A dark and gritty read from the outset, The attention to detail is almost on a microscopic level but written in a way that anyone can pick it up and run. Disturbingly real and with more twists than a box of cabled headphones. A must read for all crime and whodunnit fans around the world. This was my very first exploration into the worlds of Karin Slaughter and i can tell you now i'm going back for more.

This was my first Karin Slaughter read, which means 16 previous books have fed into the backstory. I didn't find it difficult to slip into the story but other readers have probably become more attached to these characters and invested in their progression. As a result I was more focussed on the plot. The series of rapes, mutilations and murders were pretty stomach churning and not easy to read. The author states at the end that she is highlighting the violence and long lasting trauma for rape victims.
It became clear, as the story neared the end and had only focussed on the investigation and police, with no mentions of a possible perpetrator, suspects or their point of view, that we had already met the serial killer, so it wasn't a big leap to the reveal at the end. If I had read previous novels, I wonder if my reaction would have been different. I don't know if that person featured in them. The moving backwards and forwards in time to feature a main character who had previously been killed off did nothing for me because of this either.

Probably best to start at the beginning if you are interested in following the unfolding relationships and drama of these characters.

This is the second book read by the author and as the 1st it was an ok read,,took me quite a while to get into it and also ai didnt realise it was part of a series ( although the back story was explained ),pretty graphic detail in the book that some may be triggered by,I would read a 3rd book by this author

Absolutely phenomenal, I consumed this novel in as short a time as possible, torn between wanting to know the next bit and not wanting to get to the end! As a long time fan of Karin Slaughter I thoroughly enjoyed visiting grant county again and the different perspective that I had very vague recollections of from years ago. The unflinching focus on crimes against women as both a ‘victim’ and main character is exceptionally well executed. This is one of the very few series that I have read where the quality continues book after book. Highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC. I will extend a huge trigger warning for general rape / sexual abuse, including graphic descriptions as well as touching on the aftermath of rape, i.e. revealing past experiences to partners, traumatic response to rate, etc. Having never read Karin Slaughter, I wasn't entirely sure what to expect and I've worked to make sure my initial surprise doesn't at all affect my rating. The Silent Wife is part of a long-running series I haven't explored yet but works fairly well as a standalone and succeeds in making the characters interesting even to newcomers. I enjoyed the time skips back and forth but did find them initially confusing and would have liked just a little more clarification to get the reader going. The plot itself, while a little badly paced, was gripping and not at all predictable for me. I enjoyed the subtle twists and turns guiding me to the story's conclusion and overall I found The Silent Wife to be a solid read and introduction (despite its order in the series) to Slaughter's writing.

Wow, wow, wow. This booked absolutely sucked me in. I couldnt put it down yet I didnt want the story to end! I'm a massive karin slaughter fan and this book is a great example of why. Best read of 2020!

I read and loved one of Karin Slaughter's previous books - The Good Daughter - and found it to be really compelling. This book I found less so and I'm not sure if that's perhaps because I didn't realise I was dropping into a series with characters already known to readers. Whilst it can be read as a stand-alone novel, I didn't have the same connection to the characters that others have spoken about.

The first few chapters were gripping and intense and then for me it sagged and didn't pick up pace again until approximately 80% of the way into the book. I felt it was overly long and really didn't need to be.

I would certainly read this author's work again and hope that that next time the book is a bit tighter and has less sag in the middle.

I would encourage those who might be starting with Slaughter's work to go for a different title to begin that journey.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Harper Collins Publishing and Karin Slaughter for a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Silent Wife is another Karin Slaughter triumph! Dark, grisly, violent, disturbing, affecting and raw. This is everything a reader expects from Slaughter and it’s so damn good!

After being called to investigate a homicide after a prison riot, a promise of information from one of the inmates sees Will Trent, Sara Linton and the rest of their GBI colleagues digging up a case from the Grant County vault. The crime: two brutal attacks and rapes on college students that left one paralysed and another dead. When another victim is found in similar circumstances, the inmate’s claim of innocence starts to raise questions about the original investigation, lead by Sara’s murdered husband, Chief Jeffrey Tolliver. Past emotions will be dragged to the surface, as the GBI uncover whether Tolliver and the Grant County team made a terrible mistake...

The Silent Wife is a gripping thriller that eloquently combines brutal crimes, devastating grief, breathtaking survival and complex - but real - relationships. It packs the usual punches that readers can expect from Slaughter and delivers so much more than a typical crime novel. The attacks and murders central to the narrative are genuinely disturbing and the novel is laced with vivid and sometimes nauseating descriptions. This adds a sense of reality to the story and I found myself with chills running down my spine on multiple occasions. However, despite the dark subject matter, Slaughter is also excellent at weaving in lighthearted moments or brilliantly executed character anecdotes. As well as being gripped by the main storyline, I also enjoyed reading about the dynamics of Will and Faith’s partnership or the drama of Will and Sara’s relationship. The interplay between the crime solving and the character development makes this novel a much deeper read than most police procedurals and is far more entertaining for it. Despite these being well established characters, I continued to learn more about them and don’t believe I’ll ever tire of reading about them.

The novel is very well paced too. I really enjoyed flipping between the present day case and the Grant County case from 8 years previously. It was really interesting to see how both cases developed and I couldn’t stop turning the pages, especially when a chapter ended on a cliffhanger in one investigation and then returned to the other in the next chapter! Reading about Tolliver’s investigations and his and Sara’s relationship again was nostalgic and exciting. The juxtaposition between Jeffrey and Sara’s relationship and Will and Sara’s made for a very engaging subplot away from the core investigation. The complexity of Sara’s feelings are very well explored and the threats to her and Will’s relationship here is as equally tense as the crime solving!

Slaughter has written a genuinely disturbing novel, which will stay with me for a long time. The central investigation delves deep into depravity, but is all the more affecting because it’s so plausible. I enjoyed solving the mystery along with the GBI team and picked up on the subtle hints that Slaughter leaves along the way. Having my suspicions on the perpetrator made the novel all the more suspenseful and I was literally on the edge of my seat in the concluding chapters!

I highly recommend this novel for all crime/thriller fans. You won’t be disappointed!

This is the second Karin Slaughter book I have read, the first being Blindsighted. I didn't really enjoy that but thought it fair to give another book a chance. Slightly better but really so much going on, so many gruesome murders and I found it pretty obvious who dunnit. 

I didn't feel that I need to have read all the books in between to catchup on the back history, you were given it but didn't really feel the need for it. I didn't have much empathy with any of the characters.

I don't think I will be reading any more. There are better books out there.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for my ARC in return for an honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A woman is attacked and left for dead in the woods. The attack has a very similar feel to a series of attacks that took place in Grant County 8 years ago, but there has already been an arrest on those attacks and murders. GBI agent Will Trent and his partner Faith investigate with help from Will's doctor girlfriend Sara Linton, who happened to be the off and on coroner at Grant County at the time. She was also estranged from her now dead husband, the chief of police, Jeffery Tolliver, who at the time made the arrest in the case.

This was, as usual, a great read from Karin Slaughter, who has been in my top 5 authors for years. I have read all of the Grant County and the Atlanta series and it was a treat to go back in time with flashbacks to Grant County and Jeffrey and Sara. The weaving of the present day cases with the current day was so well done and made the mystery that much more interesting. I love all of these characters and feel like I have known them for years but even for people not familiar with the series, this is a great read on its own. This author's books are a bit long, and it took me a few days longer than normal to finish this one but I thoroughly enjoyed it and can't wait to see what Will and Sara get up to next.

A great lockdown buster! Once this story got going I couldn’t put it down! Loved the relationships between the team, the characters, the humour! The light relief against the darkness of the plot, i.e., Frozen Elastoplasts for Wil! The change in time between chapters could be a little disconcerting - perhaps a heading for these particular chapters would be helpful! Now I want to read the prequels!

Whilst The Silent Wife is part of the Will Trent series, I've not previously read any books by this author before and this wouldn't affect your reading of this book.

It tells about a case where a woman's body is found in the woods, then going back and forth from this to an old case, where they'd imprisoned someone for this crime and questioning the similarities and the fact that the individual was still incarcerated.

It's well written, but for me personally, I found it hard to really get into, it took until about 89%. I'd still read another book by this author, but this one was just an okay read for me.

Karin Slaughter's thriller "The Silent Wife" is the very highest quality crime fiction writing available.

"The Silent Wife" is a compulsive read from the first page to the very last. The story begins when a prisoner claims he has evidence that he has been framed in the aftermath of a prison riot. Will Trent and his partner Faith are obliged to investigate his claims to obtain information from him related to another prisoner's death during the riot. Initially this is expected to be a cursory review, but something convinces Will and Faith that they should probe deeper into the case which was originally investigated by Sara Linton's former husband, Jeffrey Tollison. Whilst Will and Faith investigate the events of eight years ago, we also have the parallel contemporary narrative of what happened during that investigation from Chief Tollison and Lena. Sarah is key in both investigations and of course has a relationship with both lead investigators.

It is a tale of a dark of a vicious killer which totally consumed me.

Loved the flash backs to when Jeffrey was still alive and the complexity of the case. I always look forward to a new Karin Slaughter and this does not disappoint.

A slow start to this book, as to begin with it doesn’t stand well on its own without knowledge of the previous books involving the characters Will, Faith, the Grant County Detective team, Sara and Jeffrey. In fact, I almost gave up on the conjecture involved in deciphering the characters and relationships, but the book slowly grabbed me and didn’t let me go until the final word! The story is absolutely brilliant and moves at a fast pace, with the alternate chapters of present time and eight years previously an intriguing and effective device, and an unpredictable, chilling ending. After the confusing start the characters are superbly drawn and the descriptions of place and action vividly and convincingly coloured. If I had read the previous books (which I will now do!) I think this book would be a 5 star read, but that confusing beginning brings it down to 4.

This is the latest Will Trent / Sara Linton novel and I still have a massive soft spot for Will. In this novel, he and Faith are investigating a murder at a prison. A convict offers information in exchange for them investigating the rape and murder that people attribute to him. This old case was originally investigated by Jeffrey Tolliver, Sara’s deceased ex-husband, As they investigate, the team discover there have been many more crimes by the same perpetrator who is still active. The description of the effect of rape on the women who have survived is really heartbreaking. Whilst the investigation is central to the story, this feels very much a story about Will and Sara’s relationship as the spectre of her dead husband looms and an unanswered question causes tension. For those who enjoy this series, I recommend you read this one but , if you haven’t, do yourself a favour and start at the beginning. Thanks to Netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Silent Wife is technically the tenth book in the Will Trent series but revisits Grant County and the beloved characters who lived and worked there. However, trust me when I say that it doesn't matter if you've never read any of either of those series. The story actually stands alone well without having to have read all of her back catalogue, the sign of an excellent book.

A young woman is brutally attacked on an early morning run and left for dead. Daryl Nesbitt, accused of the attack at the time, has been locked up for the eight years since the crime. Yet he's found a recent fatal attack that seemingly shares the same MO and there's no way he could have been responsible for it. The historic crime just so happens to have been handled by Sara Linton's deceased husband and Nesbitt is adamant he must have got it wrong. Needless to say this brings out all sorts of complicated emotions for Will and Sara, as well as requiring intense scrutiny of a dead cop's investigation. Switching between the original case from 8 years ago and the present hunt for a potential serial killer, this thriller keeps you on your toes throughout.

I am a huge Karin Slaughter fan - she is easily one of my favourite authors and has once again proved with The Silent Wife that she is a master of exploring violence against women. For anyone unfamiliar with Slaughter's books all of those I have read should come with a warning that they are not for the fainthearted, this one included. Her books often reflect on the impact of violence against women and therefore include graphic, gritty and sometimes quite simply gruesome descriptions of injuries, autopsies, violence etc. However what she does with such finesse is look beyond the violence to the hope, survival and strength that women are able to show. This book is a prime example of that.

I have to admit that I had figured out who the killer was just after the half-way point (I'm always disappointed rather than satisfied when this happens!) but that doesn't minimise the shock of who it was or what they did and there was an earlier twist that shocked me in true Slaughter fashion. What continues to amaze me is Slaughter's ability to write such powerful characters. I want to be friends with Faith, Lena continued to drive me m-a-d and I so often find myself wishing I could hug Will. And I rooted endlessly for Sara and Will. As Slaughter herself put it in the author's note at the end of the book, it is also secretly a love story, albeit a 'really gritty violent love [story]'.

For anyone who loves thrillers that are fast-paced, tense and entirely addictive, this is a must-read and I can't wait to have someone to discuss it with!

As usual in my reviews, I will not rehash the plot - there are plenty of other reviews out there if that's what you are looking for!

This is the latest in the "Will Trent" series (of which I've only read one other) - a gripping page turner, that switches between time and viewpoint to give us an insight into the background of the serial killing rapist. At the same time, the relationships between various characters are explored and developed further (Note: sometimes I found this annoying eg: various "exchanges" between Will and Sara - both of whom I find faintly annoying if I'm honest- but on the whole it didn't detract).

This is not a book for the squeamish. The descriptions of what happened to the victims are deeply disturbing; I only hope that they are not based on any actual real-life attacks.

Because I've read many books in this genre, I guessed the identity of the killer fairly early on, so was pleased to be proved right. However I think there is a hole in the plot re: how this person was able to carry out some of their activities without being noticed.

I'll definitely read more by this author - she's excellent at fast-moving page turners.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC.

Karin slaughter is one of my all time favourite authors.

I have read and consumed every single word she has written for the past 20 years.

This book was a continuation in the series and as always, a real page Turner.

She makes you feel like you can relate to the characters, their hopes and feelings.

This latest book in the series was to me the best yet.

Will Sarah and Jeffrey have been through it, but this time they all come through it, together. It's heartfelt, force and romantic. It scares you, makes you think, makes you cry.

I highly recommend this book, along with the entire series.

Thank you for continously creating amazing books.

*not for the faint hearted! The violence and gore could be quite disturbing to some. References to rape, abductions, mutilation and violence throughout*

Woohoo Will & Sara are back!!!

Another amazing addition to the Will Trent series and they just keep getting better! Can you believe it's been 14 years since the first in the series (Triptych)?

This is the one series I fully immerse myself in each time, I don't know any other series where the characters have evolved so deeply throughout. Karin writes in such a way that you feel like you are walking alongside each character, living, breathing and experiencing each feeling with them.

A fast paced, action packed, suspense filled, breathtaking, dark, twisted, disturbing read that will leave you on the very edge of your seat!

Ever since picking up my first ever Karin Slaughter book I have been a huge fan. Her writing style literally grabs you and sucks you in with the amazingly suspenseful, enthralling and brutal thrillers.

In this book we finally say goodbye to Jeffrey which in my opinion felt like the right move, it's time for Will and Sara to move on and start a new chapter. The way this was done (no spoilers) was brilliant and so cleverly written.

For the fans of this series (who isnt???) this is definitely the one for you, this story took us all the way back to Beyond Reach (no*6 in the series) which to me was the one that seriously left its mark, once again bringing the back story of Jeffrey and Lena together.

This novel does jump around a bit through time (past and present) but it's always clear as to which time period you are in at the time and is really easy to follow.

This could be read as a stand alone but personally I think it would have alot more meaning behind it if you read them in order as each character has a really deep back story which evolves throughout the series and is referred to within each book.

Huge thanks to netgalley and Harper Collins UK for the ARC.