motional and Impactful

"Make a list of everything that terrifies you. That's me."

After That Night is a procedural/mystery/thriller about an alleged rapist who happens to be the son of a prominent surgeon. When Dr. Sara Linton testifies on behalf of the victim, she makes a shocking discovery linking back to her own rape 15 years ago.

This is the 11th book in the Will Trent series, but it can be read as a standalone.

The narrative alternates between Sara, Will, Faith (Will's partner in the GBI), and some of the rape victims. Will, Sara, and Faith are complex, multidimensional characters with strong voices. It has been three years since the publication of the last installment of the series, but it felt like no time had passed. The characterization alone is enough to read this series, but the mystery fueling this installment is captivating, compelling, and horrific.

Warning: This book is not easy to read and deals with some very uncomfortable topics, including rape, sexual assault, stalking, victim shaming, and physical and domestic violence.

Slaughter never shies away from going there with difficult topics-- perhaps this is the most difficult to read about. She doesn’t hold back in going into detail not only in describing the brutality of the rapes, but also she shares the shock and horror of the victims of sexual assault and what it is like to not only experience rape but to be viewed as a victim. Two victims have an open and honest conversation about their experiences, including the aftermath, coping, and being a survivor.

"It stops being about how you feel, and it becomes about how everyone else feels."

The crux of the mystery is shocking and appalling, and the final showdown ends with a shocking revelation that is hard to process, but thankfully, the book wraps up with a sweet moment between Will and Sara, who are planning their nuptials.

Reading this was brutal on many different levels, but it made an impact and will stay with me for some time.

I received an ARC of this book from William Morrow and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I'm a fan of Karin Slaughter but I haven't read any of her Grant County/Will Trent books before. Starting in the middle was not my intention and I'll definitely be going back and starting at the beginning to get the full impact of Will and Sara's back stories. As expected of any Slaughter book, this is a great thriller; dark, graphic, twisty and at times fast paced. The beginning was so intense it took my breath away! I really loved these characters, especially Will and Sara, and can't wait to dig into their back story. Slaughter does a great job of dealing with dark, horrifying subjects with sensitivity but most of all, with brutal honesty. It's hard to read about sexual assault, but it's important to write about it with honesty and she does. Some of the graphic descriptions are hard to read, so just be aware going into it. I loved this book and can't wait for more of the series!

In this latest installment of the Will Trent series, the author dives more deeply into Sarah Linton's backstory. Sarah was brutally raped 15 years ago resulting in her inability to have children. Then one night while in the ER, a woman, Dani Cooper, arrives barely alive whispering to Sarah she was raped. Dani dies in the ER. Flashforward 3 years later, the rapist is on trial, and Sarah is mentally reliving her pain of her own attack. As Will and his partner, Faith, begin to see connections of Dani's attack to those of previous attacks, they realize there is a bigger web than they realized and perhaps there is also a connection to Sarah's attack as well. Karin Slaughter weaves an intriguing mystery with a interesting twist as the final clues are laid out.

After That Night
By Karin Slaughter
Pub Date August 22, 2023
William Morrow
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
Will Trent #11
What a great read featuring Will Trent and Sara Linton. The book gripped me from the start. The plot in this one references another character from an earlier book, so I would recommend starting at the beginning of the Grant County series for full effect. One of my favorite all time series and author!,
Trigger- sexual assault
I highly recommend this book.
5 stars

“Remember to speak from the scar, not the wound” - Anonymous (After That Night)

Inside the mind of Karin Slaughter lurks many untold deep, dark thrillers yet to be released. One at a time she publishes one bestseller after the next that leaves us all utterly speechless while adjusting to our “new norm” of looking over our shoulder one sudden noise at a time.

I just got back from Bermuda and the first book I picked up is After That Night.

Whoa, I mean I’m no novice when it comes to Slaughter and her dark writing but this book literally gripped my soul and didn’t let go until well after I concluded.

Every book I have picked up by Karin Slaughter I have declared “this one is my favorite!” Yet, here we are again.

After That Night is not only my (current) favorite by this author my most favored book so far this year!

Teaser:

After that night, nothing was ever the same again …

Fifteen years ago, Sara Linton's life changed forever when a celebratory night out ended in a violent attack that tore her world apart. Since then, Sara has remade her life. A successful doctor, engaged to a man she loves, she has finally managed to leave the past behind her. 
Until one evening, on call in the ER, everything changes. Sara battles to save a broken young woman who's been brutally attacked. But as the investigation progresses, led by GBI Special Agent Will Trent, it becomes clear that Dani Cooper's assault is uncannily linked to Sara's. 

And it seems the past isn't going to stay buried forever …

#karinslaughter

Dark dark dark! But dang, this one slow burned all the way to the end and I couldn’t read fast enough to see how it all played out. Enjoyed the twisty ride, will definitely recommend, with plenty of trigger warnings.

Overall the pacing in the book was great. I am enjoying Jeremy’s ongoing character development. Seeing him play off Will, and seeing Will and Sarah in familial roles with him was delightful. Faith is struggling a bit with trauma, but that is to be expected and it is depicted respectfully. The biting and strident tone Sarah had taken in the previous book, which was disturbing to me, is gone here. She seems back to the character I've always rooted for, and though the exploration of her past trauma is the main focus of the book, she holds steady. I'm impressed by her ability to function under terrible circumstances, to keep her head and keep going, without losing her sense of compassion. I was fascinated by the interplay of the past and its tie to the current circumstances. The group of people Sarah used to know are like their own world, a cliquey and privileged group who seem to feel their ego, job and wealth makes them indestructible. It's easy to root for them to lose, and they make for convincing, unredeemable bad guys. I don't feel like Sarah's ex-boyfriend is fully fleshed out, after all there must have been some reason she lived with him, but then there is a fairly large cast of supporting players to consider, and he is of little importance other than perhaps as a foil to her current persona. I was a little puzzled by the time shift at the beginning of the book, where Sarah sees Will, and it took me a couple of times going over it to understand the timeline. I also am confused by some of the ages the doctor characters are supposed to be per the timeline, versus their descriptions which would seem to make them at least a decade older, in my mind. The denouement was interesting, and showed a different side of Sarah, I thought. Also, I throughly enjoyed the depiction of Betty on her satin pillow. I think this was an enjoyable read, with bad guys it was easy to hate and good development of Sarah and Will's relationship with Faith and her family. Will's interaction with his erstwhile aunt were riveting, and both he and Sarah were forced to confront painful pasts and the people who, for good or bad, helped make them who they are now. The glimpses into Sarah's past were fascinating, and though the details of violence she suffered were painful to read, it ultimately help show how strong she is. I think sexual assault, and the varied reactions and receptions of survivors of same was handled with sensitivity. I look forward to Sarah and Will's next outing.

This book was great! The story telling was very cohesive and I loved how it wasn't so easy to work everything out before the end of the book as all the seeding characters kept playing the blame game. As with every other Karin Slaughter book, you have a need to devour as much as possible when you sit down to read it. Perfect story and pacing, definitely a five star read!

While this wasn't one of my favorite Sara/Will novels, it did answer a number of questions about Sara;s past. These books really have to be read in order to get the backstory. Something to me seemed a bit off about this particular book - it didn't really sound like the Karin Slaughter voice that wrote the prior Will Trent books. Maybe it's just me. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.

I really enjoyed this book. It did take me longer than normal to finish because the chapters are so long. Overall this is must read with great suspense and well developed characters!
I started watching the Will Trent series on Hulu and he definitely isn’t what I pictured from the book. Kind of fun to compare.

I didn't really click with Slaughter's Andrea Oliver books, so I was VERY excited for a new Will Trent book to come out!
After That Night is very much Sara's story about what happened to her 15 years ago and how it might tie into the rape case and death of one of her patients, Dani Cooper. There are too many similarities to ignore, so she brings these up to her GBI fiancé Will and his partner Faith. Soon, they are knee-deep in an unauthorized investigation.
There are definitely trigger warnings such as rape, violence, and abuse, BUT I don't think After That Night is as gritty and dark as some of Slaughter's other books.
And, please, if you've never read a Will Trent book, don't start with this one. There is too much backstory to fully grasp what is going on. Start with Grant County, then read Will Trent.
Overall, a good entry into the series (not my favorite, but good). I love Sara and Will together, enjoy Faith and her attitude, and Amanda of course.