Friday Recommends...

Criminal 

by 

Karin Slaughter

If I wore a hat, I would take it off to Karin Slaughter. She really does know how to crank up the tension in this latest offering. I wasn't sure at first how the story would evolve, or what would be revealed, but I was as usual, completely enthralled. As with all her books, Criminal is meticulously researched, and offers a view of Atlanta, Georgia in the 1970's, that is as bewildering, as it is challenging. As always, the writing is tight and fluid, the graphic and often violent nature of the crime depicted is compelling, and whilst never gratuitously violent, certainly manages to hold your attention.

I think this book is made all the more poignant by the inclusion of some of Will Trent's back story, and as his burgeoning relationship with Sara Linton gets off to a shaky start, we are allowed a glimpse into what makes this enigmatic man tick. It was interesting to view the younger Amanda Wagner and her colleague, Evelyn Mitchell, in their early days as young detectives, battling not only the criminal underworld but also fighting to be heard in a chauvinistic male environment.

I always finish the last page of a Karin Slaughter novel completely emotionally exhausted, not just because I give up sleep in order to read just a little bit more, but because without fail, she manages to infuse her characters with so much independent spirit that you can’t fail to invest emotionally in the story.

I am delighted to learn that the Will Trent series of novels are to be made into a series of feature films.