|
|
26 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Indelible, Karin Slaughter, 9 July 2005
Slaughter's first two books were eminently adequate; good, undemanding thrillers, yet not exactly peak of the art. Blindsighted was slightly slapdash, Kisscut was a little raw, and both had a tendency to rely too much on graphic gore, on an unnecessary exploitation of dead characters through their blood. It tried to pass for compassion but, as I say, it was just exploitation. Her most recent two have had a much better balance between plot and detail, and the characters are rightly taking centre stage. Thus, they've been superior, in terms of writing quality as well. There are still problems to be ironed out: to be honest, there's still too much graphic detail, and Slaughter doesn't know how to use it properly. In her hands, it's exploitive and you feel vaguely embarrassed on the corpse's behalf, and rather dirty yourself. Put very simply, it is never, ever necessary to know that fragments of a shooting-victim's ear are stuck to the bedside cabinet. Never. For fans of the series, of Slaughter's three main characters, Indelible is a must. It's a great thriller, and there are plenty of surprises in store which will have all the more effect if you've already read the first three books. Slaughter crafts this double-novel very well indeed, and the dual stories (one in the present, one in the past which concerns Jeffery and Sara's trip back to Jeffery's home town) work so very well that they amply display the huge steps Slaughter's plotting ability has taken. Weaving two plots together is not easy, but Slaughter almost makes it look it. Of course, Indelible could be better (this is true of almost every novel save a VERY rare few), but it's heartening to see such a talent developing in Slaughter. She could have handled the hostage situations a bit better, made it more suspenseful, because once or twice it threatens to get a little messy, but that's balanced by her remarkably ability (one of her prime assets) at being able to depict life in a small town, which is superb. Indelible is highly recommended, and comes with a big fat B+.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you?
 
|
|
|
|
by Karin Slaughter
by Karin Slaughter
by Karin Slaughter
by Karin Slaughter
by Karin Slaughter
