Faithless (Grant County Series) - Hardcover

Slaughter, Karin

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1844133729 ISBN 13: 9781844133727

Publisher: Century, 2005

Synopsis

There are many ways to die. But some are more terrifying than others...

A walk in the woods takes a sinister turn for police chief Jeffrey Tolliver and medical examiner Sara Linton when they stumble across the body of a young girl. Incarcerated in the ground, all the initial evidence indicates that she has, quite literally, been scared to death.

But as Sara embarks on the autopsy, something even more horrifying comes to light. Something which shocks even Sara. Detective Lena Adams, talented but increasingly troubled, is called in from vacation to help with the investigation - and the trail soon leads to the neighbouring county, an isolated community, and a terrible secret...

(2004-06-24)

About this title

Review:

When so many top-selling names in the crime genre have been showing signs of exhaustion lately, it's always refreshing to pick up a new Karin Slaughter and find that her writing is as laser-sharp as ever. Faithless may feature the author’s familiar protagonists (police chief Jeffrey Tolliver and medical examiner Sara Linton) but Slaughter consistently finds new challenges for her characters, along with new facets of their ever-fluid relationship.

Those weaned on the grisly delights of such Slaughter outings as Blindsighted and Kisscut will know what to expect. And if the novel starts a tad implausibly (Tolliver and Linton, walking in the woods, come across the corpse of a young woman--what are the odds against that?), we're more than prepared to forgive Slaughter this device, when the ever-tightening grip of the narrative takes hold. The duo looks at the evidence, and concludes that the young girl has been literally frightened to death. But during the course of an autopsy, Sara makes a startling discovery--one that gives even the unshockable pathologist pause. She and Tolliver find that there is a trail of evidence leading to a secluded community in the next county, and decide to call in talented detective Lena Adams to aid them. But as the trio draw nearer to the heart of a grim mystery, a destabilising element threatens to undercut their work: Lena’s increasing instability.

While there is nothing particularly groundbreaking in this latest outing for Slaughter, all the customary skills are firmly in place. A particular achievement (as so often with this author) is the faultless pacing of the narrative: the slow, steady accruing of detail has the reader on the point of impatience, when a brilliantly orchestrated set piece will be delivered. Perhaps Karin Slaughter's run of luck will come to an end at some point--but not with this book. --Barry Forshaw

Review:

"Slaughter has the money-shot gore but her most visceral writing is when she is simply ratcheting up the suspense.The slow build up of one scene featuring Tolliver, a suspect and two cups of hot coffee is brilliant, especially when it takes off in an unexpected direction. Great cliffhanger ending too" (Observer)

"Georgia medical examiner Sara Linton returns in Slaughter's Grant County crime thriller series, and this time she's hot on the trail of a demented killer who buries teenage girls alive.... Slaughter's fifth Grant County case offers tough love, suspenseful spadework and life-affirming vigor" (Publishers Weekly)

"Faithless, Karin Slaughter's fifth novel, confirms her at the summit of the school of writers specialising in forensic medicine and terror, a field which includes Patricia Cornwell and Kathy Reichs.... Slaughter's characters talk in believable dialogue, She's excellent at portraying the undertones and claustrophobia of communities where everyone knows everyone else's business, and even better at creating an atmosphere of lurking evil" (The Times)

"[Karin Slaughter is] one of the best crime novelists in America.... Her novels smolder with reality" (Washington Post)

"The pleasure of Slaughter's Grant County series--this is the fifth installment--rests in how the characters deal simultaneously with their messy personal lives and some fairly horrific crimes" (San Francisco Chronicle)

About this edition

• Publisher: Century
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 1844133729
• ISBN 13: 9781844133727
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 400