The latest Karin Slaughter book in the Will Trent series.
Karin Slaughter is an author who’s books you are going to automatically want as soon as they arrive in the shop shelf and then want the next one as soon as you’ve finished the new book.
The Silent Wife definitely follows this and lives up to expectation.
I really liked the back and fro to past time and current time. This not only related to plot but also filled in a bit of gaps as back story meaning if you’ve never read these books it didn’t matter too much.
Great plot and exceptionally written (as always), this is a great read.
Plenty of description (sometimes very gory and violent), tension, suspense plus a touch of romance.
Highly recommend this and all Karin Slaughter books.

Karin Slaughter never fails to deliver and The Silent Wife is no exception. A complex thriller in which a series of murders were successfully resolved several years previously only to have doubt raised on the validity of the result by the convicted killer who raises claims against those responsible for his incarceration. A slow torturous examination of events and individuals involved puts everybody and everything related to the case in doubt including the credibility of officers who were and are currently intrinsic in both the past and present investigation. The time frame cleverly moves between the events of the original murders and the tracing of people and documents to shed light on a possible miscarriage of justice whilst contemplating that the perpetrator has evaded apprehension and possibly continued his killing spree against vulnerable women. Whilst this race against time is the focus of this thrilling mystery a tangible link is played out between the current investigating officer and the widow (herself a key player in both investigations) of the original police chief. . A lengthy book, each page necessary to give the time required for salient facts related to each murder to be outlined as we the reader join the team trawling through the events of several murders from several years previous to track and trace a viscous serial killer. Many thanks to publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this hugely entertain five star read.

I have thoroughly enjoyed previous books by Karin Slaughter and, as anticipated, this did not disappoint.

For me this was a bit of slow burner however it soon had me enthralled. A dark somewhat gory tale along with the ongoing storyline of Sara and Will. What’s not to like?

4.5 stars

This is my first Karin Slaughter book, I didn’t realise there would be quite so much injury detail. I did skip past a few pages during several scenes which were a bit too detailed for me. I prefer detective stories that aren’t quite so graphic. The language is very descriptive throughout the book and you really get to know the characters. Even though this book is part of a series, it is a stand alone story and you don’t need to have read the others beforehand. The book is very well written and draws you in from the start. Thank you #netgalley.

This is dark, disturbing and creepy but you have to keep reading. I like a good detective duo and Will and Sara make a good team.
This book moves at an excellent pace, you know there is some corruption going on so is the culprit closer than you think? I was second guessing everyone’s actions trying to link back to clues and conversations. An excellent crime/thriller but not for the faint hearted as this killer is disturbingly cruel to the victims so be warned! Easily earning a 5⭐️ rating from me and highly recommended!

The Silent Wife is the tenth book in this bestselling series featuring special agent Will Trent, and the 20th book written by the queen of crime,  Karin Slaughter. I have read every book in the series and I believe this is the author’s darkest book yet! And probably my favourite book in the series so far. Be warned The Silent Wife isn’t a book I would recommend to those of a nervous disposition. Slaughters descriptions of the crimes committed are detailed and brutally honest. On more than one occasion I had to put the book down and take a break as some of the crimes scenes and descriptions made for a very disturbing and horrifying read. 


The book shifts between the original and the present day investigation, theres not many authors who can move between so seamlessly but slaughter manages it with aplomb. As you would expect with a long-running series, the characters are fully developed, some you will love others you will hate with a passion. The crime scenes are disturbing to read as they are brutally realistic and make for a grim read, but at the same time you realise they are fitting to the heinous plot. On the other hand the author depicts the women beyond the victim showing a great deal of sympathy. She explores the trials, physical and mental trauma, and the far-reaching consequences of being a woman of violent crime.  


I normally love a read that features a serial killer, but in this case I found the killer freaked me out, which doesn’t happen often. Their one twisted mother F****r!  The Silent Wife is a dark and disturbing read it’s hard-hitting, grim, terrifying, with one of the most extraordinary, twisted plots I’ve read in ages. Highly recommended to all crime thrillers lovers.

My thanks to HarperCollins and Netgalley for the copy of this eBook in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.
I do not do spoilers or dwell on the plot and story. If you want these, I suggest you read the publisher's blurb and other reviews - my interest is in the author and her craft.
Karin Slaughter is an experienced and popular author who deserves her reputation for explicit writing and the production of page turners.
I would recommend her current novel as an enjoyable book to take to the beach this summer.
I tend to be wary of series books because all too frequently authors grow too familiar with their protagonists and slowly the character loses clarity. Karin Slaughter's Will Trent does not suffer from this neglect and in some ways his presence enhances the story by offering reassurance to the reader that this is after all a book and not something to give you too terrible nightmares.
Another five stars for Karin Slaughter.

This is Karin Slaughter’s 20th novel in 20 years…such an accomplishment from an author who always hits the ground running, never sugar coats and always leaves the reader gasping for more.

The Silent Wife starts when Will Trent and his team of investigators are sent to a prison to interview witnesses of a murder. Daryl Nesbitt, a convicted criminal, informs Will that he has proof that he was framed and became a victim of police corruption. Nesbitt will co-operate by sharing his knowledge of the prison killing only if his case is re-investigated. He states that he is innocent of the crimes and that the real killer is leaving a path of destruction which has continued whilst he has been behind bars.

One of the officers that Nesbitt is accusing is Jeffrey Tolliver, a police chief who has been dead for several years. Will is now in a relationship with Jeffery’s ex-wife, Dr. Sara Linton. Sara was the forensic pathologist in the case which is now under speculation, however, she is also a valued and respected member of his current team. I enjoyed the dynamics of the relationship which added another dimension to the storyline. Both characters are highly respected yet flawed and fragile from past experiences and I became invested in their complex relationship. The dual timeline meant that Jeffrey could make an appearance in the plot as we are taken back to the previous case. This added even more tension to the already delicate relationship.

The detailed descriptions are brutal, sinister but sadly accurate. Karin Slaughter does extensive research and the authenticity really comes over in her writing. No matter how graphic the crimes are portrayed you still find yourself frantically turning pages.

This powerful, fast-paced thriller combines an emotive relationship with gruesome and brutal crimes against women, something that is unique within my reading experience. A hard-hitting, complex, and detailed novel and another hit for Karin Slaughter.

Is it possible that someone has been killing for years without the police noticing it?
I don’t know if you’ve been a follower of the Will Trent series, but don’t worry, if you are not the book will tell you all the links between the characters, you’ll not be lost. This is a story from the present, when Will and Faith go to a prison to investigate a murder, they will find much more than they were expecting, a lead that a serial killer has been killing people for the last years without anyone noticing it.
Could seem a typical case, but this one is personal for Will and Sarah, because the first detective that investigate the victims was Sarah’s first/second husband, Jeffery Tolliver, and now they will have to re-open some of his cases and investigate him. The case will be told between the present and the past, how Jeffery investigated the first case that led him to imprison a man that maybe was innocent. In the present Will and Faith will try to uncover if there’s a serial killer on the loose and if Jefferey was a corrupt detective. As you can imagine this case will affect Will and Sarah’s relation, that right now is not in the best moment and all the memories from the past will make everything much more complicated.
I always love to read one of the Will’s cases, I like his way to act and investigate with his partner Faith, they complement each other and always keep the reader guessing of possible case solutions. In this book I didn’t really feel the connection I always have in the series, Jeffery seems a good detective, but it’s not Will and in this book I felt there was not enough of him and based too much in the past.
This doesn’t mean that the book is not good or interesting, I am sure that any reader will be glued to this story since the first page, but I will always prefer Will instead of Jeffery! 😉

Will Trent and Sara Linton are the main characters in this brilliant story. I love this series. I have enjoyed reading how these characters have developed. This story is a page turner which I read in one sitting. The writing is excellent. It felt like I was bystander in everything that was happening.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

I've never read a Karin Slaughter book before, though I'm no stranger to her genre. For reasons I can't explain, I just hadn't been tempted to take on yet another woman writing gory murder stories - I grew out of Patricia Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta books 20 years or more ago. Seeing this one available on Netgalley, I requested it, never imagining I'd actually get it. I'm still pretty new to the site and had been turned down for several books and assumed this one would go the same way. So I'd really like to thank her publishers and Netgalley for letting me have this one.

There's no two ways about it, it's insanity to start a new (to you) author by reading a book that's the latest in a LONG series of related novels. I didn't know that when I got it, but I had an uneasy feeling that I probably ought to know more about Sara and her dead ex-husband Jeffery and her maybe-maybe-not soon to be husband Will. Too often I was confused about who was who and how they were connected. I also found the past and present storylines were not sufficiently distinct from each other for me to be clear where I was for most of the first half of the book. Once the succession of dead or nearly dead women fell into place, that got itself sorted fairly well.

Who killed the guy in the prison? Did they ever work that out or was he just collateral damage for a much more twisted story? I'm still not entirely sure. Were some good cops bad cops after all? I'm not 100% sure on that either. On the whole, I'm sure I'm a good whole star below anybody who'd read all the other books in the series, just by virtue of my own ignorance. But hey! Authors can't rest on their laurels and rely entirely on past readers, can they.

I found the book felt REALLY long. It took me way longer than I wanted it to to get through - partly because it was about twice the length of most I've been reading recently, but mostly because it just didn't hook me. In the end, there was no way I was going to get through this with just a few chapters at a time. I sat down on a quiet Saturday and cracked through the second half because I really wanted to get on with other books.

This book is gory - no denying that. Am I less disturbed by a woman writer doing horrendous violent things to her dead characters than male writers? Oddly, I suspect I may be. That said, things are done with hammers and women's girlie bits that I really don't want to ever think about again.

I didn't guess who the bad guy was. That's relatively unusual for me. But then, I'm unsure if there were really enough clues that might have led us to the perpetrator.

A final thought. If Karin Slaughter hadn't been born a Slaughter, if she'd been Karin Cupcake or Karin Political Thriller, might she have been nudged in the direction of something entirely different? I guess we'll never know (but I did check Wikipedia and see that it really does seem to be her real name).

I received a free copy from Netgalley and the publishers - many thanks.

The aftermath of a prison riot isn't usually the place to be questioned about a serial killer but for Will Trent, partner Faith Martin, and forensic pathologist girlfriend, Sara Linton, that's what happens when they begin to investigate the resulting devastation. It heralds the beginning of a traumatic visit into the past when Sara's ex-husband Jeffrey was still alive and the women of Grant County had reason to be very afraid.

The story is told in two timeframes and gives the many fans of Karin Slaughter's excellent series another chance to visit with the past which shaped Sara's present situation. Once again the entire story is tightly written, with excellent characterisation and reasoning. The differences between Jeffrey and Will are as chalk and cheese which is brilliantly shown throughout and although it meant I had finished I loved the ending. I also loved Faith, she is such a breath of fresh air and in the serious world they all inhabit a great tension breaker.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this thanks to NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for an unbiased review and have no hesitation in recommending it highly. This a worthy addition to Ms Slaughter's excellent catalogue of books.

I was so excited to have this book to read - the latest Karin Slaughter. Couldn't wait! And it was worth the anticipation. A fusion of Sara's worlds - her life with Jeffrey takes centre stage as some old crimes come back to haunt Will and Faith. Sara struggles with her relationship with Will while looking back to a very difficult time in the past when she and Jeffrey were divorced. It's looking like they have the wrong guy in jail for some murders committed 8 years previously. Are current cases really the work of the same murderer? A great investigation, some truly gruesome scenes and a gasp out loud moment when you realise who the murderer is! I think I'll go back and read this again as I was too busy rushing to the end to take in all the details. Brilliant! #netgalley #thesilentwife

Let me start my review by saying that I don't read crime thrillers. I love my cozy mysteries but I stay away from books that will scare me. But I read Karin Slaughter. Because she is so talented. The violence in her books is graphic but it is also necessary to inform us that every day hideous acts of violence are committed against women. And in the midst of all that ugliness, she has created two so lovely characters, Will and Sara. Their deep love for each other will leave you with a huge smile on your face!

The Silent Wife is book 10 in Karin Slaughter's Will Trent series of police procedurals set in Atlanta, Georgia.

Beckey Caterino is out for her routine morning run on a forest trail through woods. Unbeknown to her, a predator is stalking the women of Grant County and is loitering in the shadows waiting for an opportunity to pounce. Eight years later and the prime suspect is locked up in prison. He claims that he is innocent and was framed by the then Chief of Police, Jeffrey Tolliver, and fellow police officer, Lena Adams, who are responsible for a corrupt investigation. He also says that he has proof that other women have been attacked in the intervening years. Then another young woman is attacked with an identical MO. Is it a copycat or was the wrong man locked up? The original cold case is re-opened and Georgia Bureau of Investigations (GBI) agent Will Trent and forensic pathologist Sara Linton are part of the investigation. It is especially difficult for Sara as she is Jeffrey’s widow and the accusation is not one she is willing to accept.

The narrative is split between the present and events in the past and there is a lot of backstory to the characters. Although some background is provided, it was a task at times to follow certain elements of the story as a new reader to the series.

The GBI aided by Sara starts looking into the deaths of the women, beginning with the most recent, Alexandra McAllister, thought to have been an accident. As Sara is catapulted back into her past and revisits the trauma of Jeffrey's original investigations, and to a bitter period where she had been divorced from the handsome Jeffrey, Will and Sara's relationship is impacted.

Karin Slaughter certainly knows how to write immensely gruesome scenes but there is a great deal of humour in the novel, providing a much appreciated diversion from the grotesqueness. I especially enjoyed the witty repartee between some of the characters. Another highlight in The Silent Wife was the glimmer of hope in the underlying theme of survival through the terrible horrors that women might have to endure.

This is a marvellous, if tortuously disturbing, story that I highly recommend to crime and thriller readers.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from HarperCollins via NetGalley and this review is my unbiased opinion. Thank you also to Pigeonhole and Karin Slaughter for the opportunity to read this book.

Karin Slaughter is at the top of her game with The Silent Wife! This police procedural/thriller speeds through a complicated case with all the medical and investigative details you expect from this author. Although part of an excellent series, The Silent Wife works well as a standalone read.

Eight years after a woman is found brain damaged, paralyzed and near death in Grant County, Georgia, an unrelated case brings Will Trent and partner Faith Mitchell to the State Prison where they interview Daryl Nesbitt. He tells them an unbelievable story. He is innocent and was framed for the attack by the late Police Chief Jeffery Tolliver. While he’s been in jail, a killer has been brutally attacking, torturing and murdering other women. Now Will and Faith must reopen the old cases, identify other victims and find a criminal before he acts again. There’s a complication. Medical Examiner Sara Linton, part of Will’s team and his almost fiancee, is Jeffrey Tolliver’s widow.

Alternating between the present day and the earlier investigation, The Silent Wife brings the Jeffrey/Sara story back to readers of the Grant County series. It is a definite 5 star book. I don’t know how Karin Slaughter can do any better than this with her next mystery but I’m sure she will.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this exceptional book

oh my word what an amazing gut wrenching book this is...

its how the past can come back and haunt the present day with sara and will having to investigate a accidental death that then leads them to an old case and the repercussions are amazing

a young girl is found in the woods and it looks like she has fallen down and hit her head on a rock

a man jailed who lost his half is leg is trying to get his case appealed...he is a known paedophile, and the repercussion if he wins his appeal could destroy what sara and will are building together....

oh dear this is a cliff hanger of a book dont want to give to much away but the shocks keep coming with this one...and you dont see the ending coming till right near the end...and even then its a shocker...

brilliant piece of work from karin slaughter...these books are worth waiting for

Karin Slaughter - another author where the very name tells you what to expect from the book. The Silent Wife is no let down and another strong reason why Ms Slaughter is such a successful writer.

The Silent Wife
By Karin Slaughter
5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book is part of a series, which I didn’t realise, until, I read the Authors note at the end.

You, certainly don’t have to have read the others to read this. But, if you would like to follow all, then now you know.

This book is gritty, enthralling, descriptive, violent, scary, shocking, sad, suspenseful, eye opening, gripping and yet, there is a love story, that flows throughout.

Yes, I would recommend reading!

I was a little taken aback at first, how descriptive the book was.
But, this added to a ‘realness’ about it.

A number, of awful murders are committed.
Is, it a serial killer?
Or, is it a coincidence?

Read and see!

I read this for a blog tour.

I love Karin Slaughter and this book was no exception, her writing is really gripping and the plots are always so compelling and twisty.

I am usually quite good at guessing whodunnit but I was completely blindsided by the twist in this one. Will and Sara are great characters and their relationship is central to this case as the original investigation was under the auspices of Sara's late ex-husband.