We Are All Guilty Here by Karin Slaughter

 

We Are All Guilty Here by Karin Slaughter - 400 pages

 The first thrilling mystery in the new North Falls series from Karin Slaughter, New York Times bestselling author of Pretty Girls and the Will Trent Series. Welcome to North Falls-a small town where everyone knows everyone. Or so they think. Until the night of the fireworks. When two teenage girls vanish, and the town ignites. For Officer Emmy Clifton, it's personal. She turned away when her best friend's daughter needed help-and now she must bring her home. But as Emmy combs through the puzzle the girls left behind, she realizes she never really knew them. Nobody did. Every teenage girl has secrets. But who would kill for them? And what else is the town hiding?

I read this because a patron had suggested it to me, and I have to say I did like it.  Although I think my days of watching true crime shows had me asking questions like "Did they test their hands for gunpowder residue?  That would tell you who was holding the gun!"  I like the characters, the author did a great job of developing them.  It was a pretty good book and I will definitely check out the sequel.  

Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter

 Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter - 394 pages

Twenty years ago Claire Scott's eldest sister, Julia, went missing. No one knew where she went - no note, no body. It was a mystery that was never solved and it tore her family apart.

Now another girl has disappeared, with chilling echoes of the past. And it seems that she might not be the only one.

Claire is convinced Julia's disappearance is linked.

But when she begins to learn the truth about her sister, she is confronted with a shocking discovery, and nothing will ever be the same

The Good Daughter by Karin Slaughter

The Good Daughter by Karin Slaughter, 656 p.

"Twenty-eight years ago, Charlotte and Samantha Quinn's happy small-town family life was torn apart by a terrifying attack on their family home. It left their mother dead. It left their father—Pikeville's notorious defense attorney—devastated. And it left the family fractured beyond repair, consumed by secrets from that terrible night.

Twenty-eight years later, Charlotte has followed in her father's footsteps to become a lawyer herself—the ideal good daughter. But when violence comes to Pikeville again, and a shocking tragedy leaves the whole town traumatized, Charlotte is plunged into a nightmare. Not only is she the first witness on the scene, but it's a case that unleashes the terrible memories she's spent so long trying to suppress--because the shocking truth about the crime that destroyed her family nearly thirty years ago won't stay buried forever. Packed with twists and turns, brimming with emotion and heart, The Good Daughter is fiction at its most thrilling."--Goodreads blurb

I've read a lot of Karin Slaughter this year, and she is not for the faint of heart. This book was one of my favorites of hers. Not as traumatic to read and great writing by Slaughter, as usual. The family dynamics themselves were a great character in this book. Twisty and twisted.
 

Beyond Reach by Karin Slaughter

Beyond Reach (Grant County #6) by Karin Slaughter,  404 p.

"Sara Linton--resident medical examiner/pediatrician in Grant County, Georgia, --has plenty of hardship to deal with, including defending herself in a heartbreaking malpractice suit. So when her husband, Police chief Jeffery Tolliver, learns that his friend and coworker detective Lena Adams has been arrested for murder and needs Sara's help, she is not sure she can handle the pressure of it all.

But soon Sara and Jeffery are sitting through evidence, peeling back the layers of a mystery that grows darker by the day--until an intricate web of betrayal and vengeance begins to unravel. And suddenly the lives of Sara, Lena, and Jeffery are hanging by the slenderest of threads."--Goodreads blurb

This was a twisty-turny, wild ride of a story. I've enjoyed the series but honestly am not too sad it's over. Remind me never to move to Grant County, Georgia...they have some REALLY bad crime there! I've learned that some of these characters show up again in another Slaughter series, but I won't be reading that. I will try some standalone Slaughter stories and probably not delve into large series of hers anymore. And the ending of this one.... UUUUUGH.
 

Faithless by Karin Slaughter

Faithless (Grant County #5) by Karin Slaughter, 549 p.

"The victim was buried alive in the Georgia woods–then killed in a horrifying fashion. When Sara Linton and Jeffrey Tolliver stumble upon the body, both become consumed with finding out who killed the pretty young woman. For them, a harrowing journey begins, one that will test their own turbulent relationship and draw dozens of life into the case.

For as Jeffrey and Sara move further down a trail of shocking surprises and hidden passions, neither is prepared for the most stunning discovery of all: the identity of a killer who is more evil and dangerous than anyone could have guessed." --Goodreads blurb

This has been my second favorite book of the series, with not as much graphic violence and great twists and thrills to the story. Slaughter is a great storyteller, and when I'm not distracted by horrible (as in graphic) storylines, I'm drawn in even more. Don't get me wrong, this one has a bad crime in it, but it's overall not as graphic as other stories of hers.

Indelible by Karin Slaughter

Indelible (Grant County #4) by Karin Slaughter, 384 p.

"An officer is shot point-blank in the Grant County police station and police chief Jeffrey Tolliver is wounded, setting off a terrifying hostage situation with medical examiner Sara Linton at the center. Working outside the station, Lena Adams, newly reinstated to the force, and Frank Wallace, Jeffrey's second in command, must try to piece together who the shooter is and how to rescue their friends before Jeffrey dies. For the sins of the past have caught up with Sara and Jeffrey -- with a vengeance."--Goodreads blurb

This has been my favorite book of the series so far. We get the backstory of Jeffrey and Sara's relationship, as well as Lena being more of her old self and getting business taken care of. The emotion in this book is much more personal and not as brutal as in other books in the series. Still continuing on with the series.

A Faint Cold Fear by Karin Slaughter

A Faint Cold Fear (Grant County #3) by Karin Slaughter, 422 p.

TW/CW: Murder, rape

"Sara Linton, medical examiner in the small town of Heartsdale, Georgia, is called out to an apparent suicide on the local college campus. The mutilated body provides little in the way of clues -- and the college authorities are eager to avoid a scandal -- but for Sara and police chief Jeffrey Tolliver, things don't add up.

Two more suspicious suicides follow, and a young woman is brutally attacked. For Sara, the violence strikes far too close to home. And as Jeffrey pursues the sadistic killer, he discovers that ex-police detective Lena Adams, now a security guard on campus, may be in possession of crucial information. But, bruised and angered by her expulsion from the force, Lena seems to be barely capable of protecting herself, let alone saving the next victim."--Goodreads blurb

The third book in the Grant County series brings a storyline that seems so out of character for Lena that it's nearly unbelievable. Sara and Jeffrey also continue to have a love/love/hate/love relationship that is frustrating. I find myself looking forward to the next in the series, but it's more for the writing style and the insight into the character's flaws that make it so, and not necessarily the storylines, which are often so explicit they make me uncomfortable. 

Kisscut by Karin Slaughter

Kisscut (Grant County #2) by Karin Slaughter, 436 p.

TW/CW: Rape, murder, incest

"Saturday night dates at the skating rink have been a tradition in the small southern town of Heartsdale for as long as anyone can remember, but when a teenage quarrel explodes into a deadly shoot-out, Sara Linton--the town's pediatrician and medical examiner--finds herself entangled in a terrible tragedy.
What seemed at first to be a horrific but individual catastrophe proves to have wider implications. The autopsy reveals evidence of long-term abuse, of ritualistic self -mutilation, but when Sara and police chief Jeffrey Tolliver start to investigate, they are frustrated at every turn.
The children surrounding the victim close ranks. The families turn their backs. Then a young girl is abducted, and it becomes clear that the first death is linked to an even more brutal crime, one far more shocking than anyone could have imagined. Meanwhile, detective Lena Adams, still recovering from her sister's death and her own brutal attack, finds herself drawn to a young man who might hold the answers. But unless Lena, Sara, and Jeffrey can uncover the deadly secrets the children hide, it's going to happen again."--Goodreads blurb
 

The second book in the Grant County series is the one book I probably would have skipped had I known better. Talk about graphic content. While it was well-written and mostly interesting, the subject matter of the main storyline was so disturbing I'm still thinking about it weeks later. The characters continue to make poor decisions, and the dialogue between Jeffrey and Sara is often frustrating. This one was not the book for me.

Blindsighted by Karin Slaughter

Blindsighted (Grant County #1) by Karin Slaughter, 418 p.

TW/CW:  Murder, rape, 

"A small Georgia town erupts in panic when a young college professor is found brutally mutilated in the local diner. But it's only when town pediatrician and coroner Sara Linton does the autopsy that the full extent of the killer's twisted work becomes clear. Sara's ex-husband, police chief Jeffrey Tolliver, leads the investigation -- a trail of terror that grows increasingly macabre when another local woman is found crucified a few days later. But he's got more than a sadistic serial killer on his hands, for the county's sole female detective, Lena Adams -- the first victim's sister -- wants to serve her own justice. But it is Sara who holds the key to finding the killer. A secret from her past could unmask the brilliantly malevolent psychopath .. or mean her death.:--Goodreads blurb

This was my first foray into the worlds of Karin Slaughter, whom I've heard is a great writer. I agree, her writing is great, though be prepared for graphic and descriptive violence. Her books aren't for the faint of heart, but the story kept me gripped and ready for the next in the series. Her characters don't always make the greatest decisions, but as usual, that makes for a great story. 
 

Pieces of Her by Karin Slaughter

Pieces of Her by Karin Slaughter
480 pages / 16 hrs, 5 mins

"What if the person you thought you knew best turns out to be someone you never knew at all?"  Andrea Cooper's relationship with her mother is "upended when a visit to the mall is shattered by an act of horrifying violence that reveals a completely different side of Laura...

"To save her mother, Andrea embarks on a desperate journey following the breadcrumb trail of her mother's past. Andrea knows that if she can't uncover the secrets hidden there, there may be no future for her mother...or her."  --from the publisher

The premise of this story is intriguing.  In fact, I could hardly stop listening during the first few chapters.  But then the backstory took over the narrative and it was full of graphic violence, family/partner abuse, and manipulation.  Just not my cup of tea.  I gave it two stars out of five.