The gripping No. 1 Sunday Times crime thriller
She runs
A woman runs alone in the woods. She convinces herself she’s safe.
He watches
But a predator is watching from the shadows. Waiting for the perfect moment to attack.
He waits
They thought they caught him. But another victim has just been found.
The hunt has only just begun. And the killer is ready to strike again… found.
The hunt has only just begun. And the killer is ready to strike again…
Reader reviews for The Silent Wife
‘Wow. Wow. Wow. I loved it’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘I still keep thinking about the story days after finishing’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘One of the most extraordinary, twisted plots I’ve read in ages’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Her writing style literally grabs you and sucks you in’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Read this book. You won’t regret it’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘No words to capture the sheer excellence of this author’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘A wonderfully dark and twisted thriller that will leave you breathless’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Read in an overnight sitting as I could not stop’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Terrifyingly dark and unsettling storytelling at its absolute finest’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Praise for the Number One bestselling author:
‘Passion, intensity, and humanity’ Lee Child
‘I’d follow her anywhere’ Gillian Flynn
‘One of the boldest thriller writers working today’ Tess Gerritsen
‘Her characters, plot, and pacing are unrivalled’ Michael Connelly
‘A writer of extraordinary talents’ Kathy Reichs
‘Fiction doesn’t get any better than this’ Jeffery Deaver
‘A great writer at the peak of her powers’ Peter James
‘Karin Slaughter has – by far – the best name of all of us mystery novelists’ James Patterson
‘With heart and skill Karin Slaughter keeps you hooked from the first page until the last’ Camilla Lackberg
‘It’s big, dark, rich, satisfying, and bloody – like a perfectly cooked steak’ Stuart MacBride
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A dark read – compelling and full of drama – from my number one favourite author.
If you like dark, gruesome, detailed crime novels then this is your author. If you are more of the faint of heart, I would not suggest this type of novel. It has been a few years since I have read her books. They do not have to be read in order, although it often does make background and character’s a little easier to understand. WARNING – this novel does have very detailed, brutal crime scenes and has the topic of graphic rape of women.
You still with me? Trent has caught another case, but this one is a bit different. It involves cases from the past, as well as others from the blue line who were involved. A woman is found in the woods, the scene looks staged and something is not quite right but it does look somewhat familiar.
A prison is on lock down due to drug and cell phone smuggling, and inmate agrees to give up information on who is all involved, how and where phones and drugs are stashed if they will agree to look into the murder case that he has been accused of. But they only have one week, and all he has to prove his innocence is a few newspaper clippings. Don’t all inmates claim they are innocent…?
As the team starts to dig into a few of the newspaper clippings, everything seems to be what former Captain and detectives had came to the assumption of this inmate having been the murderer, but there was no evidence. So technically the cases are still open, but this inmate is in for another unrelated charge.
Trent and Faith seem to be on a wild goose chase, trying to track down the past as well as leads and the truth of these cases. What really happened, is there a connection to these murdered women and what’s the connection? They are all different hair styles, different body types, different careers, different cities, different ages… what is this guys MO? As they dig further into the case, an unexpected character gives them what they’ve been looking for but couldn’t connect.
Is this inmate telling the truth after all, and what really all happened with these cases and investigations? Who is this person, and is he still striking? What did the Captain and other detectives do to make the target on this inmates back, when there was no tangible evidence? Or is this inmate, that good at directing the blame off of him?
Very good, fast paced dark read! I forget how good Slaughter’s writing is, I will have to grab a few of the others off my shelves and get reacquainted with Trent! Thank you to Goodreads and William Morrow for the arc!
Will Trent and Sara Linton are back, investigating a death during a prison riot, which leads to reopening some cases involving brutal rape and murder which had been investigated by Sara’s dead husband. Is there a serial killer at work? Can Will and Sara’s relationship survive the spectre of her husband? The tension ratchets up as the investigations continue. Highly recommended.
I mean, it’s Karin Slaughter. Open the cover and plan to do nothing else until it’s done.
Will Trent series is entertainment of the most addictive kind. The Silent Wife was a perfect addition to the series.The attention to detail and the way even ordinary events are described is so precise and elicit it’s just perfect. Will and Sara are characters I wish I could meet in real life, they are sincere and genuine. All the characters have faults – they are good or bad depending on the situation, which give the feel like you know them and you respond intensely to the story as it plays out. The complexity of the story kept me on my toes and eager to know what comes next. I very much appreciate the way Karin Slaughter is able to keep these characters and this series fresh and engaging.
Long. Dragged on and on. I figured out the killer instantly. Only reason I kept reading was it was on audio and I was painting during the time. Should have stopped reading it.
Karin Slaughter just keeps turning out these amazing books with terrifying stories. Yet she’s this hilarious woman in person when I’ve seen her at Thrillerfest.
I really enjoyed this book. Would have rated it higher except for all the time flashbacks which were not marked as such. Was hard to follow for the first half until it became clear.
Karin Slaughter is a well-established and highly respected force in the thriller genre for good reason. Her releases are predictably well-crafted, and her characters are engaging and fully fleshed. Her most recent novel, The Silent Wife is the tenth in a series that revisits the GBI in Atlanta with investigator Will Trent. In this outing, Trent is brought in to advise on a killing in the local prison. One of the prisoners claims to have information that he wants to trade in order to get his own case re-opened. With outside help, the inmate has been collecting articles about recent rapes and murders that resemble ones that he was suspected of committing. Trent is forced to re-examine the Caterino case, an assault that was reportedly botched by the original officers. One of those accused of incompetence is the deceased Chief of Police from a nearby town. Unfortunately, this man also happens to be the former husband of Sara, Will’s current girlfriend with whom he is having issues. Since Sara worked as part of the medical examiner’s team for Caterino’s case, the couple needs to work closely to look for any current connections despite their difficulties. The book spends a good deal of time delving into their romantic entanglement, and the delicate matters of jealousy and bereavement. Sara is also deeply affected by an undisclosed victim who survived a vicious attack from the same perpetrator, but who did not come forward at the time. Her own trauma history informs her decision to respect the girl’s privacy despite urgently needing her recollections to tie the serial cases together. The Silent Wife travels back and forth between the two time periods, essentially resurrecting the Chief character of Jeffrey Tolliver. His role in the mismanagement of past reverberates to the present, and his protection of his officers at the time likely led to continued attacks. Slaughter manages to describe Tolliver’s fatal flaws in ways that retain empathy for the man despite highlighting the damage resulting from his errors. The novel has a satisfying conclusion that draws logically from earlier hints in the plot but remains unpredictable and surprising. In this accomplished writer’s hands, The Silent Wife maintains a nice balance between a gripping page-turner and a deep exploration of beloved characters. It is a work that is sure to please Slaughter’s many ardent fans anxiously awaiting the next Will Trent installment.
Thanks to the author, HarperCollins and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.
In all transparency, I didn’t read this book in order. This is the first book I’ve read in the Will Trent series so that may make a difference in how I felt about the book. I want to go back and re-read them all now.
I love Karin Slaughter as an author. Her writing is so tight yet gives enough detail for you to get the whole picture. I loved the plot of the book – it kept me hooked from start to finish – and the characters. While normally I enjoy timelines that jump back and forth, this one got a bit confusing for me. This is possibly because I didn’t have all the needed backstory from books 1 – 9. There were just so many victims spanning the timeline jumps that it was hard to keep track of them all.
I did guess the ending which always bumps books down a bit on the rating scale for me. I want there to be a surprise when I read a thriller. I was also left with some unanswered questions at the end which made me a bit frustrated.
Overall, I recommend this book for those who enjoy thrillers but I’d recommend reading them in order. There are lots of possible triggers in this book so please check them before reading.
This is the 10th book in the Will Trent series. The only other book I’ve read in this series is the 9th one, I don’t think it needs to be read to know what’s going on. The author does a really good job of filling you in on the characters’ past lives.
Will is an investigator with the GBI (Georgia Bureau of Investigation) and he’s investigating a prisoner killing during a riot. One of the inmates claims to have been framed by corrupt police officers, that he is innocent and that the real serial killer is still out there. Days before the prison riot, a young woman was murdered. Will must look into the previous crimes as well as the recent murder to determine if it’s the same person or someone else.
The story unfolds alternating between the past story and the current story. The past story involves Sara Linton and Jeffrey Tolliver. Sara is the medical examiner and Jeffrey is the police chief. They are investigating a series of murders of young women in which they were paralyzed and a trophy was taken from each one. The current story involves Sara and Will (with his team) investigating the current murder and determining if the inmate is innocent or not.
A forewarning, it can be graphic and disturbing at times, especially when describing the crime scenes and the autopsy proceedings. However, I’ve really enjoyed the 2 books in this series that I’ve read and am looking to read others in the series as well as others by this author.
I enjoyed this novel more than some of her others in the Will Trent series. That being said, I still found myself slightly bored at times. I did enjoy how the story flipped back and forth between present day and Sarah’s relationship with Jeffrey. It gave good insight to Sarah’s past. There are several scenes in the book that are rather graphic, so if you are triggered easily or are squeamish, you may struggle to get through this book. I should also note that I figured out the plot twist early on. Not everyone will, but I have a good sense for things like this (curse of being a writer). Overall, a solid 4 stars. Worth the read!
A man who has been in prison for years tells GBI Investigator Will Trent that he’s innocent and the only reason he was found guilty was because of corrupt law enforcement led by Jeffrey Tolliver … the deceased husband of Medical Examiner, Sara Linton. The prisoner also states that the real killer is still out there .. and he’s continued killing women.
Only days ago, another woman was savagely attacked.
As Will Trent digs into both crimes it becomes clear that he must solve the cold case in order to find the answer.
When the past and present begin to collide, Will realizes that everything he values is at stake . .
Fans of Karin Slaughter, of the earlier Grant County series will love this book! We get another look at Jeffrey before he lost his life. The book alternates between the past with Jeffrey …and Lena and the present with Will and Sara. The action is non-stop the suspense starts on the very first page and maintains a high level throughout. As always, the characters are outstanding…. Sara, Will, Faith, Amanda, Jeffrey, Lena. This is like getting two entire stories wrapped into one cleverly written plot. The relationships between Sara and Jeffrey then, and Sara and Will now kept me glued to the pages.
As with all her books, it’s well written, characters solidly drawn, lots of action, a real page turner.Although 10th in the series, this is easily read as a stand alone.
I liked this book, but it was dark.
This was one of the best books of its type I’ve read in the last few months. I have never read Slaughter before but I bought another of her books in this series because this one was so good. The characters are all multi-dimensional, which can make them maddening, but that only adds to the suspense.
I did figure out who the villain had to be very early in the book, but he was so horrendous, I couldn’t stop reading until he was stopped.
The ending was a little anti-climatic. But realistic.
An artful coalescense of the author’s prior Grant County and Will Trent series into a new, engaging story with realistic, complex characters. A gritty love story to boot.
Always enjoy Karen Slaughter book, I miss Jeffery as well. Totally shock of who the killer was, he was not on my top guesses.
Written a wonderful review already! Awesome book for anyone who Loves mysteries or just wants a great read. An awesome writer. I’ve read just about every book she’s written and will continue to read every book she writes. She has never disappointed me. I rarely write a review but for her I know that her books will be loved by all!
Five stars aren’t enough! This one gets ALL the stars!
Will and Faith reopen a case from eight years ago when Jeffrey was the chief of Grant County and Lena was still wet behind the ears. It’s a case that puts everyone on edge, and it adds stress to an already strained relationship between Will and Sara.
This one will have you on the edge of your seat as the team scour through old notes, meet up with victims and their family, and start piecing together the horrendous crimes that were committed.
There’s a twist I didn’t see coming, and it shook me!
Such a fantastic read. Highly recommend!
For those following Sara’s journey this book is a treat providing a view to her past in Grant County. Beware – the violence is brutal.
What is there to say about another Karin Slaughter book that I haven’t already said? I love her books. I love the characters she creates. I love the world she builds and I love the stories she tells. This one is just as fabulous as any other in the Will Trent series only we get the added bonus of looks into the past with Sara, with Jeffrey and into the world that they had together versus the world she has with Will. It was emotional and complex and the cases were downright painful. The character at the bar made me bawl like a baby. I wanted to hug Faith. I wanted to hug Will too but that’s not an uncommon theme for me with these books. Faith though, seeing her shaken, somehow hurt worse than anything else because she is always so untouchable. Anyway pick up the book and read it for yourself.