Title: The Silent Wife
Series: Will Trent Series
By: Karin Slaughter
ISBN: 0062858106 (ISBN13: 9780062858108)
http://www.karinslaughter.com/
Brought to you by OBS reviewer Andra
Summary:
Investigating the killing of a prisoner during a riot inside a state penitentiary, GBI investigator Will Trent is confronted with disturbing information. One of the inmates claims that he is innocent of a brutal attack for which he has always been the prime suspect. The man insists that he was framed by a corrupt law enforcement team led by Jeffrey Tolliver and that the real culprit is still out there—a serial killer who has systematically been preying on women across the state for years. If Will reopens the investigation and implicates the dead police officer with a hero’s reputation of wrongdoing, the opportunistic convict is willing to provide the information GBI needs about the riot murder.
Only days ago, another young woman was viciously murdered in a state park in northern Georgia. Is it a fluke, or could there be a serial killer on the loose?
As Will Trent digs into both crimes it becomes clear that he must solve the cold case in order to find the answer. Yet nearly a decade has passed—time for memories to fade, witnesses to vanish, evidence to disappear, and lies to become truth. But Will can’t crack either mystery without the help of the one person he doesn’t want involved: his girlfriend and Jeffrey Tolliver’s widow, medical examiner Sara Linton.
When the past and present begin to collide, Will realizes that everything he values is at stake . . . (Goodreads)
Review:
The Silent Wife is the first novel in the Will Trent series by Karin Slaughter that I have read. One would think coming in at book #10 might not be the smartest move, but I must say that I was not put off by not having the background. And the story was so good that I do not feel I missed a whole lot by entering the series at this time, except that dang…. I have missed out on a lot of good novels and I am going to have to make reading this series a priority in the future! This psychological thriller / police procedural was gripping, entertaining, a bit twisted and an all around fantastic read. I was brought into the story and the life of Will Trent and all that entailed right from the very beginning.
In The Silent Wife, we find Will Trent entrenched in the murder case of inmate Jesus Vasquez as a result of a prison riot. During the investigative stage, Will speaks with inmate Daryl Nesbit who has claimed his innocence of his crimes of rape and murder from the very beginning and attributes his incarceration as a result of “bad” cops. One of these “bad” cops is the deceased husband, Jeffrey Tolliver, of his girlfriend, Dr. Sara Linton. So Will and his partner Faith begin to question the old case in an effort to solve the new case. The storyline is tangled and weaved from the past and the present simultaneously. At the very beginning, I had to re-read the first few chapters to get a sense of what was really going on, but once it was solidified in my mind – I was good to go. The story just flowed.
I did find the crimes horrific and many times felt myself wanting to weep for those poor women victims. What a monster was all I could think – to perform the types of atrocities described on these innocent women was unconscionable. And how Will, Faith and Sarah dealt with that really gave me pause and thought for police and medical examiners everywhere – what a tough job. The dual timeline was intriguing and really a big part of capturing my interest (thought did take a bit of pause to have them come together in my mind given the lack of history with all the characters).
The author, Karin Slaughter, provided many potential “bad” guys while rooting through the investigations directed previously by former Chief Jeffrey Tolliver. I could not imagine the anguish that Sara had to go through while they were questioning her deceased husbands’ previous actions. What a strain that seemed to put on Sara Will’s relationship.
While I do not want to get into too much detail (as each reader must take this journey without my words in their head), I found the flow of the discovery of what really happened and who the good and bad guys were very engaging, I also found the relationship between Will and Sara just as enthralling. The evolution of each character kept my interest and I was constantly rooting for them to just sit down and have an honest conversation.
Happily, the conclusion was satisfactory and there was enough summation to leave me satisfied. Whew.
Now all I can think about, is beginning the series and the start and getting to eventually read this 10th book in the Will Trent Series by Karin Slaughter again in the future. And of course, lamenting on how long I have been missing out on the storytelling of Ms. Slaughter!!!
