Member Reviews
Enjoyed this book’s journey back in time bringing back Jeffrey. The muster was solid and I did not figure it out until just before the reveal. I think the author does a great job of showing how a man with PTSD (WILL) relates to other people especially Sara. And I love her dynamics with her little sister. So real. This series has stayed strong over the years which is not a feat all authors can manage.
I was given a copy from Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.
The Silent Wife by Karin Slaughter is riveting as Sara, Will, and their co-workers work fast to find a vicious rapist. This book gives a no-holds-barred look at attacks against women.
A few months ago I read my first Karin Slaughter novel, <i>Pieces of Her</i>. I loved it so much I was super excited to pick up an ARC of this one and it did not disappoint! Although there were parts where it was obvious that I was missing some serious backstory (this is #10 in the Will Trent series), there was never a part where I couldn't follow what was going on. I'm guessing that now when I go back and read this series in order, there will be spoilers from having read this one first. But, life goes on.
Anyway, this one starts off with a young college girl, Beckey Caterino, who gets murdered while out running one morning in Grant County. In the course of the investigation, suspect Daryl Nesbitt is found with child porn on his computer and, though they can never prove he committed the murder, he does go to prison for the porn. Fast forward 8 years and Will Trent and his partner Faith Mitchell are called to the prison to solve the murder of a prisoner during a riot. Nesbitt tells them he is innocent of the Caterino murder but he knows who committed the prison murder and he'll tell them if they re-investigate the Caterino murder. And so it begins.
First I will say that the violence gets pretty graphic and gory. We here about all of it after the fact, but it's gruesome! There's also a fair amount of profanity. But, this story is compelling! Just like the other Karin Slaughter novel I read, this one kept me up way too late! I read it in one day (finishing about 2:30am of what was technically the next day), I could not put it down. While I did have figure out the bad guy before the big reveal, that didn't keep me from wanting to finish and figure out why. It was twisted, really twisted.
But I love the character development and I loved how the relationships between Will and Sara and Will and Faith were both portrayed as realistic and strong. I loved the strong women in general throughout the book. If you can stomach the gritty violence and enjoy a good police procedural, this one is highly recommended! 4 stars instead of 5 because the violence against women was right on the border of what I can stomach in a book.
Disclaimer: I received a free electronic copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
THE SILENT WIFE
BY
KARIN SLAUGHTER
In her latest crime novel, The Silent Wife, author Karin Slaughter weaves seamlessly between medical examiner Sara Clintons past and present. Grant county police chief Jeffrey Tolliver represents Sara’s past. The man she loved until her was murdered. GBI investigator Will Trent is her present and hopefully future.
Almost 10 years ago, a string of vicious murders in Grant county was solved by Chief Tolliver and his team. All the circumstantial evidence pointed to local man Daryl Nesbitt but due to lack of physical evidence he was never convicted of the crime of murder. He was convicted of child pornography and sent to prison.
Almost 10 years later Will, his partner Faith and Sara are called to the Phillips State Prison to investigate a murder. This just so happens to be the place that is Daryl is serving his prison sentence. Daryl seizes on the opportunity having the GBI investigators there and sends a note. He states that he knows who is responsible for the current murder at the prison. He also says he was framed by the Grant county police department for murder years ago.
When Will finds out that Sara’s ex Jeffrey was involved, he is not sure how he feels or for that matter how will Sara feel? Is Daryl Nesbitt telling the truth or just trying to get moved to a minimum-security prison. Could Jeffrey have possibly done what the inmates claims. Sara doesn’t think so and neither do the rest of the team, but it is their job to investigate.
We then begin a whirlwind of two investigations, two different times, and the two men in Sara’s life. Will they prove that Jeffrey had it right all along? Or will they find the real killer, who has been a free man all of this time allowing him to commit even more murders?
If you haven’t read Karin Slaughter before, make sure to pick this one up. The narrative is so great in this book that you could easily pick this up to read without reading any of the other books. I’m a big fan and you will be too.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for allowing me an advance copy ebook.
Karin Slaughter delivers once again. Karin’s writing captures the reader and keeps you reading with the excuse of “just one more page”. One hundred and 50 pages later I had to rip myself away from the book because at 3am I remembered that my kids would be up in a few hours. For a mom of two toddlers sleep is precious! But these thoughts went right out the window because I couldn’t put the book down. Slaughter creates a killer who is calculating, ruthless and walks amongst our favorite characters from previous books. This has to be one of my favorite books from Karin Slaughter and I feel so happy that I got a chance to read an advanced copy! Thank you Harper Collins!
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I am so glad that I got to read this one early. Finally I had something good to read. When I get to go back to work at the library we will order this one. Liked how the past and the present were combined for a case. Can't wait to read the next book about Will & Sara. ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.
While this book took me a bit to get into....once I did, I was hooked. Great story line, great suspense. I would have liked to have seen more of the story with Sara and Will but learned afterwards there is a previous book. I will be reading it for sure! Great murder mystery book and will highly recommend!
The Silent Wife by Karin Slaughter is a true page turner until the very end. I had not read any books by Karin before, but she is definitely one of my favorite authors now. With characters like Will and Sara, she keeps the suspense mesmerizing as the cold case as well as the recent murders are solved. I thoroughly enjoyed the read and stayed up late to finish this one.
Karin Slaughter is one of my top suspense/thriller authors, so I was excited to get this book.
I didn't realize that is was book 10 of a series that I have never read. Luckily it can be read pretty much as a stand alone without missing too much from the previous books.
As with other books from this author, her writing is gripping but also pretty gory and graphic. So if this is something that a reader has a hard time with, might not be the book for you.
The plot draws you in and keeps you guessing with the twists and turns it takes.
Thank you to Harper Collins UK & NetGalley for sending me this ARC
I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
A serial killer is preying on women and continues after the presumed killer is incarcerated. Sara, a doctor, and her law enforcement husband, and then when widowed, another law enforcement boyfriend, work to try and unravel the mystery and apprehend the true killer.
Where to begin...if I didn't love Karin Slaughter so much I'd be scared to death of her! This is the 10th book in her Will Trent series, and it was worth the wait. Intensifying and intricately plotted, this book was impossible to put down, but beware, it will keep you up at night. A gruesome look into brutal crimes against women, it is not for the faint at heart. After investigating a brutal crime scene, Will soon realizes and he must must look at the past in order to solve the present and for that, he will need help from Sara and her painful memories. Gritty, engaging, suspenseful and violent, this is one not to miss.
Darryl Nesbit is on Death Row in Georgia for a crime he swears he did not commit. However, he did commit some other crimes so he wants to trade his knowledge for an easier ride. Sara Linton and Will Trent visit him in prison, along with other GBI officials, and he outlines the frame in which he got caught. Only problem is, the frame includes damaging information about Sara's first husband, Jeffrey Tolliver, who was shot and died in Sara's arms. Will is desperately afraid that Sara will be devastated by knowing Tolliver was a dirty cop. As the investigation continues, more and more evidence piles up that Nesbit was, indeed, not the culprit who raped and murder 19 women in mid-Georgia and the perpetrator is still on the loose. While any rape is horrible, these rapes are beyond that. And, there are a lot of suspects out there. Another well-plotted adrenaline ride in the world of Grant County, GA. Will and Sara are fascinating characters with complex emotions and Slaughter always does a good job in portraying their relationship.
Well, this book went all round the houses and back again as it twisted and turned to its shocking conclusion. It also flitted about in time as historic cases were re-investigated, the original events playing out in real time in flashback. We also have Will and Sara battling in their relationship, trying to keep it on an even keel and back into calmer waters as they struggle a bit with their joint and separate pasts which now start to threaten their future.
Starting with a death in a prison, we soon also have a body, a woman attacked and left for dead, an apparent accident. This leads Will to a historic case, the perpetrator of which has been convicted and incarcerated eight years ago. He's always protested his innocence and feels that this could be something that could help his own case. He's also embroiled in the prison killing and tries to bargain with the police. With this in mind, Will decides that the best course of action is to go back to the original case to try and find the truth. As he starts to dig he is shocked at what he finds and needs the help of Sara going forward. But also what he finds threatens their relationship as it brings into question the integrity of some of the people closest to her. Can they survive this both personally and professionally and also, put their troubles and differences aside in order to bring justice once and for all.
Wow! What a tangled web this book turned out to be. Those familiar with the author will be aware that it's the continuation of the merging of two series, Grant County and Will Trent, both of which are well worth a read, bringing Will and Sara together in one series. Normally I'm not the biggest fan of too much personal stuff creeping into a book but here the author gets the balance perfect, aided I suspect in this case by some personal history actually being integral with the plot.
And what a plot it is - oh my - talk about intrigue and keeping my interest and attention right up until the very last page. It's quite brutal in places and pulls no punches but it has to be to match the most heinous story being told. Characterisation is excellent as always, Sara and Will are brilliantly matched both personally (although sometimes they forget this) and professionally and although both wounded by pasts, don't just rely on that baggage to define them. We also reconnect with faces from the past in this book as the historic cases are reopened and it was good to have that, even though it wasn't always pretty.
It hit the ground running right from the start, held me in its thrall throughout, spitting me out at the end exhausted but satisfied. Holding my attention constantly throughout which is no mean feat given the state of things in the world at the moment. It was nice to escape into a different world for a while even if that world was a bit dangerous.
All in all, a cracking addition to an already impressive back catalogue. Looking forward to nest time. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.
Oh! This one was good! The story was told in the past and the present times. I personally don’t care for the fillers in (not only this book) plot (e. g., the romantic part about the MCs, but it is something that all books seem to HAVE to have).
I have read like three other books by Slaughter and, the only one I didn’t like was “Pieces of her” (I found it ridiculously predictable!).
Oh I didn’t get why the title of this book, “The silent wife”? I must have missed something! I even thought I was given the wrong book (it happened before).
Thank you Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this title.
I'm a huge Karin Slaughter fan and I appreciate being given the opportunity to have read this advance copy. I don't know how she manages to write these scenes depicting violence against women that actually made me cringe with pain, but she does one hell of a job. The pace of the book never slowed down and this book just continued to show what an amazing writer she is.
Thanks to NetGalley for providing a free digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I’m ride-or-die for Karin Slaughter, and I was a leeeeeetle disappointed in her last outing, so I’m happy to say she’s back in her game.
This novel combines all the gnarly, icky, get-roiling assault/murder of a type not seen since Kisscut with some pleasant Will’n’Sara B plot romance and relationship advancement. Add to that a healthy dose of JEFFREY TOLLIVER, still being a sexy asshole who always carries a clean hanky in his pocket, and you got a good book right there. Unfortunately, along with Jeffrey comes Lena (of course; ugh), so don’t say you weren’t warned.
Just as an aside, I do wish publishers would avoid these descriptor/relative types of titles (I.e. Silent Wife; Reliable Wife; Good Daughter; etc. there are about 5 other novels called The Silent Wife.) Can this trend be over now? It lacks imagination. /end rant.
The meat: young women seemingly accidentally dying in the woods, perhaps while running on the nature path - tripping and having a head injury, maybe, freak accident - turn out to have not been accidental deaths at all. Two of them, one an assault initially thought to be an accidental death (thanks Lena Adams, you f***ed up good and proper as usual) and one a murder of the woman who found the first assaulted woman (yikes), are clearly linked, and a known pedophile is in prison for his Erm, activities, but is also thought to be guilty of the crimes. But then it becomes clear that there are numerous Similar attacks on women in wooded areas that include violent rape, deliberate paralysis, and lots of other terrible details, the more recent of these consistently culminating in murder, and occurring while your man was already in prison.
Slaughter leads the reader a merry chase as she slowly draws out the story, flipping between present day Will and Sara and 8 years prior, when Jeffrey and Sara were fresh on the outs after their divorce.
It’s all good stuff. Welcome back, Karin Slaughter. Good to see you again.
I was excited to start this book by Karen Slaughter, with whom I am familiar, because I had never read one of her books before. Unfortunately, I was not drawn in by the characters. None of them were very appealing, and the prison setting sounded very depressing. I was not able to finish. Perhaps it was just not the right timing for me to read something like this.
Thank you for the opportunity to read this advanced copy.
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers.
Karin Slaughter is one of my favorite authors, so I was so excited to be able to review this book. It was great!
First, a trigger warning. This book deals heavily with sexual violence and violence against women. I commend the author for writing about difficult issues and giving proper attention to the life long scars carried by so many women.
I think this may be my favorite of all the Sara Linton books ---- why? Because we went back to Grant County in flashbacks! The case is an old case that Jeffrey Tolliver (former Police Chief, former husband of Sara Linton, deceased) had worked on 8 years ago (*note - for followers of the series, Slaughter addresses the crazy timeline in the author's note at the end*). Will, Faith, Sara, and the rest of the GBI team work together to uncover the truth about what happened 8 years ago in Grant County and solve a string of murders.
This was really a great book - I couldn't put it down. While it is not necessary to have read all of the series books in order, I do recommend reading some Grant Grant County and Will Trent books before this one, just because it makes the story that much better.
First off, I love these characters. I have to admit that I haven’t read them all, I’ve skipped a few in the middle, but I caught up quickly and am happy to see Sara and Will again.
Secondly and probably most importantly, a warning....the descriptions of crimes in this novel are NOT for the weak of heart. If you are squeamish or sensitive to crimes against women, this is not the book for you. I had to skim a couple times just because it was too awful to imagine.
Classic Karin Slaughter though and I enjoyed following Will and Sara’s journey through this one.
I’ll wait for the next.
Trigger: Rate and extreme violence against women (in enough detail that the reader can almost feel it) It is a difficult read.
The author addresses difficult topics, which could be a bit too much for some readers.
This book in the tenth book in the Will Trent series. There will be some familiar characters, and it'd make sense to read the series in order. The story flashes between present day and eight years ago to when a serial killer first struck. It's a fast pace read, but there is more violence than some readers may anticipate for this genre.