The Silent Wife by Karin Slaughter

*Susanne’s Review

Well Played Karin Slaughter, Well Played.

Oops You did it again
You played with my heart..

My oh My.. what a wild, crazy, heart stopping, laugh out loud, tear-filled ride “The Silent Wife” turned out to be. Going in, I had no idea what to expect. What I got was Jeffrey. My Jeffrey. Jeffrey Tolliver. Be Still My Heart.

Sara Linton, is now an Atlanta resident, where she is the medical examiner at the GBI and the girlfriend of Will Trent, who is an investigator with the GBI. Sara, however, was once a resident of Grant County, when she was married to the Chief of Police, Jeffrey Tolliver, before he was murdered.

When Will Trent, his partner Faith Mitchell and Sara are called into investigate a crime at a prison, old cases of Jeffrey’s are called into question: murders of young women at Grant Tech. His reputation and that of the Grant County PD are on the line. Unfortunately for Will, Faith and Sara, the only officer who can shed light on the situation is a very pregnant Lena Adams, now a Detective with the Macon PD. Can you say Meow?!

To make matters much worse, the GBI discovers several other victims with the same MO whose deaths have occurred in the years since the original murders, leaving the team racing to find a serial killer in their midst.

Told in both the Past (with Jeffrey) and the Present (with Will and Sara), what happens here is seriously intense. Heartstopping, thrilling, terrifying and sometimes, extremely violent. Karin Slaughter knows how to scare a girl. Although I guessed the who and the why fairly early on, it did not detract from my enjoyment in any way whatever.

Then there’s Jeffrey. A huge part of me loved revisiting Jeffrey. How could I not? He has my heart and he always will. That said, this Karin Slaughter novel tore me in two. I really like Will Trent. A lot. I love his partnership with Faith and laughed hysterically at their antics in this novel. I also like Will with Sara, although, I personally don’t think she’s good enough for him. (Sorry NOT Sorry!!). That said, I absolutely LOVE Jeffrey Tolliver. Yes, I am one of those women. When he died my heart was RIPPED OUT of my chest. It is something that I have not gotten over to this day. When I started reading this book and realized that Karin Slaughter was drudging it all back up AGAIN, with Will, Sara, LENA and JEFFREY.. My stomach churned and turned and I felt ill. I finished this novel two days ago and I am still a mess over it all and will be for a long time. It is to Karin Slaughter’s credit that she is able to pull all of these emotions out of me.

“The Silent Wife” is a spellbinding, intense, mystery thriller that is a must read for Karin Slaughter fans. I personally suggest reading all of the Grant County and Will Trent novels in order before reading this so that you can experience the characters and the raw emotions that Karin Slaughter brings to the table. Kudos to Ms. Slaughter for slaying me yet again.

Thank you to my book buddy Kaceey for being there for me throughout. I started bingeing this series last September and she has been there for me every step of the way. She has laughed and supported my love and utter despair over Jeffrey, my anger and frustration at Sara, my adoration of Will and Faith and my defense of Lena. I would not have gotten through this series without you. We read this one together and it was the best!

Thank you to HarperCollins, William Morrow, Edelweiss and Karin Slaughter for the arc.

*Kaceey’s Review

I have been reading Karin Slaughter’s books for years. I was a huge Jeffrey Tolliver fan! (I mean who wasn’t?)💁🏻‍♀‍ but grew to love Will Trent as he tried to fill Jeffery’s shoes and our hearts.

But what happens when worlds collide and we have both Will and Jeffery in one book!? You say it can’t be done? Well only the very talented Karin Slaughter delivers the goods flawlessly!

I love all the characters Ms. Slaughter brings to life and this series has not faltered in the least over the years!

If you are new to this author or this series I recommend going back to the beginning and reading all her intertwining series in order. It’s so worth it.

These are not light thrillers either. There is always a dark edge to each but fits the storyline perfectly.

A buddy read with Susanne that we both devoured!

Thank you to Edelweiss and William Morrow for an ARC to read and review.