Reviews

Criminal by Karin Slaughter

sanctuaryofsunshine's review against another edition

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5.0

if there was a 6 star option on GR, this book in the series deserves it. the Will Trent series is fantastic, everything a thriller series needs to be and more - will recommend forever and I'm only halfway through!

dsfleming's review against another edition

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medium-paced

3.25

nmorin's review against another edition

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2.0

another depressing installment.

judithdcollins's review against another edition

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5.0

Karin Slaughter, the queen of Atlanta crime thrillers delivers, CRIMINAL, another 5-Star gripping, suspense novel with the sixth installment in the Will Trent series. (right up there in same category as COP TOWN, another 5 star winner "must read!

CRIMINAL hooked me from page one to the end, Will Trent (love him) of the GA Bureau of Investigation is in a new relationship with Dr. Sara Linton, (former Grant County Medical Examiner from Broken, 2010) when there is an abduction of a 19- yr old college student, Ashleigh Snyder.

When his boss, Deputy Director Amanda Wagner, tells him to stay away from the case, Will knows something is up but unsure the connection. GA Tech sophomore Ashleigh Snyder has gone missing. Not only has she banished Will to the airport in a dead-end patrol of men's rooms, he also finds her hanging around the Techwood apartments, geographically close to Ashleigh's place.

OMG - Will learns his father (horrible SOB) has been paroled after serving 30 years of a life sentence. And now girls are going missing again! No wonder the guy is troubled with a dad like this! He learns a little more about the strange relationship he has with his boss Amanda Wagner and his dad’s past. (a shocker)!

There are two different stories going on thirty years apart. Flashing back to 1975, with alternating chapters, Amanda is a rookie with the Atlanta Police Department along with Evelyn Mitchell who later becomes the mother of Faith Mitchell (GA Bureau of Investigation-Fallen, 2011), Will’s GBI partner.

Poor Will is struggling. He wants to get closer to his girlfriend doctor Sarah Linton. But as he learns more about suspect in these disappearances he closes himself off from everyone, including Sarah and his stupid ex-wife Angie, shows up - which I despise. Poor Will cannot catch a break!

In 1975, during racism and sexism, Amanda and Evelyn refuse to abandon the case of several missing prostitutes, despite warnings from other (male) detectives to back off. Slaughter seamlessly shifts between past and present for a suspenseful ride, keeping you turning into the wee hours of the morning to learn the fate of all involved. When the two stories connect, what a powerful explosion!

Having read COP TOWN first, I fell in love with the kick-ass edgy strong women, the characters, the city (as lived in Atlanta for most of my career), and last but not least -- Karin’s compelling writing style and outstanding research– what a dynamic storyteller!

I am currently playing catch up and reading Karin's earlier books in the famous Will Trent series between all my new ARCs. Finally, I received my answers about the intriguing Special Agent Will Trent character and his history.

I did not relocate to Atlanta until the early 90s, and was so engrossed in the history of the 70s, with all its police brutality and political battles and always enjoy catching up with all the familiar landmarks and characters!

Can’t wait to read them all!

http://judithdcollins.booklikes.com/post/972575/criminal

niclow_'s review against another edition

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emotional mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

tani's review against another edition

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4.0

I don't usually read mysteries, for the simple reason that I tend not to enjoy them as books. I find it much easier to digest a mystery if it's a TV show, though it's taken me a long time to really start to accept that, and it was only recently that I purged a bunch of mystery books that I'd picked up for free over the years. However, I continually have heard great things about Karin Slaughter, so I kept this one. And then, against every completionist bone in my body, I read it, even though I haven't read the first 5 books in the series. And actually, this warranted every good thing that I've heard about Karin Slaughter over the years.

First of all, the characters in this book are fantastic. All of them, even the ones that barely get a mention in the grand scheme of things. They all felt fully realized to me, which is a hugely important element to my reading enjoyment. In particular, I loved the portrayal of Amanda, who I started the book mildly disliking, and ended the book absolutely rooting for. Second, there's just so much attention to detail. This book is split between two timelines, the present day of Will Trent, and 1975, and I was very impressed with the 1975 section. I learned so much about that time period, from the role of racism and sexism, to the politics of the police force, to what the rest of society was like. It was really clearly meticulously researched, and as a result, the story came to life for me.

These two things combined to make a really great reading experience for me. I think sometimes the reason I struggle with mysteries, especially those featuring the police and detectives, is because there's no draw. It feels bleak and voyeuristic, and at the end of the day, I feel weird reading about the victimization of (mostly) women. Even when the bad guy gets caught, I don't feel like anything is actually better. This book was all those things as well. Women get raped, tortured, and killed, and even when the bad guy is caught, those things don't just disappear. But there's a balance, because we also see women coming into their own, fighting for what they want and learning important lessons about themselves. For me, that makes the rest of it easier to handle, as well as making the story compelling instead of merely depressing. And that's why, even though I'm not much of a mystery reader, I'd love to read more of the Will Trent series, this time starting from the beginning.

becca117's review against another edition

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tense medium-paced

4.0

megs_k's review against another edition

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5.0

He didn't want to live like that anymore. ~ Karin Slaughter

yogikat88's review against another edition

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3.0

Hmmm... Mixed feelings about this book. Loved the characters, especially back story on Amanda -- true to the times and realistic depiction of female cops (and I've been there, done that, so I know).
But the story telling itself just did not do it for me -- the back and forth timelines contributed to a slow, tedious read. And then again, I'd find myself drawn back into the story and want to finish. I'm intrigued enough to read another in the series, not compelled to do so anytime soon.

shai3d's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0