Twisted people on full display here. Revelations about Sara’s residency and attack at Grady and the other doctors surrounding her are integral to the present. Sick minds which our heroes finally take down. This will keep you up reading.

I was beyond pumped to get an early copy of this book (thank you @netgalley and @williammorrowbooks. @karinslaughter is a literal queen and my most favorite author - I had to drop everything to check in with Will and Sara. I was not disappointed! This series continues to deliver and while the topics are incredibly heavy, it doesn’t feel icky to read. (Definitely millions of trigger warnings!). Keep the Will and Sarah stories coming! We want to read about their wedding!

If you're reading this review, there's a good chance that you've already discovered the Will Trent series (this is #11). If not, stop immediately and go back and start at the beginning. Actually, go back and read the Grant County series first, which overlaps with and then continues on in the Will Trent series. If you're a fan of hardcore police procedurals with strong characters and twisty, but realistic plots, you will love these books. Karin Slaughter is a master at writing thrillers.

This book starts with Sara working in the Grady ER, where she loses a patient who tries desperately to tell the ER staff that she's been raped. Sadly, Sara is the only one close enough to hear her. Fast forward three years and Sara is testifying in a civil case against the girl's rapist. The rapist is a med student at Emory and the son of two doctors Sara not only knows, but went to school and competed with during her time at Emory. When the boy's mom, Britt, tearfully tells Sara in the bathroom of the courthouse that there's a connection between this girl's assault and the one Sara endured fifteen years ago. Not only does Britt insinuate a connection, but her comments cause Sara to wonder if they speak to a pattern and if there are more victims out there right now, or will be in the future. With no real evidence to go on, Sara turns to Faith Mitchell, Will's partner, and her fiancee Will to help her investigate Britt's claims.

As with all Will Trent books, there are twists and turns the reader doesn't see coming. There are characters who are real and fallible, and yet you love them and root for them. There is harshness, as well as family strength and love. There is both darkness and light. Karin Slaughter has a talent for writing realistic situations, heroes, and villains and i never want to put her books down. I lost sleep over this one and highly recommend it!

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.

After That Night by Karin Slaughter came along at the perfect time. I’ve been in a reading slump for months, rereading old favorites, going back to unfinished books to see if my interest would spark again, but not much luck with anything new. But then, a ray of sunshine: a new Will Trent book. So thank you, Karin Slaughter, because this was the first new book I have read in months, and it had reignited my interest in other new books. I just need a little Will and Sara.
The book has several time jumps. The first is three years ago, which I love because you get to see Sara coming across Will and just wanting to jump his bones and it’s like a little secret because don’t worry, future Sara, you will totally get to. Sara is listening to her sister complain about her husband (spoiler alert, they split up down the line but no one really misses him) but suddenly, there’s a kerfuffle in the emergency room – a young woman has crashed a car into an ambulance, trying to get to the ER. She has been assaulted and is in terrible shape. She tries to talk to Sara and explain what happened, and urges Sara to catch the man who did this to her.
We then flash forward to three years later. Sara is on the stand, trying to explain everything in layman’s terms to put the perpetrator of this crime behind bars. There is one major problem: she knows the parents of the boy on trial. She hung out with them when she was younger, and one took a fellowship Sara ended up turning down after being raped herself, something we had learned about in a previous book. When going to the bathroom, the mother of the defendant comes into the bathroom in a drug filled haze and begins to speak to Sara, giving out hints of information, making Sara believe that this case and Sara’s own case 15 years ago are connected. From there, it’s a tangled mess that Faith, Will, and Sara try to unravel with very little luck. With so little information, they can’t use the resources of the GBI, and it’s incredibly difficult for Sara to relive that time of her life.
But it is interesting to get the background on Sara’s life. In the current book, she and Will are engaged. We know about her past, and her former husband, but this was a new world that’s being opened, which kept me engaged. There were enough characters to wonder who did what, if someone was guilty, etc., but to also keep everyone straight. One thing I appreciate about certain authors – keep the names very separate, please, I’m begging you. I know life is rarely like that (my name is Ashley, after all), but having a Don and a Ron on the fringes of the book makes everything more complicated.
We’re introduced to several of Sara’s former friends, all doctors, who are now on the country club circuit, including the parents of the defendant Sara testified against. She fell out with them around the time of her rape, which obviously had long term consequences and took Sara off the course she had originally been on. However, this group could be connected to a current case, a past case, and perhaps Sara’s own, if they can only get someone to talk, and so at one point, Will does what he does best: he goes undercover. As a douche.
We’re talking MAJOR douche – the expensive clothes (sure, no problem), the gelled hair (ok, cool), the misogyny (…nope) and the faked #MeToo charge (barf). He fits right in with the rest of the group. One of the things I like best about Will is his ability to go undercover. Slaughter does this in a great way. Obviously, with a book, you can make the characters act completely differently while they’re undercover. But it’s not just that. To explain what I mean, think about a time when an actor played more than one character, such as the recently released episode Beyond the Sea on Black Mirror, or Orphan Black. Think of how completely their body language and speech changes – you know it’s still them, but it’s somehow not, and that’s how Will is written. Somehow it’s still him, but not him, and that’s an important distinction. He is still the character we love, but also this “other,” and it’s one of the reasons I enjoy the books where Will goes undercover, and why I always find them to be some of the most intense and interesting. And always, right there, is his love for Sara, which continues to be adorable. There is a very poignant moment between Sara and Will about the ring and I won’t spoil it, but it was so cute I wanted to cry.
Now if you’ve read a lot of Karin Slaughter, you know that her books can get very graphic, venturing into unbelievably dark territory. This was obviously very dark and twisted, but it wasn’t AS graphic as other books have been, and I was grateful for that. If you’ve read Pretty Girls, you know what I mean. This isn’t that.
Overall, I was really pleased with this book. I did see some of the ending coming (though I always like to point out that I don’t try to guess the endings of books) but it in no way spoiled it – there were too many other moving parts that were going on. Everything came together, as they do in Karin Slaughter books. Will and Sara continue to be adorable, Faith has her hands full with two kids (and Jeremy has some surprising issues in this book) and a boyfriend she thinks no one knows about (they all totally know), Amanda keeps asking about the wedding while simultaneously getting on Will and Faith for off-the-book investigations, so a lot of the same comforting characters you’ve seen before. 5/5

If you’re a Karin Slaughter fan, then I don’t need to tell you to read this novel. If you’ve never read Karin Slaughter, but love gritty, graphic, gutsy police drama? Then you need to read this novel. It is great as a stand alone and an excellent addition to the series. This novel delves intimately into Sara’s past. It reveals insight into who Sara is and the evil that surrounds her. Karin Slaughter is one of the best mystery writers of all time.

Karin Slaughter never disappoints. This story takes you on a wild ride! I wasn't expecting that ending, it blew me away. Thank you so much for my gifted ARC.

Thank you to Net Galley and the Publisher for this Advanced Readers Copy of After that Night by Karin Slaughter

After That Night by Karin Slaughter is a powerful, disturbing, complex tale that will resonate with women everywhere.
I had not read any of Slaughter's work before, and I imagine this one will hit all of the established fans in the gut. Despite being the 11th book in the series, After That Night stands superbly on it's own, not once leaving the new reader thinking they've missed something that has bearing on this particular thriller.
Slaughter doesn't shy away from difficult issues; he said/she said, sexual assault, rich white male privilege, and white privilege in general, all make up a subject matter that makes the book both fascinating and uncomfortable to read. The depth of evil in the story is almost mind boggling, and the ending leaves you feeling shocked and a bit despairing of any justice ever being achieved for women.
Beyond the fact that this is a page-turner of a thriller, it is also an important look into how women all over the world endure, to become either enablers or survivors.
I'm so glad to have received an ARC of #AfterThatNight from #NetGalley .

WOW! This is one thriller you don't want to miss. Dr. Sarah Linton had her life altered 15 years ago after one night when she was raped. Now, she is the ER doctor when Dani comes in and says she was raped. Dani dies and Sarah vows to get justice and stop the man from doing this again. Little did Sarah know that this is all connected to her past trauma.

Sarah tells Will her fiance about it. Slowly they start to unravel that this has been going on for years and certain women have been targeted, stalked, drugged and raped.

When you get to the end and learn who all has been involved and how many victims there are it will leave you shocked, horrified and saddened.

Just love Karin Slaughters writing style and how she slowly reveals clues and keeps you guessing until the end.

I love this book! Karin Slaughter is one of my favorite authors and she never disappoints. I can’t even pick a favorite character because they all seem like family. This books has lots of twists and turns and some really rotten people! Thank you for letting me preview this book!

Kindle Copy for Review from Net Galley, Killer Crime Club, HarperCollinsCanada and William Morrow.

I received a free, advance copy of this book and this is my unbiased and voluntary review.

The past has a way of haunting us. Will Trent and Sara Linton are back working together in this riveting read. Things will get too personal for Sara as a past case comes to life.

After fifteen years Sara life is moving forward until an ER visit she meets a woman whose case seem to mirror her own attack as the only difference is the woman instead of Sara. Somehow these two attacks are related but how?

A gripping turn page that will keep you on the edge with our quirky detective Trent thrown into the mix.

A new Will Trent book from Karin Slaughter - After That Night.

"Sara discovers that a woman that she tries to save in the ER has a connection to the assault that Sara suffered 15 years ago. GBI Agent Will Trent and his partner, Faith, start an off-the-book investigation and discover other cases and one other thing....the past will not stay buried."

This is another great riveting Slaughter story. And she doesn't hold back on the violence and verbal abuse that women endure just because they're women. Sara is forced to relive her assault several times at diferent parts of the narrative. Slaughter includes several triggers and the story turns brutal at times. If you read Pretty Girls you know what to expect. If you haven't read any books by Slaughter, be aware that she doesn't hold back on the realities of violence against women.
I did not want to put this down because Slaughter keeps the pace racing. The ending is explosive and wild.

Crime fiction fans will want to add this to your 2023 reading list.

After That NIght
by Karin Slaughter
Thoroughly enjoyed reading this installment in the Will Trent series! I have been a fan of the author for years and this book did not disappoint. We get to the bottom of what happened to Sara 15 years ago. I was mesmerized and couldn't put this down. While unravelling another mystery, Sara is confronted with her past. The bond between Sara and Will just keeps getting stronger. While the violence is not for the faint-of-heart, I recommend this book!

⭐️: 5/5

Fifteen years ago, a violent attack changed Sara Linton’s life forever. Now, testifying against a man accused of brutally attacking a young girl, leading to her death, she learns of connections between that attack and her own in the past. As she, along with GBI Special Agents Will Trent and Faith Mitchell, investigate the connection, it is clear that the past won’t stay buried forever.

I want to start by saying that I’ve never felt more privileged to receive an ARC ever, because I’ve loved the Will Trent series for years now. I even resorted to going back and reading the Grant County series while waiting for After That Night to come out. I’ve been loving how the later books in the Will Trent series, this one included, have become more Sara-centric, because I adore the relationship between her and Will. I also find it fascinating how Slaughter is able to continually add to our knowledge of the main character’s pasts iteratively throughout the whole series. In this one, we definitely get more insights into Sara, which, if you haven’t read the Grant County series, could be shocking, and also into the complex relationship between Amanda and Will.

For a while, I’ve been in somewhat of a thriller/suspense book slump, since I keep reading subpar ones and expecting them to be as good as the ones that Slaughter writes. Thank goodness for this book, since now I feel like I’m finally out of my slump! One thing that kind of threw me off though was that this was the first book I read after watching the Will Trent series on TV, so it took a while to re-remember my perception of the characters in the books, without the outside influence of how the actors who play them act in the show. Once I got back in the groove though, I was again immersed in the world of Will, Faith, and Sara. The suspense in After That Night is done perfectly, and the connections that are hinted at throughout the book kept me at the edge of my seat all the way until the end. I don’t even try guessing how everything is going to turn out anymore since Slaughter always has a way of shocking me. I always know that when I pick up one of her book, I’m not going to be disappointed. This one may have even ended up being one of my favorites in the Will Trent series!

Although Slaughter writes her books to function somewhat at standalones, you certainly get more out of them if you read them in series order, so I’d definitely recommend doing that.

Thank you to @netgalley and @williammorrowbooks for this eARC in exchange for my honest review!!

A must read for Sarah Linton fans! In typical Karin Slaughter fashion, she weaves a story that only she can. Gruesome and painstakingly heartbreaking, readers are taken back 15 years to when Sarah's life was forever changed. The connections between a current investigation and Sarah's 15 year old case, are too close to dismiss. This book will have your emotions doing somersaults the entire time!

One of my favorite Will Trent stories. A harrowing and devastating case of rape, of the fight against rapists and the prevalence of authorities to disbelieve victims.

I was excited beyond words to receive an advance e-book of Karin Slaughter's 11th Will Trent & Sara Linton novel! This time Will and Sara are investigating multiple murders of young women who all seem to have something or someone in common. Going back to Sara's college/med school days, a gang of friends are divided by a death of their own. Secret, coded messages detail the truth of what happened all those years ago, but to stop the murders from continuing, Sara must face her own trauma and the events of the past. Loved this story and I always look forward to more of Will & Sara, not to mention Faith and the rest of the recurring characters of the GBI and Sara Linton's life. Can't wait for book #12!!

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for this opportunity to read and review After That Night!

5 stars out of 5

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

This is the 11th Will Trent book and Karen Slaughter keeps hitting it out of the park. This is another page turner and never a dull moment. In this book, Sarah is out to face past demons after a woman shows up in the ER with awful injuries and whispers her pleas to Sarah. Sarah knows she must face her past and Will is there to help at every turn.

I love how this book brings all the characters together to find out what is happening and how she keeps you on your toes throughout the whole book.

This was one of my favorite Will Trent books. I love how she brings Jeremy into the fold as a formidable character.

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for this ARC!

Will Trent and Sara Linton are back for the 11th book in the Will Trent Series. Despite this being the 11th book there are no disappointments and I cannot wait for the next book in the series. Karin Slaughter is able to write books I never want to stop reading, and her storytelling and character development is *chef's kiss*.

Sara Linton is working in the ER late one night when a young woman named Dani is rushed in after an apparent car accident. The victim was able to tell Sara she was raped before succumbing to her injuries. Sara is determined to get justice for Dani and her family. After Sara testifies at the trial on behalf of her patient, Sara learns connections to her rape 15 years prior, Sara decides to relive her trauma in efforts to learn what happened to her and Dani. Sara and Will partner with his GBI partner, Faith, to uncover the truth of what happened to Sarah and multiple women over the last 15 years, all while bringing down a ring of rapists in the process.

After That Night is a gut-wrenching story that I was unable to put down. Slaughter's writing ability is unmatched and the plot twist at the end exceeded my expectations. I will recommend this book to everyone who will listen.

After That Night is the highly anticipated eleventh book in the award winning Will Trent series featuring GBI Special Agent Will Trent and Medical Examiner Dr. Sara Linton. It's the story fans of the series may not have realized they've been waiting for - the gruesome, heartbreaking story of Sara's attack fifteen years ago. Through alternating chapters of past and present and a multifaceted plot line, readers are pulled back into the darkness alongside Sara as she learns the truth of that heinous night that changed the course of her life. After That Night is an explicit, shocking and emotionally charged addition to the Will Trent series - a series with an ongoing character story arc which is why I recommend reading the series in order for the character and relationship development. Having said that, Karin Slaughter delivers a complete story with needed background information in each book.

Dr. Sara Linton's on duty in the emergency room when rape victim Dani Cooper is brought in barely clinging to life, having been horribly beaten and violated. Tending the broken woman as she lies dying in the ER sends Sara spiraling back into the nightmare of her own brutal assault fifteen years prior. Cooper's dying plea for justice is heard only by Sara, and later she's called to testify in a civil court case against a well-known, wealthy surgeon's son who's accused of the crime. After her testimony, Sara's cornered in the ladies room by the accused's mother who verbally lashes out at Sara in a spiteful drunken rage with taunts about Sara's past attack being connected to Cooper's . . . a revelation that renders Sara speechless. Her attacker was convicted so how can her case possibly be connected to Dani Cooper's? If it proves to be true will learning the whole abhorrent truth finally set her free . . . or destroy her all over again? Sara turns to fiance GBI Special Agent Will Trent for support and with assistance from Will's partner Faith Mitchel, they begin looking for any link between past and present.

Slaughter's a master at setting a torrid pace plummeting characters and readers reeling through one perplexing revelation after another as After That Night races toward a blistering climax. Sugar coating nothing, the author's signature multidimensional scenes are graphic and painfully detailed, but like a wreck on the highway it's impossible to look away or stop reading. Fortunately, Slaughter tempers some of the horror with deeply personal, intimate and sometimes humorous scenes between Sara and Will that afford readers mini-breaks to regroup. Characters are so well defined and developed, so believable that readers absorb every hit personally. Many series favorites like Faith Mitchell play major roles in this raw, gritty story all delivering star performances. As a fan of the series, I enjoyed seeing Faith's son Jeremy clash with his mom over the direction his future may take as he manages to steal some scenes in this one in support of Sara.

After That Night is a gripping, tautly plotted, gut wrenching story that this reader couldn't put down. I tore through the pages of this emotionally powerful story seeking answers with a prayer on my lips and a burning desire for revenge for every woman who's ever suffered at the hands of a monster in my heart. Again, I find myself in awe of Slaughter's brilliant story telling skills especially her ability to finesse weary, storm battered characters through insanely entangled plot lines with the shock factor. While After That Night isn't an easy read by any stretch of the imagination, it's a must read for fans of the series and one I highly recommend to all readers who enjoy masterfully rendered suspense thrillers. It just doesn't get any better than this five star story.