I find Karin Slaughter very readable and this book is no different. Unfortunately I found it very average. The story started off strong, but then quickly got tedious and boring. ALL of the characters quickly turned into drama queens, each having a never-ending truckload of problems and baggage. And the angst-filled Sara and Jeffrey relationship is on full display, and I found that too tiresome. Lena, whose life cannot be more chaotic or a spectacularly emotionally and physically wreck, somehow proves the universe wrong and works overtime to make her life even worse. All the personal issues fill this book so I felt like that weighed it down on the negative side.

At the end, the storyline ends rather abruptly. I’m sure that plays into the next book in the series, but after all kinds of crazy murders in a murder-free corner of America, the 3 pages that explained it all at the end didn’t make up for the long, long intro or the previous 400+ pages. ( )

"Sara Linton, medical examiner in the small town of Heartsdale, is called out to an apparent suicide on the local college campus. The mutilated body provides little in the way of clues - and the college authorities are keen to avoid a scandal - but for Sara and police chief Jeffrey Tolliver, things don't add up."
Lena Adams is no longer on the police force but is still waist deep in this adventure. Her character is complex to say the least. Sara and Jeffrey continue their push and pull, yes and no take on their relationship or lack thereof. The mysteries intensify and lead to a conclusion that no one would have suspected. Lots of red herrings and possible culprits but the reader will be floored at who the killer is and the motive behind the terrible murders. ( )

I've long been a fan of the Will Trent series. Lately I've been on a Karin Slaughter binge, getting to her stand alones and starting the Grant series. The first two were pretty good, but this one just got on my nerves. It's at a point where you just say this isn't going to happen, especially is this lazy, small town. The Trent series, however, is varied on the crimes and mysteries tackled. I'm pretty sure there isn't even ritualistic the requisite serial killer in the Atlanta one.

My biggest pet peeve in this series is the characters, though. I really don't care for any of them. Sara Linton is so much better in Atlanta. Ole Jeff is about the most annoying cop I've met in a book and is just a complete jerk here.

But having said all this, I'll probably try to finish the series. They're really easy to listen to on audio while driving or down time at work. The best thing about the audio books is they were re-recorded by Kathleen Early, who has narrated the newer books for Slaughter. I'm not sure who it was originally, but her bumpkin twang was annoying and insulting to this southerner. ( )

I really like the grant county series and early books a lot ( )

A FAINT COLD FEAR is the third book in a series by Karin Slaughter. I, however, read it out of order. And I enjoyed it. That is one of my tests of whether an author is a good writer: can their books in a series also be read and enjoyed as standalones? Slaughter passes my test.

Because I had read the first book in this series, I was already familiar with the main characters: the chief of police in a small town in Georgia; his ex-wife, a doctor; and his former employee who is now in Security for the college in this town. Put simply, college Security, headed by a creepy man, and his new employee, Lena, the former police detective, have called the police to come to the scene of a crime at the college. Someone has either committed suicide or was murdered. Soon other murders occur as well, and the police race to solve these and prevent more.

Jeffrey, the Chief of Police, suspects that Lena knows more than she is saying. Unfortunately, Lena has anger issues and is not forthcoming when police question her. Sara, Jeffrey‘s ex-wife and the medical examiner in town, sometimes acts as a buffer between them. She is seeing Jeffrey again but is not ready to remarry him.

Of course, there are many side stories involving others in town. These add mysteries to the main story.

Although I enjoyed this book as a whole, I did not enjoy Lena‘s anger issues and misbehavior. I hope these do not continue to be a problem later in the series. ( )