as intensely as she did. With Will, Sara was keenly aware that she was the only woman on earth who could love him the way that he deserved to be loved." Just as Will Trent deserves to be loved, Karin Slaughter deserves to be loved for writing this book! I found this book to be well thought out, perfectly paced, and engrossing. As present and past collided in this book, things just got better and better, not to mention, more riveting, more dangerous and darker! Just the way I like it!
Most books work as a stand-alone. Not this one. Not really. You
NEED to read them all. That’s right start with the Grant County Series and then move on to the Will Tent Series. Fans of Slaughter and these series will not be disappointed.
In case I did not make myself perfectly clear – This book was
AWESOME!
p.s.
READ the Author’s note. You’re welcome!Thank you to HarperCollins, William Morrow, Edelweiss and Karin Slaughter for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Rating: really liked it
It’s been nineteen years since Karin Slaughter released her first book in the Grant County series. Now, in the connected Will Trent series, she has written the best book since 2012’s “Criminal”.
Past and present collide when GBI investigator Will Trent and his partner, Faith Mitchell, go from looking at a deadly prison riot to looking into the brutal attack of a woman. When Will’s girlfriend, medical examiner Sara Linton, gets the chance to perform a second autopsy on a new victim, it becomes clear that this latest string of attacks may be connected to the ones that happened earlier...in Grant County...when Sara’s then ex-husband, Jeffrey Tolliver, was chief of police. There may be a serial rapist and murderer on the loose. To make matters more complicated, it is called into question whether or not Jeffrey and rookie cop Lena Adams were corrupt in their handling of the Grant County case.
I cannot explain how much I was anticipating this book, and I’m happy to report that it did NOT disappoint! Not only do we get to read more about the characters we love in the present day (Will, Sara, Sara’s family, Faith, and Amanda), we also get Jeffrey! He is very much alive in the past timeline...a particular period that we never saw Jeffrey and Sara in. Oh, and we get Lena in past and present. I can’t stand her at all, and I hope karma knocks on her door one of these days.
This book (and both series) is dark, and not for the faint of heart. It’s graphic in its descriptions of violence (I will never look at a hammer the same way again), medical procedures, and harm to women. It’s also a dialogue-driven, emotional journey of characters we feel like we really know. The underlying tone is romance. The love that Sara and Will have for each other is like no other I have read. Sara’s path from Jeffrey to Will is heartbreaking and wonderful all at the same time. As she so eloquently puts it:
“With Jeffrey, Sara had known that there were dozens, possibly hundreds of other women who could love him just as intensely as she did. With Will, Sara was keenly aware that she was the only woman on earth who could love him the way that he deserved to be loved.”
If you’re new to the world of Karin Slaughter, I would highly suggest starting at the very beginning of the Grant County series (Blindsighted) and working your way through. It will make the emotional punch all the more satisfying. I had tears at the end of this one. I’ll leave it to the reader to determine if those were tears of joy or sorrow.
Rating: really liked it
Oh my Gosh!! A new Will Trent novel <3.
Will is one of my favorite male characters. He is so broken and so smart at the same time.
Surprisingly, I adored Sara Linton too. In general, we tend to be harder on the female characters. Thinking things like "she is making the wrong choice", "she is putting herself in danger unnecessarily", "she is acting mean for no reason" or maybe it's just me that expects to read more about smarter, interesting and powerful women characters. Luckily, I never have to complain about Sara. She is perfect for Will. She makes him more confident and even though it takes him a while to open up, she gets him to do it. Also, her own traumas and the way she has handled herself through all of it, makes me respect her. Or maybe because she is a doc is why I like her so much. Who knows, it may be all of it.
Getting back to The Silent Wife, Karin Slaughter wields her magic wand and we get to be back in Grant County, with a younger Sara and Grant County's Chief officer, Jeffrey Tolliver.
How you might ask? simple a serial killer.
At the beginning of the book, a prison riot brings the GBI to investigate. While gathering information, an inmate, Daryl Nesbit, wants to talk to Will and Faith. He says he is innocent of a crime and he has the proof. Women have gone missing after he was put in prison and he blames Jeffrey and Lena Adams for letting the serial killer run free.
By several POV's and by intercalating past and present chapters, we get a bigger picture of what truly happened. The identity of the serial killer was shocking but maybe not too much. It all made sense.
Karin's writing is always raw and gritty. True evil is out there in the world and she knows how to bring it into her fictional world in a masterful way.
In regards to the characters, I already drooled over Will and Sara at the beginning of my review, so I will say that Faith is another strong female character. Being in her head is always entertaining and I do love her relationship with Will as a partner and as his friend. Amanda as their boss is the cherry on top. She seems to be one step ahead of everyone every single time. I know the majority of readers love Jeffrey. I'm in the minority. I was never a Jeffrey fan. I thought Sara deserved better. However, he annoyed me very little in this one.
One thing I want to make clear in case I haven't done it in my prior reviews is that I HATE Lena. I hope she gets what she deserves. She is a horrible person and doesn't learn from her mistakes. Really sad for her husband.
Cliffhanger: No
4/5 Fangs
MrsLeif's Two Fangs About It | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Rating: really liked it
I have read (and not particularly liked) other books by this author. This is the first Will Trent book I have read. It’s part romance novel and part police procedural with a lot of descriptions of very violent rapes. I wasn’t expecting either of those features. The book could have been 250 pages shorter if it had excluded the Sara/Will relationship drama, but that is probably what fans of the series are looking for. I will not read more of the series.
Rating: really liked it
4.5*I have been reading Karin Slaughter's books for years. I was a huge Jeffrey Tolliver fan! (I mean who wasn’t?)💁🏻♀ but grew to love Will Trent as he tried to fill Jeffery's shoes and our hearts.
But what happens when worlds collide and we have both Will and Jeffery in one book!? You say it can’t be done? Well only the very talented Karin Slaughter delivers the goods flawlessly!
I love all the characters Ms. Slaughter brings to life and this series has not faltered in the least over the years!
If you are new to this author or this series I recommend going back to the beginning and reading all her intertwining series in order. It’s so worth it.
These are not light thrillers either. There is always a dark edge to each but fits the storyline perfectly.
A buddy read with Susanne that we both devoured!
Thank you to Edelweiss and William Morrow for an ARC to read and review.
Rating: really liked it
Will Trent and Faith Mitchell of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation are called to a Georgia prison following a riot and death of an inmate. Whilst there, prisoner Daryl Nesbitt asks to see them and accuses Detective Jeffrey Tolliver of fitting him up for brutal two rape attacks which he is serving time for. Jeffrey is now dead and was the former husband of medical examiner Dr Sara Linton who is in a relationship with Will. The unfolding drama puts a great strain on both of them and their relationship. The story is told in two different timelines from Jeffrey’s perspective eight years ago with the original investigation and Will, Faith and Sara’s in the present day.
The two different timescales works extremely well and they dovetail effortlessly . This is a tricky thing to get exactly right and shows the skill of the author. This is a very twisty tale, there are moments when it’s very creepy and scary and the plot is extremely gritty. The attacks on women are savage and although its made crystal clear just how depraved the perpetrator is, this is not gratuitous but it is hard hitting. It’s well written, the characters are very good, some of them are damaged by their past but this makes them more intriguing because they are flawed and complex. I like the occasional dark humour which is a welcome release from the storyline. I did guess who the perpetrator is but it does not spoil the ending of the book in any way.
However, it took me a long time to get into the book (maybe 25%) as I feel it’s over detailed and a bit longwinded in places. Then something seems to change and the tempo increases and from that point on I couldn’t put the book down.
With thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins for the ARC.
Rating: really liked it
First of all, I won this in a Goodreads giveaway, so wowza! Thanks to Harper Collins for the lovely ARC. I was so excited when I got this in the mail, since I love Karen Slaughter and this is her twentieth book. It is also part of the GBI (Georgia Bureau of investigation) series with agent Will Trent and coroner Sara Linton. A couple at work and at home, these two are my favorite characters in a mystery series. Why doesn't someone make a tv show of these stories already?
The Silent Wife didn't disappoint either. Hurled headlong into the action, I read with trepidation as a college student takes an early morning run. She is angry at her roommates for eating all of her healthy food and hopes to get rid of some of her angst by exercising. Before she leaves, Becky realizes that someone has taken her broken hair clip that was her mother's. Her roommate knows how important the clip is to Becky and swears she didn't take it. Anyone who knows about serial killers and their penchant for keeping souvenirs (which is all of us at this point) knows that this is foreshadowing.
Fans of the Grant County series will be thrilled to learn that this a step back in time to an earlier murder case with Chief Tolliver. The "Chief" as an annoying GBI friend calls him, Jeffrey is working on a potential serial killer case. Sara and his marriage has just fallen apart because of his infidelity. This case and the new murder are connected and it's up to Will and Sara to figure it out. Meanwhile, Sara is confronted with her past feelings for her deceased husband and Will's jealousy. This is a magnificent continuation of Sara and Will's story and a shocking murder mystery. Slaughter, well named, has done it again!
Rating: really liked it
GBI Detective Will Trent and his partner Faith Mitchell are called to the scene of the aftermath of a prison riot. While investigating the murder of one of the inmates, another comes forward insisting he can help identify the killers and an inside scheme involving contraband but will cooperate only if they will investigate the assault of a young woman eight years ago that he was accused of committing. It’s a case that involved Jeffrey Tolliver and his team in Grant County and this prisoner is accusing him of deliberately framing him. The case will challenge Will in so many ways, especially as he’ll have to include Sara Linton, the medical examiner and his girlfriend who was married to Tolliver until five years ago when he was murdered.
Oh, this brought back so many memories, both good and bad. I loved the
Grant County series (essential to read before starting this one!!!) with all its boils and interesting characters. I had a love/hate relationship with Jeffrey throughout but came to adore him by the last book. He’s not at his finest here as the story shifts between the past and present, focusing on the case from eight years ago and one that Will and Faith are investigating that's remarkably similar. It’s also not a retread of old ground as the assault occurred during that time when Sara and Jeffrey had divorced and weren’t on civil terms. Jeffrey is remembered with such a halo in present day that it was jarring to recall that time when he most definitely hadn’t earned that distinction and had a much different reputation.
The case was intriguing but what really enthralled me was the personal angles involving Will and Sara’s relationship and the turmoil involved in having to confront his insecurities about Jeffrey’s memories and her unresolved feelings. It’s riveting stuff, raw and discomforting most of the time. And don’t get me started about the confrontation between Lena Adams, Will and Faith. That scene will stand as a classic. The narrator’s performance, always stellar, was just beyond outstanding as she nailed so many of the main characters’ personalities and nuances. I’ll never read this series again because of what Kathleen Early brings to the audio version. I had really high expectations for this book and it still beat them. It was 18+ hours of audiobook bliss.
Posted on Blue Mood Café
(Thanks to NetGalley for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.)
Rating: really liked it
Spoiler Free Review:Eight years ago, most Grant County authorities were confident they had locked a serial rapist and murderer away for life. Recent brutal cases of misogynistic attacks on women bearing the same horrifying MO suggest the serial killer is still out there preying on women. The convicted inmate's declaration of innocence and disturbing accusations of dirty cops add fuel to the flame indicating a deadly mistake and gross injustice may have occurred. In a race against time, GBI Agent Will Trent and team, including girlfriend Medical Examiner Sara Linton, begin the monumental task of sifting through disturbing past GC cases in search of an illusive missed detail that links past with present. As a result, ghosts from the past escape, old wounds flare, and painful memories surface straining the fragile relationship between Will and Sara. That is all I can say about this story without huge spoilers. Do yourself a favor by going into this story blind. It'll spear you straight through the heart if you do!
The Silent Wife is another raw, gutsy, graphic, glorious addition to the Will Trent series. The riveting story unfolds through alternating periods of past and present that served to keep me burning through pages to reach the end. I admire and appreciate Slaughter's gift for setting scenes that pull readers in via all five senses, but consider yourself forewarned that graphic crime scenes may be disturbing to read as they are brutally realistic leaving no doubt the author has once again done her homework right down to the most meticulous detail. This author's signature sharp prose and intimately woven plot lines propel characters and readers forward at a frantic life or death pace. Readers can count on being plummeted into the chaos of characters' minds while finding themselves charged with unmasking a deadly predator hiding in plain sight . . . before he kills again. Those familiar with the Grant County series will recognize past characters they love . . . or love to hate. There's not much more I can say about this author's characterizations without sounding like a broken record. They're amazingly accurate, detailed, dimensional, and alive with main characters who are deeply flawed, vulnerable and so unbelievably real that my heart aches for them whenever I'm back in their world.
The Silent Wife is everything I hoped it would be and more. I started it with anticipation, read with trepidation, and finished it with cautious optimism. It's gritty, graphic, emotional, heartbreaking, and what does it say about me that I can't wait for the next book? I applaud Slaughter for shining a light on assault survivors who struggle to escape the darkness and overwhelming sense of loss and grief to find their path forward again. Their strength and will to live are an amazing inspiration to all. Needless to say,
The Silent Wife has a place of honor on my All-Time Favorites Shelf. I'll even venture to say it's the best of the series thus far! This story embodies everything I love about suspense thrillers . . . and complicated love stories. Highly Recommended!
*Special thanks to publisher William Morrow for an arc of this book via edelweiss.plus
**Review posted at: Cross My Heart Reviews
