The Kept Woman - Karin Slaughter

I read Karin Slaughter's first book, Blindsighted, back in 2002. After I turned the last page,  I knew I wanted to read more from this author. Slaughter didn't disappoint me. I've read every book since, including her new release, The Kept Woman.

Slaughter has two series, The Grant County books and the Will Trent novels, as well as some stand-alones. The Kept Woman is the 8th book in the Trent series.

Will and his partner Faith (both work for the Georgia Bureau of Investigation) are called out to a murder at a construction site. The body is discovered to be that of a retired cop. Forensics indicates that there's another possible victim, but where's the body? Adding to the pressure - the construction site belongs to a high profile athlete who has run afoul of the GBI in the past. The project has the blessing of politicos and the pressure to solve the case is high.

Why do I love Karin Slaughter's book so much? Characters. Dr. Sara Linton has been a constant from the first book. She's strong, but vulnerable, smart, capable and likeable. Will Trent. Ahh, well who doesn't love a walking wounded lead. (Who just happens to be pretty hot) As the books have progressed, Slaughter has slowly released details about the shadowy pasts of some of the characters - both the ones we love and the ones we love to hate. She doesn't skimp on character building - the 'negative' players' lives are just as fleshed out. This latest book gives us lots of background that we've been waiting for.

Plotting. I was happily devouring The Kept Woman, pretty sure I knew the direction the story was going. And then about halfway through, Slaughter sucker punched me. Totally did not see it coming. And within that second half are revelations Slaughter fans have been waiting for. Secrets and more secrets. Running parallel to the personal side of things is a helluva great central plot. Gritty, dark and dirty. Non stop action. Great dialogue and settings. Seriously, Slaughter can do no wrong in my eyes.

And the ending. The case is neatly wrapped up by the final pages, but the doozy of a last line leaves the door open for the next chapter in this fantastic series. This reader can't wait to see what happens next. Five stars for me. If you're not familiar with this series, I strongly suggest starting with the backlist. You won't fully appreciate The Kept Woman without context. Read an excerpt of The Kept Woman.

CR. Alison Rosa

"Karin Slaughter is the #1 internationally bestselling author of more than a dozen novels, including the Will Trent and Grant County series and the instant New York Times bestselling standalones, Cop Town and Pretty Girls. There are more than 35 million copies of her books in print around the world."  Find out more about Karin at her website and connect with her on Facebook. See what others on the TLC book tour thought. Find the full schedule here.

I received this book for review from HarperCollins and TLC Book Tours.