Criminal (Will Trent / Atlanta Series) [Kindle Edition]

This is a suberbly enthralling crime thriller set in Atlanta, Georgia. Written in two time periods (1974-5 and the present day) in alternate chapter style.The author cleverly and seamlessly unfolds a story that stretches almost 40 years. It starts with a street of prostitutes from varying backgrounds. They all have descended into depravity because of drug addiction and are selling their bodies to obtain enough money to get their supplies via a ruthless, violent pimp. Jane, Lucy, Kitty, Mary all lead squalid, sleazy lives in dangerous situations due their dependancy. Their fate is out of their hands. This is 1975. In this year the sexual discrimination act came in. The oral contraceptive pill became prescribable in 1971. Womens' rights in Atlanta?
Karin Slaughter throws us into the Atlanta ghettos and intoduces Amanda Wagner and Evelyn Mitchell, both policewomen. At this time women were not considered suitable as law enforcers and bore the brunt of gender discrimination, sexual harassment and wisecracks from their largely bigoted male colleagues. To this scenario is added the racial tensions between Afro- Americans and the white police largely segregated in the force on top of 'turning a blind eye' and more overt corruption. Tenaciously, the two policewomen do their best to go about their duties, particularly when women of the street start 'disappearing'.

The present takes the reader into Will Trent territory, an agent with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Amanda is his boss. Other colleagues are Faith Mitchell (Trent's partner), Evelyn Mitchell who pitches in with Amanda as often as not in an unconvential fashion. Will seems to have the world on his shoulders despite a love interest from paediatrician Dr Sara Linton. Most Will Trent followers will recognise these names. Events and unexplainable attitudes pervade the rest of the narrative with a secretive, suspenseful atmosphere. Some of the material is not for the faint-hearted. Amanda and Will ultimately understand more of their background and relationship. Amanda is the standout character in this book.

The prose and character development are expertly executed. As events unfold all the jig-saw pieces come together. The end part of the book explains all of the mysteries and more. The twists and revelations come tumbling one after another.
This is the most enjoyable and well-written thriller I have read for many a month. The interest is maintained throughout. A heart-thumper. Highly readable and recommended.

I am a big Slaughter fan and I was devastated when she killed off Jeffrey. However she implored us in the postscript to that book to have faith (no pun intended!) and she has delivered on her promise.

Sara and Faith take back seats in this book which provides much needed background on Will and Amanda (a character who has always fascinated me) and their rather odd relationship. Having skillfully created a solid cast of characters in previous books (including "Snatched"), they are woven into this book with some excellent historical context. It is a lesson Patricia Cornwell would have done well to learn with her Scarpetta series. It is just not plausible or interesting to focus a series on one main character who can turn her hand to an aray of skills to solve crimes by herself (and whip up some fresh pasta in her spare time!). Much better to do as Slaughter has done and change the setting and the focus so that other characters can develop (much like any good soap opera!). I make the Cornwell observation because Slaughter is frequently compared to her, but in fact I think Slaughter is by far and away the better author.

If you liked the Grant County series and have come to love the Atlanta series, then this book is essential reading. Bring on the next installment. I for one am gripped!

I was hooked on Karin Slaughter's writing from the first book, Blindsighted. The first six books were set in Grant County and featured the local sheriff and his wife, the local coroner. They're excellent crime/mystery books, with great plots and wonderful characters. In fact, it is the characters themselves that draw me back, over and over again.

Things move in real time in Slaughter's books. Her writing has segued to focus on another character from the Grant County books - Georgia Bureau of Investigation detective Will Trent. Slaughter's latest book Criminal is the seventh in the Trent series.

The question always arises with series books - can you read them as stand alones? Well, yes you could, but in my opinion you'd be missing out on some really great reading and a lot of backstory if you didn't start earlier on in the series.

In Criminal, a local college student goes missing and although this would normally fall into Will's lap, his boss Amanda pulls him off the case. The case bears marked similarities to a case from forty years ago - the case that launched Amanda's career. And both have blood ties to Will.....

Slaughter employs a great past and present narrative. In Criminal, we are finally get answers to the question of Will's murky past and his boss Amanda's interest in his life. And best of all, we get to know Amanda a whole lot better. I also really enjoyed Amanda's partner Evelyn. Although we know her in the present day books, the 1970's Evelyn had me laughing out loud, gasping at the treatment female officers were shown and cheering the pair of them on. Slaughter brings the 1970's to life, with attitudes and lifestyles faithfully reproduced.

The plotting is intricate, believable and gripping. Faint readers, be warned - the crimes are graphic. Crime fiction aficionados - this is a must read series.