The Silent Wife (Will Trent #10) by Karin Slaughter

Published August 4th 2020 by William Morrow, Blackstone Publishing

5 Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

When GBI Detective Will Trent and his partner Faith Mitchell are called to the scene of the aftermath of a prison riot, they are not expecting information to reopen cases from Grant County that involved Jeffrey Tolliver and Lena Adams. Eight years earlier a man was imprisoned for kiddie porn but also was the main suspect in a couple of rapes and murders. He claims Jeffrey framed him. This reopens an investigation that suddenly becomes a possible serial rapist/murderer. For those of you who follow Karin Slaughter will recognize the setting of Grant County as that was the first series with Sara Linton. The Will Trent series is a spinoff. Sara was married to Jeffrey Tolliver who was murdered by a convict out to get revenge. She is now seeing Will. This case will challenge Will in a few ways, especially with Sara’s involvement as the medical examiner at the time of the original crimes.

I really enjoyed revisiting Grant County and Jeffrey Tolliver. I loved that series, and Karin Slaughter does a great job bringing both of Sara’s worlds together. The story has a dual timeline and shifts between the present and eight years earlier when the original crimes were committed. Not only are they investigating the older cases, but a recent one that is remarkabley similar to the older ones. Is the wrong man in prison? Was Jeffrey dirty? Who is this serial killer or is it a copycat? So many questions, but Will and Faith do not give up the search. Amanda, their boss, pushes them onward and brings Sara in as well. The ca.se was quite complicated with a lot of threads to follow. It was also violent and descriptive in the injuries, so be prepared for that. This has strong female characters who are relentless when trying to solve a case. A well written and developed story with great characters who I have come to know very well. I do recommend you read this series in order, in fact, recommend you read the Grant County series before starting the Will Trent one. You won’t be disappointed.

This audiobook was long (18 hours), but it had me riveted. Kathleen Early’s performance was outstanding. The voices she used for the various characters brought them alive with emotion and expression that allowed their personalities to shine through. This is the first book in this series that I have listened to, and I will probably not read another one after listening to Kathleen Early’s performance, it was that good. I was gifted this book upon request. The rating and opinions shared are my own.

The Silent Wife (Will Trent, #10)About the Book: Investigating the killing of a prisoner during a riot inside a state penitentiary, GBI investigator Will Trent is confronted with disturbing information. One of the inmates claims that he is innocent of a brutal attack for which he has always been the prime suspect. The man insists that he was framed by a corrupt law enforcement team led by Jeffrey Tolliver and that the real culprit is still out there—a serial killer who has systematically been preying on women across the state for years. If Will reopens the investigation and implicates the dead police officer with a hero’s reputation of wrongdoing, the opportunistic convict is willing to provide the information GBI needs about the riot murder.

Only days ago, another young woman was viciously murdered in a state park in northern Georgia. Is it a fluke, or could there be a serial killer on the loose?

As Will Trent digs into both crimes it becomes clear that he must solve the cold case in order to find the answer. Yet nearly a decade has passed—time for memories to fade, witnesses to vanish, evidence to disappear, and lies to become truth. But Will can’t crack either mystery without the help of the one person he doesn’t want involved: his girlfriend and Jeffrey Tolliver’s widow, medical examiner Sara Linton.

When the past and present begin to collide, Will realizes that everything he values is at stake . . .