4.5
Wow, just wow. This book is actually part of a series, but I was able to enjoy it without feeling like I was missing something from previous books. However, reading them would probably give you more insight into the main characters.
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This book was very eerie to read especially with what’s going on right now in the world. The book is told in different perspectives so sometimes the events overlap giving us more insight as to what was happening in the book.
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It starts off with a kidnapping of a CDC worker. There is bombing at a hospital and the main characters, Will and Sara, run to help. It is then when they stumble upon a multiple vehicle collision. The vehicle collision lends being more than a normal car accident. From there you need to strap on your seat belt and get ready for the wild ride!
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It touches on white supremacy, child abuse, rape, and other topics. It’s a very action packed book with some relevant topics happening in the world.
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Thanks to @williammorrowbooks and @netgalley for my review copy. It’s will be available tomorrow, August 20th!

Excuse me, my fangirl is showing.

I don't want to say too much about this story's content, because I don't want to give even the slightest spoiler. I'll simply tell you what I loved: everything!

Some author's screw up details because they don't do enough research. Others provide an information dump, overwhelming us with all the minutiae. Karin Slaughter gets the balance exactly right. She has a firm understanding of her subject, and she feeds us just enough so that we experience it along with the characters. The realism here is astounding.

Another aspect I appreciate is that character development isn't sacrificed in favor of all the action. The pace is quick and there's a lot going on, but I still felt an emotional connection.

The content packs a punch. It's terrifying because it could so easily happen exactly as Karin Slaughter wrote it.

This book reads well as a stand-alone. Some of the characters' backstories are woven in to help new readers orient themselves. As with any series, the subtleties of various relationships won't be as clear if you don't start at the beginning, but it's a powerful read either way.

The Last Widow by Karin Slaughter with its twists and turns in our society of mass shootings, destruction, kidnappings, rapes, and other violence gave insight into complex characters and plots.and created nail-biting reading. I enjoyed Will and Sara's adventures as mysteries were unwound.

The Last Widow
(Will Trent #9)
by Karin Slaughter 

Hardcover, 400 pages
Expected publication: August 20th 2019 by William Morrow





Goodreads synopsis:
New York Times bestselling author Karin Slaughter brings back Will Trent and Sara Linton in this superb and timely thriller full of devious twists, disturbing secrets, and shocking surprises you won’t see coming

A mysterious kidnapping

On a hot summer night, a scientist from the Centers for Disease Control is grabbed by unknown assailants in a shopping center parking lot. Vanished into thin air, the authorities are desperate to save the doctor. 

A devastating explosion

One month later, the serenity of a sunny Sunday afternoon is shattered by the boom of a ground-shaking blast—followed by another seconds later. One of Atlanta’s busiest and most important neighborhood’s has been bombed—the location of Emory University, two major hospitals, the FBI headquarters, and the CDC.

A diabolical enemy

Medical examiner Sara Linton and her partner Will Trent, an investigator with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, rush to the scene—and into the heart of a deadly conspiracy that threatens to destroy thousands of innocent lives. When the assailants abduct Sara, Will goes undercover to save her and prevent a massacre—putting his own life on the line for the woman and the country he loves.


***

4.5 Stars

This is the ninth book in the Will Trent series by Karin Slaughter. This is the first time reading a book in this series and I had no trouble getting up to speed with the dynamics between the characters and situation involved in the story.

I am not sure what I was expecting but it wasn’t this. I was pleasantly surprised.

Basic premise: A scientist from the CDC is taken from a shopping mall. A week later there are two explosions around Emory University. Sara Linton a medical examiner and Will Trent an investigator with the Georgia Bureau of Investigations hurry to the scene and get stopped by a car accident. Things quickly turn south and the same guys who took the CDC lady now have Sara! Then the hunt is on to find them and discover what is truly going on.

Will is not in the best shape to go searching for Sara but he is in love with her and wants to be involved in the investigation.

Not much happens in the story in the first third of the book. There is a lot of transport from location to location going on and pulling in teams to search for Sara and uncover the bombers. After the halfway point things start to take off and it becomes so much more interesting. The first third has a lot of repeated passages as we see things from both Will’s and Sara’s perspectives. That was kind of annoying at first. Then I understood what was happening and just skimmed those sections until new material surfaced.

The bad guy was a bit of a hypocrite since all he seemed to hate is all he embodied. If he was viewing himself with unknowing eyes, he would hate the man he was looking at. And what he did to all those kids was unthinkable. I can kind of understand hating others that aren’t your kin but washing your hands of your own family and wanting to start anew is a bit beyond the creep factor. What a ghoul.

Great book. A bit in the long side for me but hang in there. It is worth it in the end. I am curious about the eight prior books now. I will have to check them out.

I received this as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) in return for an honest review. I thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this title.

Karin Slaughter has unleashed a look at what's happening in the world today. Will and Sara again prove to be a great crime solving team in The Last Widow. Looking forward to their continuing story.

I like this Karin Slaughter series because the characters are so well developed, especially so since this is book 9 of the series. I like the series even better since Sara Linton came on the scene as Special Agent Will Trent's partner/love interest. If you like police procedurals and series, this book is for you. I'd start at the beginning with Triptych and savor every book.

Ever since I read Triptych, I've been a fan of Will Trent. I've been (im)patiently waiting for another book in the series and this one didn't disappoint. Once I started, I couldn't put it down. As long as Karin Slaughter continues to write, I will keep on reading.

I received this electronic ARC from Net Galley

Karin Slaughter is on of my favorite suspense authors. I loved this book and can't wait to get it out on the shelf for our library.

Highly recommend.

The Last Widow is a great, suspenseful read, both for a reader that hasn't tried this series, and for long-time fans.

Well thought out plot, topical subject, and strong characters make this an engaging read. The author does not shy away from portraying the ugly underbelly of white nationalism and the horrible acts carried out in the name of patriotism. Highly recommend!

The Last Widow is a fast-paced adventure reminiscent of Patricia Cornwall’s Kay Scarpetta series. It does not shy away from depicting the harsh realities of the criminally insane and the people that follow them. GBI agent, Will Trent, and medical examiner, Sara Linton, take us on a journey that follows a spiraling line regularly upsetting our expectations and leading us down a dark path. The only question is, can they lead us back to safety.

What I Like

A temporal motif runs throughout the novel, and this serves to enhance the theme and the mood. The mood is one of urgency, and the reader feels that along with the characters. The characters continuously check their watches and are frustrated when their means of seeing how much time has passed is gone. This urgency is also reinforced by the chapters being titled by the date and time. Time is an essential theme in this novel, especially as it pertains to survival, which is made apparent by the motif. The result is a fast-paced novel where the reader doesn’t even think to check their own watch.

The short emotional journeys are genuinely written. From the emotional journey of a mother with a daughter just hitting puberty to the ramblings of a person’s mind when held in captivity, this story captures many sharp truths. These descriptions bring a sense of realism to the story and transport you into the world of the novel.

Will Trent and Sara Linton are relatable in their reluctant heroism. The characters are fully developed, and when they work together, you can feel the chemistry jump off the page. Engagingly flawed, they help each other overcome their inner demons while they are fighting to conquer their own.

What I Wish

The confounding time loops did not add to the story. To show different, essential perspectives, the reader sees an event from one character’s perspective and then in the next chapter, the same event from another character’s perspective. Though the views both added something unique to the story, I found moving backward and forwards numerous times in the tale frustrating much like rereading the same page of a story multiple times.

I also wish I knew more about what happened to Michelle Spivey in that month between appearances. Bits and pieces are provided, but I think I would like to know more definitely. Part of me feels like it could be a “be careful what you wish for” type wish though.

To Read or Not to Read
This novel will grab you from page one and not let you go until the end. I highly recommend for the thrill-seekers at heart.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Slaughter covers nearly all non-political contemporary issues in this newest entry in her series: pedophilia, white supremacists, domestic terrorism, biological warfare, feminism, religion, and much more. The novel moves with its almost nonstop action, although both go on for far too long. Many of her characters have become stereotypes and she continues to infuse some aspects that strain the imagination, especially when it comes to phsical stamina and the ability to withstand endless days of physical exertion despite being handicapped by wounds and lack of proper medical treatment. Fans of the series will be eager to read The Last Widow; readers who are new to the series may not be eager for the next book in the series.

I have been following the Karin Slaughter train since the early days. I love Will, I tolerate Sarah, it's all good. I enjoyed this book a little less than others in the Grant County series, but it was still quite good (I'm reminded of Lou Reed saying, "My shit is better than other people's diamonds." So it is, perhaps, with Ms. Slaughter?).

Things are swimming along for W&S, especially when one considers all they have been through: his insane ex, her extensive trauma, his childhood in care ... it's a lot for both of them to unpack, but they are keeping on (please don't let them ever stop! They're great for one another!). Into this drift, the most stress in which is being provided by Sarah's mom, Cathy (she isn't feeling Will at all), careens a bizarre car crash that sets into motion a most bizarre chain of events, leading to murder, terrorism, bio warfare, kidnapping, rape, and a whole mess of other nasty business.

This is Karin Slaughter, mind, so along with the realness you know to expect in her depictions of interpersonal relationships, you also KNOW you're going to get some stuff that strains the seams of plausibility. But that's what makes it rip-roaring. The scenes in which the initial events of the action unfold are breathtaking, and would easily translate to a screenplay (just saying, why hasn't anyone optioned this yet?). <spoiler>Along with that, OF COURSE Will is going to insert himself unnecessarily into an undercover position. OF COURSE Sarah will fashion a dress out of a sheet so she doesn't have to wear gross dirty clothes. OF COURSE Faith will be stuck in the middle trying to get sh*t done behind the scenes ... ahhh, I can't be mad. These little things are what keep me coming back.

I do think that painting the villains with a wide brush did them no service (pedophilia? check. NeoCon Constitutionalism? check. Anti-vaxxer? check.) - I would've liked to hear more about WHY these people were this way, little bit more backstory, but I guess that's not often the case in real life either).</spoiler>

In any case, I still love this series. Big ups to KS for normalizing same sex parenting (even if she <spoiler>killed off one of the ss-parents!</spoiler>). There are many thriller/mystery series I have grown impatient with and dropped in recent years; this will never be one of them. Her sh*t is always gonna be better than other people's diamonds. ;)

Apparently, The Last Widow by Karin Slaughter, featuring the characters Will Trent and Sara Linton, is the NINTH in the Will Trent series…who knew? Apparently, LOTS of people! And I am a sucker for the psychological-thriller-woman-in-danger genre, so it sounded like a good fit for me.

The overview gives three clues: A mysterious kidnapping, a devastating explosion, and a diabolical enemy. So far, so good. I began reading, and was hooked right away as the prologue gave us a panicked mother of an eleven-year-old daughter who saw a white van in a dark parking lot and feared her daughter was about to be kidnapped. As it turned out, the guy in the van wanted her, not her daughter, and she vanishes. A month later, pediatrician/medical examiner Sara Linton and her boyfriend Will Trent, who is with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), are having a romantic moment when explosions rock their world (literally) and send them rushing to the nearby disaster scene. They live in the Atlanta neighborhood near Emory University, two major hospitals, the FBI headquarters, and the CDC, so there are lots of potential targets. On their way to the scene, they happen upon a car crash, stop to help, and then Sara is abducted.

Again, so far, so good. The first half of the book was terrific. The mysterious disappearances and the explosion seemed surely connected, but it took a while for things to come together. Then came the diabolical enemy part, and it all fell apart for me…so much so that I ended up telling someone NOT to read it, because I hated it.

Turns out the diabolical enemy is a cult-leading, hateful white supremacist who is also a misogynistic woman hater (and possibly a pedophile as well?). He and his followers, who were apparently behind the bombings, are planning something HUGE, an “event” that might involve biological warfare (the first kidnap victim was an epidemiologist at the CDC). They have bombs and an arsenal: guns, and lots of them. They were “waving around AR-15s, which were as ubiquitous in Georgia as peaches.”

The early look at this movement and in particular its leader looked like it might be reasonable: your stereotypical white male American terrorist (sad, but true). There is a lot of talk about the reason for the booming number of white supremacist groups: “…what causes historical upticks in membership in white supremacist groups. You said immigration and the economy, but actually, it’s war…men…went off to fight, they came home, and nothing felt the same. To. Their thinking, the government abandoned the. Their women had moved on or grown more independent. Their kids were strangers…they needed someone to blame.”

The bad guys are “…New Nazis, They’re not skinheads. They don’t shave their heads and get tattoos and dress the part. Their point is to blend in…clean-cut guys…in Charlottesville…had all looked so normal until they started chanting about blood and soil and screaming ‘Jews will not replace us’.”

Also “After Charlottesville, their entire world changed. They got validation from the top down.” And up til about halfway into the book, it was gripping. It was reflective of the current situation in the U.S., with validation for hatred and racism coming from the top down. I REALLY enjoyed the first half of the book, and was right there with the threat coming from the newly validated white supremacists. Maybe I should have just stopped there, secure in my certainty that Will would rescue Sara, the horrific event planned by the group would be stopped, and book #10 could take us to our next chapter in the adventures of Will and Sara. But it all went to hell when the leader turned into almost a cartoon figure, and the plot resolution happened as it did. By that time, I almost didn’t care if Sara got out or Will was a hero. It was just too over the top for me.

I admit I do think the real danger in the current U.S. comes from homegrown terrorists who are more and more often comfortable spouting their racist, misogynist and religiously biased rhetoric right out in public – after all, the President does it, so they feel it’s surely okay. And if the book had reflected reality and how it MIGHT be a problem with some type of solution, and the second half had lived up to the promise of the first half. If only. Could have been terrific. Ugh. Two stars.

I'm sure Will Trent fans will love this ninth book in the series but I was not a fan. The story was a little too far fetched and slow at times. It seemed like the same story was being told multiple times by different characters. I like more fast paced and realistic.

Another solid addition to the Will Trent series. The suspense builds over the course of the story and the ending is satisfying. I enjoy the character development in this series which always causes me to give an extra star to my rating. Highly recommended for fans of this series.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the digital advance review copy.

I was thrilled to have the opportunity to read Ms. Slaughter's latest Sarah and Will Trent story. Bringing together two people with such different backgrounds and personalities, but with sadness in their lives, was perfect from the beginning of their story many novels ago. This time Sarah and Will are separated by a scary situation of disease terrorism that can destroy a city, authorities, and many lives starting off by a bomb blast hitting hospitals and college with disastrous results. When a CDC scientist is kidnapped and reappears and disappears in connection with the blast, the GBI is on the case and Will will do anything when his Sara is also kidnapped. All elements of the investigation are brought into play while Sara with her pediatrics background is much needed at the central headquarters of the white nationalist terrorist group. I respect the authors very detailed explanation of terrorists groups particularly when groups are on the rise in our country. She has truly done her research on diseases, terrorism and investigatory methods. This is another of her thrilling novels you'll not want to put down as you root for Will, Sara and the state of Georgia as all things come to a head.

I enjoyed the concept, and the research put into it, but found the reading to be choppy. Definitely for existing fans of Slaughter, this would not be a good intro to her works otherwise.

A Centers for Disease Control scientist is grabbed by unknown assailants in a shopping center parking lot. The authorities desperately try to find her after she has vanished into thin air.

One month later there is a ground-shaking blast at Emory University, two major hospitals, the FBI headquarters, and the CDC.

Medical examiner Sara Linton and her partner Will Trent, an investigator with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, rush to the scene and end up in the heart of a deadly conspiracy that threatens to destroy thousands of innocent lives. At the scene the assailants abduct Sara, Will goes undercover to save her and prevent a massacre—putting his own life on the line for the woman and the country he loves.

A thrilling read from beginning to end!

To say that I am excited that Karin Slaughter brought back Will Trent and Sarah Linton would a understatement. When you combine these two magnificent characters with the disturbing scenario of bombings at the Centers for Disease Control, two major hospitals, Emory University, and the FBI; kidnappings; in-depth looks at domestic terrorism - you can guarantee a flurry of page turning! This book is filled with surprises, disturbing looks at our reality, shocks, and twists and turns that the reader won’t see coming - just like Slaughter provides in all her best books! SO many trigger warnings, this book is not for sensitive readers. Make sure you have time to read this book. You won’t want to stop.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins/William Morrow for the ARC of this book.