I am probably in the minority but I didn't find this book nearly as good as Karin Slaughter's earlier work. I found it dragged and contained way too much character introspection without enough action.

While Karin Slaughter is an excellent writer, this book simply did not hold my attention. I couldn't get immersed in the story and consequently I skimmed a lot.

As for the ending, I hated it. I won't say why, since that would spoil the book for those who haven't read it. I'll just say that it left me with a negative vibe throughout the entire story, with absolutely no happy stops along the way ( )

Pediatrician/medical examiner Sara Linton is reeling from a vicious malpractice suit and having to close her clinic when her husband, police chief Jeffrey Tollier, receives word that Lena Adams, one of his detectives, has been arrested in Reese, GA. Sara accompanies Jeffrey to the small, backwater town. When they arrive, Lena uses Sara to escape and from that point on manages to stay one step ahead of Jeffrey and the sheriff of Reese. As Jeffrey tries to find Lena, bodies pile up and he and Sara find their own lives threatened. Meanwhile, Lena is trying to locate her Uncle Hank and the man he claims killed her mother when she stumbles upon a group of white supremacists who deal in meth trafficking.

This sixth installment of the Grant County, GA crime series is as gritty and realistic as real life. Slaughter touches upon the devastating effects of methamphetamine on its users and the vicious cruelty of its makers and traffickers. Slaughter adroitly leads the reader through two investigations: Lena as she tracks her uncle and tries to find out what really happened to her mother, and Jeffrey and Sara as they search for Lena. Slaughter provides an ending which is unexpected and which some readers will find traumatic and unsettling. ( )

Grant County Sheriff Jeffery Tolliver and Medical Examiner Sara Linton have recently married again following their divorce because of Jeffery's previous unfaithfulness. Troubled policewoman Lena Adams has recently been arrested in her hometown of Reece, suspected of killing a woman in an arson attack. Jeffery and Sara ride to the rescue but fall foul of the local law enforcement officers, who don't like strangers on their patch, and of a local skinhead meth-dealing crime organisation who may or may not have links to Lena's psycho-racist ex boyfriend Ethan Green, framed by Lena and imprisoned by Jeffery. Explosive ending.

I like the Grant County series and although this one had quite a few complicated twists and turns and coincidences it was fast paced and kept me reading. Only problem for me is that Sara and Jeffery are that bit too perfect to be true and Lena is just too neatly flawed and that makes it difficult for me to empathise and identify properly with them as characters. ( )

This addition to the author’s Grant County series again features Police Chief Jeffrey Tolliver; his wife, the county coroner and pediatrician, Dr. Sara Linton; his troubled detective, Lena Adams; and Lena’s sick-o former boyfriend, Ethan Green. Much of the story takes place in Reese, Georgia, Lena’s former hometown, where the newly elected Sheriff, Jake Valentine, seems amazingly young and inexperienced. While in Reese, we also get more acquainted with Lena’s Uncle Hank, and meet Charlotte Warren, who was apparently the first lover of Lena’s dead twin sister, Sybil.

But that’s not all. We also get the meth trade, white supremacists, post-rape repercussions, post-parental-abuse repercussions, and some very unsavory causes of death.

Unlike Slaughter’s previous books, there are more caricatured people in “Beyond Reach,” and more scenes that seem ludicrously unrealistic. Nevertheless, Slaughter’s passionate caring seeps through, as does her art, making the book worth reading in spite of the disappointments. ( )

Lena Adams is in her hometown and has been arrested after she is found on the scene of a terrible car fire containing a burnt body and a gas can beside her. Jeffrey, bringing Sara with him, goes to talk to her and walks into the middle of a town keeping a dark secret. This latest Grant County thriller throws drug trafficking, meth addiction and white supremacists into the mix. As Indelible took us into Jeffrey's past, Beyond Reach takes us into Lena's past and uncovers her family secrets. This was an another exciting, masterfully plotted mystery with a solution that took me by surprise. Karin Slaughter is a master of this genre.

However, the ending of this book is another matter.

As I read the last pages I felt like I had been hit by a ton of bricks. I did not see the ending coming as I had not read any spoilers for this book. I had to read those two pages over a couple of times before I actually believed what I was reading. To say the least I am flabbergasted and as a fan of this series I feel somewhat betrayed, possibly angry, definitely displeased. Those are my immediate reactions, only a few hours old and I'll probably calm down as time goes by but at this point I'm not sure if I'll "look forward" to the next book of the series. I will read it, with trepidation, but I definitely need to let this sink in.

If you haven't read any of this series, I strongly advise against reading them out of order. There is a story that runs through them of the main characters that you would miss out on otherwise. Blindsighted is the first, and I recommend you start there. ( )

Very well written and suspense filled. However, I hated the ending. ( )

When Lena Adams is arrested for murder, her boss Jeffery Tolliver and his wife Sara Linton go to find the real story. Little do they know that the small town Lena grew up in contains many mysteries that must be solved before Lena is free.

Family history, marriage issues and friendship all play a role in this page turning novel.

My first Karin Salughter book, I'll read more. ( )

When Detective Lena Adams is arrested in her home town in Georgia, her boss, police Chief Jeffrey Tolliver, goes to help her and takes his wife medical examiner Sara Linton with him. Sara has problems of her own: she is being sued for medical misdiagnosis after the death of a young patient. His parents, overwhelmed by debt, are looking for someone to pay. Jeffrey and Sara have recently been accepted into an adoption programme.

Lena, who always seems to be in trouble, has been discovered by the local police sitting on the ground on the perimeter of a high school sports field, with her foot on a fuel can. On the fifty yard touch line is a burning Cadillac and investigators can see a body, beyond saving, charring on the back seat. When Lena won’t answer questions or indeed speak at all, she is taken to the hospital, and at the same time charged with obstructing the law. Soon after Jeffrey and Sara arrive, Lena absconds, setting off a chain of events that places them all in great danger. ( )

401 pages, I figured too many things out in this one. I did love the ending though, because I wasn't fond of the character. ( )

This is more or less my thoughts on other people's reactions to the book, rather than a "strict" review.

I already blogged about Beyond Reach at www.colorfulpen.blogspot.com (where I blog about my journey as a writer of erotic fiction-if you don't like that sort of thing, don't visit-and life in general), but, after reading further reviews of the latest Grant County novel over at amazon.com I wanted to post something here, too.

It seems some people feel let down, or mad even. I can understand. The ending was a huge shocker, and I cried like a baby when I finished, but I can't say I felt like I was let down as a reader. Sad, sure, because after following a series for 6 books I've gotten attached to these characters, but not mad to the point where I wouldn't buy another one of her books.

Personally, I can't wait to see what the author has in store for her next book. Creative license, and all that...only she knows where she wants to go with her stories. Nothing says these are HEA romances. How many times have you watched a TV series and a favorite character gets killed off? Nobody really *likes* that, but it happens. As I said in my blog post, few books impact me in a big way. Karin's books do. A day after finishing the book, my chest feels tight just thinking about the ending, but I could still open the book right now, start reading it again, and fall in love with the story all over again.

I gave Beyond Reach 5 stars for the brilliant, tight grip Karin has on the craft of storytelling. I wouldn't give it anything less because it's the story that counts, the plot, the characterization, and as always, she's got that down. ( )

If it's possible to feel sucker-punched by a book,I do after finishing BR. IMO, there's a line between being honest to your characters and story, and being excessively cruel. Rating for everything but the last two pages - 4 stars. Those last two - two.
I'm sure the next books will be interesting and well-written; they just won't be part of the series I loved. ( )

Meth in small town GA, no happy endings here. Medical examiner/pediatrician Sara Linton and husband, police chief Jeffrey Tolliver. ( )

Karin Slaughter returns to Grant County for her latest novel; this series keeps getting better and better. Skin Privilege (Beyond Reach in the U.S.) is set in Reece, the town where Lena grew up and has returned to after getting a phone call telling her that her Uncle is using drugs again. Sara and Jeffrey are soon on the scene after Lena is arrested. This fast paced thriller relentlessly reveals not only the secrets of the town but those of Lena’s family as well; and just when you think it is all over up comes an ending that will leave you reeling. ( )