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The Silent Wife by Karin Slaughter

 


I have been a fan of Karin Slaughter's since the beginning of her Grant County series back in 2001. Just like any author with a long time writing career, some books end up better than others, and The Silent Wife is definitely one of those better books. 

This is the tenth entry in Slaughter's Will Trent series, and lots of familiar characters are back in action. Will and his feisty partner Faith are called out to help investigate a murder that took place during a prison riot. During the course of their work, they meet with a prisoner that has information to offer. Will, Faith, and the other members of their GBI team are in for a shock when the prisoner assures them he has proof that Jeffrey Tolliver was a crooked cop. Readers unfamiliar with the storyline, take note that Jeffrey is the murdered husband of Will's girlfriend, and GBI medical examiner, Sara. This accusation is a doozy, and it sends them scrambling to find the truth.

This storyline goes deep and just gets darker and more twisted as it goes along. There are some great hidden surprises along the way, and a visit with an unsettling character from the past who I still wish Slaughter would dish some karma out for in one of these books. The story is very well written, flashing back and forth between the present in Atlanta and eight years prior in Grant County, where Jeffrey was investigating the crimes the book focuses on. While I did correctly figure out about halfway through who the killer they were hunting for would end up being, it was still a heck of a ride all the way up to the end. 

If you haven't read the Will Trent series, I would suggest going back to the beginning. Really, if you have the time and a desire to really, really understand the twist and turns and layers to this story, go back and read the Grant County series AND the Will Trent books. The Silent Wife can certainly be read as a standalone novel, as well, but there is a lot of history and backstory here that is worth unpacking.


Final Rating: ★★★★☆

ATY prompt 18: Three books related to 'Past, Present, Future' - Book 1 (past)

Popsugar Challenge prompt 3: A book that has a heart, diamond, club or spade on the cover

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