Review: Fractured by Karin Slaughter (Will Trent #2)

In this second installment of the Will Trent series by the incredibly talented Karin Slaughter, we are back in Atlanta investigating the brutal murder of one teenage girl and the apparent abduction of another. When Abigail Campano comes home from an afternoon of playing tennis to find her affluent Ansley Park home broken into, her mind instantly goes to Emma, her 16 year-old daughter. When she reaches the top of the stairs and looks down the hallway leading to Emma's room, she sees the small, crumpled body laying at the feet of a man leaning over her with a knife. Abigail's protective mother mode, along with her adrenaline, kicks in and she lunges for the intruder and literally strangles him with her bare hands, using her fingers to gouge his eyes out at the same time.

Agent Will Trent, with the Georgia Bureau of Investigations, is called to the scene to assist the Atlanta Police Department in its investigation. When Will arrives, he soon starts noticing things about the crime scene that just don't add up. A few hours into the investigation, it becomes clear that the APD has made a pivotal error in assessing the crime scene, in turn, wasting valuable time. As a result, the GBI takes over the case which does nothing to sooth the friction between the two law enforcement agencies.

For this case, Agent Trent is assigned a partner, which is something new for him. Faith Mitchell, a detective with the APD is as surprised as Will but they attempt to put their personal feelings aside and get to work on the case. Both Faith and Will have connections to the case, though both are reluctant to divulge the connections. With the life of a young girl hanging in the balance they have a suspect in their sights but proving his involvement becomes tedious and difficult. As the hours tick by, the hope of finding their victim alive wanes as they try to put all of the pieces together before its too late.

My Thoughts:

A few months ago when I read the first book in this series, I was riveted and I am happy to say I felt similarly about this one. FRACTURED is not as violent as TRIPTYCH, the first book, but it was equally as heart-pounding. I didn't miss the gruesomeness of the first book, and it showed me that Karen Slaughter can give the same thrills without all of the shock and horror she showed previously. That said, I'm sure there will be other books in this series that will have more violence but it won't keep me from reading them at all. Her restraint in this book spotlights her talent as a great suspense writer.

On another note, I liked the introduction of Detective Faith Mitchell as a new character and I feel like she brought a dimension to the story that worked very well. I hope to see more of her in the future. From the very beginning, I have appreciated KS's writing style. There's not many writers that can really take me by surprise the way she does in her stories.  Its one of the things I love most about her writing. I've also noticed that my vocabulary is growing by leaps and bounds since I began reading her books. I've started highlighting all the new words I discover as I read just to keep track. These are words I've never heard before such as: fulcrum, spurious, misogyny and shemales to name just a few.  As a lover of words, this is a bonus for me.  

The next book in the series is UNDONE and it brings in the main character of her Grant County Series, Sarah Linton. I've not read that series though I do have the first book, BLINDSIGHTED, and I am planning to read it as well.  I'm really looking forward to continuing with the Will Trent books as I've developed a passion for crime/suspense fiction. I know these books have been out for awhile, but its never to late to get started. Karin Slaughter is a writer that I enjoy so much and though it may take me some time to get caught up, I am going to enjoy every book along the way.

FRACTURED (Will Trent #2) 
Author: Karin Slaughter
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Sold By: Random House, LLC
Published:  July 2008
Length: 400 pp

Review: TripTych by Karin Slaughter

I know I'm very late in reading the work of mystery/suspense writer Karin Slaughter, but all I can say is better late than never. I love that all of her stories take place in Atlanta, Slaughter's home town, and of course, I've heard so much about her highly acclaimed Grant County Series.  In keeping with my decision to read less review books and focus more on books I've always wanted to read,  I decided to start with KS's later spin-off series from 2006, Will Trent. TRIPTYCH starts the series off with a bang!

Michael Ormewood, a long-time detective with the Atlanta PD, is investigating the rape and murder of a known prostitute that lives in the projects. Its a disturbing crime scene made even more gruesome with the realization that the victim's tongue had been bitten off during the attack.  Will Trent, with the Georgia Bureau of Investigations, has been sent in to assist on the case. The puzzling part is that there have been two other cases of young girls being raped and their tongues bitten off, but they were not murdered like the last victim. And the prostitute, Aleesha Monroe, was in her forties. Soon, there's another victim: a fifteen-year-old who may have been raped before she died. Her tongue, however, was cut off, not bitten and the shocking part is this victim is Michael Ormewood's next door neighbor.

Will and Michael work together to figure out who the perpetrator of these horrific crimes is, but Michael resents Will's intrusion and Will doesn't care for Michael. Meanwhile, there's an ex-convict who was recently released from prison after serving two decades for raping and murdering a fifteen year-old girl back in 1985. And the fact that the victim's tongue was bitten off is too much of a coincidence to ignore.

My Thoughts;

I'll just get right to it and say that though this was a gruesome story, I loved this first book of the series. Admittedly, I don't read a lot of books like this, but it was a nice change of pace for me and was exactly what I was in the mood for. I have noticed, however that some reviewers haven't rated this book very high, but I gave it 5 stars. In my opinion, a good thriller keeps you on the edge of your seat and this book did that for me. I could not stop reading and when I had to stop, I couldn't wait to get back to it. I was so immersed in the story and so connected to the characters that I lost all track of time. My favorite thing was the story telling style of KS. I appreciated and enjoyed how she would reveal certain revelations throughout the book.  That made it possible for me to have many AHA moments.  But I will say, not to be stereotypical or anything, if I didn't already know the author was a woman, I would've sworn this book was written by a man. That is also one of the interesting aspects for me as I read this book. Also, when I read a thriller/mystery, I want to be shocked and surprised.  I don't want to see everything coming at me. I hate predictability and this book was not predictable. There were many moments where I sat there with my mouth hanging open. For me, that's a great thriller/mystery novel. TRIPTYCH gave me all of that. I'm not saying its the perfectly written book, or there's nothing out there like it, but it had everything in it to make it a great thriller! Thats all I can ask from a writer.

I'm really looking forward to reading FRACTURED, the second book in the Will Trent Series and I'll be curious to find out if KS can sustain the momentum with the subsequent books in the series. All I can say is at this point, I am a big Karin Slaughter and Will Trent fan! I still hope to find the time to read the Grant County series as well.

TRIPTYCH (Kindle Version)
Author: Karin Slaughter
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Published: August 2006
Print Length: 512 pp
Recommend? Yes!! For lovers of mystery and suspense who are NOT squeamish!