This is a tense and at times uncomfortable locked room, psychological thriller that twists and turns all the way.
I didn’t realise this was #12 in a series of books about Will Trent. I will say that I think readers will enjoy it as a stand-alone even without reading the previous novels, although they are now on my ‘to read list’.
The novel has some dark themes running through it, for example: drug use, alcoholism, child abuse and domestic violence. Even though at times it was not always a comfortable read I still wanted to find out who killed Mercy.
It has a fast-paced plot that keeps you on the edge of your seat with a menacing undercurrent running throughout. The author does an amazing job of expressing Mercy’s feeling of uselessness and inevitability of where her life choices will lead her. You can’t help but feel sorry for Mercy with the dysfunctional family she has surrounding her.
The characters were realistic, complex, well developed and richly drawn in this tense, addictive read. The premise is not new, but the author captured the horror and isolation that you would expect in abusive relationships.
This was a tense, unputdownable, who/why dunnit tale.
Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley UK for the ARC.

Another fab read by Karin Slaughter. Fast paced, hard to put down and twists to keep you guessing!
Great storyline and characters

Another gripping thriller from Karin Slaughter that I could not put down.

I’m always pleased to be back in the company of Will Trent and Sara Linton, and had high expectations of this novel. I was not disappointed. Utterly gripped from the start, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and recommend it to fans of tense crime thrillers.

This is the first book I have read in this series so I am unfamiliar with the main characters. Although the book can be read as a stand alone novel, I feel it would be beneficial to read the earlier books in the series.
Will Trent and Sara Linton are on honeymoon at a remote location but they are soon involved in investigating a murder. This is a complex story with some dark themes. The number of suspects and twists and turns make this a gripping read.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an arc in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to @netgalley and @HarperCollinsUK for this ARC. Book 12 of Will Trent. As a continuation of the series, I will try to not give anything away. Will and Sara are visiting an adult summer camp when they find hear a women cry for help. The same women that Sara had spoken to just an hour earlier as Sara was stitching up her thumb. Mercy told Sara that if anything were to happen to her, it could be any number of people at the camp. She had created enemies. The clock is ticking to find the killer. You know you THINK you have it figured out but then you are all wrong! This story is so messed up and so engrossing at the same time. #ThisisWhyWeLied #KarinSlaughter #HarperCollinsUK #June2024

Karin Slaughter really can do no wrong! Another hit novel, with the return of Will Trent, Sara Linton, and Will´s partner Faith, in the wilds of the mountains, out of the comfort zone of Atlanta.

Really clever storyline, lots of red herrings thrown in to try and put you off the scent.

Great read.

My thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for giving me the opportunity to read an advanced digital copy in return for an honest review.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I’ve enjoyed all of the Trent series and this was no exception. A dysfunctional family totally implodes with Will and Sara caught in the middle. Great read.

This is so good!
It opens with Will and Sarah on their honeymoon, enjoying a late night swim, when suddenly there is a scream. The story then starts about 24 hours before that and works up to the murder.
It had me hooked from the start and by the end I was disturbed and bereft at finishing.
Slaughter has created one of her best ever.

I need to say from the start I have read every short story or book that Karen Slaughter has written. I am a huge fan of the original Grant County and then Will Trent series and her standalone books. But this one did not quite live up to the previous in the series for me.
Firstly, in this book, about 50% of the book features only Sara and Will. They are in the country and not the city. Faith shows up for a respectable last 50% and Amanda only makes a few appearances. When you have followed a series for such a long time you get to care about the minor characters and find out what they have been up to. This was not really possible here and I missed it. Secondly, we get it that they were in the country- but the continual references to the nature of outdoor become a little overdone. I gave up caring which lake or walk or river we were on. Thirdly, the abject cruelty inflicted on Mercy became just a little too much to read. Pain and suffering is definitely part of the series too. But it felt a bit too harsh this time. A bit too depressive.
I still enjoy Karen’s writing and her books and will continue to read the Will Trent/ Sara Linton books whenever they are released. But this one is not quite my favourite.

Will and Sarah are on their honeymoon (shame we missed the wedding!) to a luxury resort in a remote location where there are activities on offer, hiking, swimming and fishing.. It’s not long before it is obvious all is not as it seems The family who run the centre from the main house have been there for seven generations but give off bad vibes and the daughter/manager is killed on a stormy night. The weather causes the resort to be cut off so Will has to take charge until he can get other Agents there. Plenty of suspects, much to hide and lies to tell from all the family. Karen does this so well, brilliant characters, meticulously plotted, twists and turns with very dark undertones. Utterly absorbing and a real page turner. It is a great addition to one of my favourite series, but would read as a stand-alone as well.

3.5 * rounded to 4.
I’ve been a Karin Slaughter fan since Blindsighted was published, and this was a good next instalment in the Will/Sara story. But not my favourite.
(An aside: there are some things you should never do:
Go on a long journey with Hercule Poirot, or visit the town of Midsomer, for example. You stand a good chance of being murdered! I’m going to add ‘ Go on holiday with Will Trent and Sarah Linton! Their honeymoon! Give them a break, Karin! 😄)
Anyway, my thoughts:
As usual, a very readable story, well-paced and gripping. Plenty of suspects, and a link to Will’s past.
No one does dark and twisty better than Karin Slaughter, but….. this felt almost too dark too often and I felt I was becoming numbed by it. As more and more nastiness is revealed, scenes which should have left me outraged or horrified… didn’t. Sensory overload, maybe.
I guessed the killer fairly early, and you may too, but there are so many layers of suspicion to peel away, so many red herrings, that it takes a very long time to get to the ‘why?’.

So why 3.5? Lots of wee things. Mini Spoilers ahead:
The sheer level of nasty and damaged people in the one family was a wee bit OTT.
The guest who tells Marcy he ‘forgives her’ instead of explaining that she hadn’t done anything wrong. And why didn’t he take his very detailed information to the police?
No-one could leave because of the weather. But they could, if they’d made the effort, as several people left/arrived during the investigation. Instead they stayed and, in one case, partied.
Knowing that there was a criminal investigator right there one the scene, her parents never even tried to pretend they were upset. Bitty never felt quite believable to me.
These are very minor things.
Countered by:
Faith’s internal monologue and her efforts to get to the crime scene. Amanda- always such a ray of sunshine. And I rather liked Kevin. I hope he turns up again.

Medical examiner Sarah Linton and GBI Agent, Will have recently married and enjoying a mountain retreat for their honeymoon. When host, Mercy is found fatally attacked, all eyes immediately go to her ex-husband who still helps at the retreat. Will calls Amanda, the GBI boss who send Will’s partner Faith to assist with the investigation. Not all is as it seems with Mercy’s unconventional family, an abusive, wheelchair bound father, dismissive mother along with her brother and son all help run the retreat.
Mercy’s ex-husband Dave, knows Will from their time at the children home, and his character doesn’t help prove his innocence.
With graphic descriptions of the post-mortem and the pain Mercy was put through, you are desperate to know who would do this to her.
A dark mystery that any Will Trent fan will love. To really appreciate the background to the sub-plot and characters history, it would be beneficial to have read previous books - which are all great reads!

This book is about a police officer named Will who goes on a honeymoon to a remote outdoor center. There, he runs into someone who bullied him badly as a kid. To make things worse, this bully is now part of the family that runs the center!

Will's honeymoon takes a dark turn when someone is found dead. With no backup or connection to the outside world, Will has to solve the murder himself. It's not easy, because everyone at the center seems suspicious.

This book is interesting because it shows a different side of a familiar character. We see how Will's past struggles make it hard for him to do his job. It's also cool that the story takes place in a completely new setting.

Overall, this is a good book for people who like mysteries and strong characters.

A highly anticipated read which let me down. R was a slow start for me but I did love the atmosphere of when we realised the case. That would creep anyone out! I found the characters to be annoying and I didnt care for them at all. They were driving me up the wall and there was no Saving Grace unfortunately. I

The latest episode in the detective Will Trent and medical examiner Sara Linton story, and what a cracking episode it is! Will and Sara are on their honeymoon at a remote retreat miles from anywhere else, when there is a murder (of course!). Although they just wanted to be with each other they become embroiled in what turns out to be an extraordinary story of abuse, neglect, violence and a shocking array of other nastiness. Although it was just a little difficult to sort out who was who at the start of the book, as many of the characters had nicknames as well as their own given names, this was still a five star read, with a heartbreaking story, really excellent characterisation, a true sense of place and real compassion for the characters who deserved it.

Another Karin Slaughter book read, another 5 stars. And another Will Trent book that makes me adore this series even more than I already did. Can this series never end? That'd be nice.

So...thoughts about this novel? It got me using my whiteboard to write all my theories and have my list of suspects and motives updated daily...only to realise I was wrong. The only person I said "no way, it can't be them/only person I don't see as suspect (though I did for a second)" was the one who did it. Good thing I'm a journalist and not a police detective. I'll keep the investigating to mystery thriller books.
My favourite thing about Karin Slaughter's books is the way she places the information in the book and that determines how the pace works. I admit I'm a little harsh with this genre of books. I can be very easily disappointed by the plot twists or the resolution of the mystery. The fact that it doesn't happen with Slaughter's books says a lot about how her way of writing just works for me. This was that "everyone is a suspect" sort of book, which can be annoying with the way authors just make everyone so obviously guilty. But the way it was done here, it made sense. It was exciting to find someone else who could have a motive. Plus the twists actually had a reason to be. Very often, I find books where the last 20 pages are plot twist after plot twist just so it's a shock...but I find it more nonsensical than shocking. I love continuity and don't appreciate plot holes most of the time. I can be forgiving sometimes.

Now, something I love from Slaughter's books too is the social commentary. Through the crimes, it's very easy to comment on different injustices and the ones covered in this book...there were way too many tears but I love books that made me feel things so I'm not mad about it. Mercy's story is heartbreaking. I had to stop reading sometimes just to take a minute and breathe. Because her story is real. I've said this in previous reviews but it's the truth. Mercy doesn't exist but women like Mercy do. Dave doesn't exist but men like Dave do. Same for everyone else. Families like Mercy's exist and if I believed in heaven and hell, I'd be wishing they rot in hell.
To some, these books go into too much detail. It makes them uncomfortable to read about what someone like Mercy went through. I read the news so...it's not really shocking. And I think in order to understand things, you have to really see them fully. It just makes me connect to the character more because I know how real these stories are. Sadly. And I love the way different characters were compared to see how those who surround us can dictate who we become so much.
Will and Dave. Mercy and Faith. Mercy and Sara. But also, the way it explores how just because you've been hurt, it doesn't mean you can hurt others and manipulate them was very poignant too. Where does the victim end and become the predator? How much can we forgive and/or justify? It's going to be a different response for every single reader.

I love books that make me feel things and books that make me think. But also, I love books that have characters I love so much. Sara, Will, Faith, ...reading a new book is like visiting old friends I haven't seen in a while to catch up on what's been going on. Again, can this series never end?

So, all in all, another fantastic book by Karin Slaughter. For someone so picky with this genre, as previously mentioned, having a favourite author who just manages to wow me every time is a big thing. Can't wait to read the next one!

Two of the authors most well known characters are spending their honeymoon on an outdoor adventure centre cut off from the outside world. Will, survivor of the care home system, discovers to his dismay one of his childhood adversaries , the perpetrator of bullying and abuse and intent on making his life unbearable is now an adopted son of the family running the centre. Reeling from the influx of bad memories this has awoken he struggles to retain impartiality when the wife of the abuser is now found dead. His difficulties are compounded in that all residents appear to be potential suspects and he is struggling to investigate a murder with no back up from colleagues , telephone links or IT. What follows is a competent and caring officer struggling with his own demons, attempting to develop a coherent strategy in an investigation that raises more questions than answers . Difficulties that are compounded by individuals that have such unsavoury backgrounds and lifestyles that any idea that interviews could unearth answers based on truth and honesty are impossibilities . An interesting slant by this author using tried and tested characters but removing them out of her usual scenario into a format that whilst giving the reader a totally new storyline. This also exposes her characters to long held weaknesses and demons which have a serious impact on their ability to solve a complex murder investigation. Many thanks to author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

Sara and Will are celebrating their honeymoon in a remote lodge when one of the owners is found dead. All sorts of secrets unravel as they try to find the killer and prevent any other incidents.
Another great crime novel from Karin Slaughter.

I am a huge Karin Slaughter fan, have read all of her books, and the Will Trent books are my favourite.

Will and Sara are finally married, and Will has arranged their honeymoon at McAlpine Lodge where he yearned to go as a child, it's a remote place in the mountains, with no wifi and limited phone coverage. What could possibly go wrong.....

The story is told in reverse, with the finding of the body of Mercy McAlpine, who was the manager of the lodge. After a huge family argument Mercy is found dead, the book is a locked room mystery.

As with Karin Slaughter books, this is not for the faint-hearted. The world can be a cruel place, and Karin does not shy away from describing the worst of people.

Highly recommended

I can't believe this is the 12th Will Trent book. I haven't read them all to be fair but the ones I have I really enjoyed and this was no different.

The book starts after Will and Sara's wedding as we join them on their way to their honeymoon - not your typical sun, sea and sand but instead a remote, isolated retreat where phones don't work and people are cut off from society.

Bet you won't guess what happens next! Yeah, you're right, there's a murder at the retreat and no shortage of potential suspects. Honeymoon off, and back to work for Will and Sara who fight against the elements, locals and a number of difficult circumstances to try and solve this mystery.

Thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins Fiction for an ARC in exchange for an honest review