I love Karen Slaughter, she's not afraid to do things differently and this book is no exception. Concentrating on murder (of course), this books also examines the difficult subject of child "abuse". I really don't want to give too much away, but don't believe everything you think when reading this book! Characters are not what they seem. If you like Karen Slaughter, you'll love this one! ( )

Book 1 in the Will Trent series

This is a fine crime fiction that doesn’t miss a beat and where every detail has been scrutinized and utilized to its maximum to provide one fascinating and captivating tale. The story has a touch of violence, it focuses on: Homicide Detective Michael Ormewood, John Shelley a recent parolee, Special Agent Will Trent of the Criminal Apprehension Team and Vice Cop Angie Polanski. They are all brought together in a series of brutal murders.

Skilfully plotted the story unfolds at a rapid pace. It starts when Michael Ormewood is summoned to a brutal murder, the horribly mutilated body of Aleesha Monroe. It is evident that this murder is the latest in a series of similar attacks and could be of interest to the Criminal Apprehension team, so Special Agent Will Trent quickly becomes a vital player in solving the case. Tension takes a complex turn with John Shelley entering the scene. Being an ex-con, he becomes of special interest to Angie after meeting her in her undercover role as a prostitute. Unknowingly, he has stumbled upon the killer’s trail and holds the key to bringing the murderer to justice.

If you are a crime fiction addict, this novel won’t disappoint you. It has everything one can wish for in a page turner: an intricate mystery, great plot development, several threads expertly interweaved, many twists and turns to give it suspense and excellent character development. This is one riveting and compelling mystery that I highly recommend. ( )

Triptych is the second book by Karin Slaughter that I have read. I started it immediately after finishing Undone, one of her more recent novels, which I enjoyed so much that I couldn't wait to read another. Triptych is the first book in her second series and features Will Trent as a primary investigator. Undone is technically the third book in the Atlanta sequence. Another intense and gruesome crime novel, I was not disappointed by Triptych. And seeing as the book was shortlisted for the Crime Writers' Association's Ian Fleming Steel Dagger award in 2007, I'm guessing that others weren't too disappointed either.

Early in February, Atlanta Detective Michael Ormewood is called to investigate the death of Aleesha Monroe. She is found the staircase to her apartment, an anonymous tip called in, brutally beaten and raped, her tongue bitten off by the attacker. The investigation is soon joined by Will Trent from the Georgia Bureau of Investigations; more cases have been identified across the state over the last year that may be connected. Only, no definite pattern has emerged except that each of the victims' tongues were mutilated. Nearly two decades earlier, Jonathan Shelley was incarcerated for the murder of Mary Alice Finney under similar circumstances. Tried as an adult, he has served more time in prison than he has lived outside of it. Recently paroled, he discovers by chance that someone has stolen his identity and that it won't it won't take much to send him back to jail--a connection with the current serial murders is undeniable. Three men, all with very good reasons to track down the murderer before someone else can.

A very important part of Triptych is the timeline; the story isn't told strictly chronologically. It is crucial to pay special attention to the dates given at the beginning of chapters to avoid any confusion--sometimes it even seems like the flashbacks have flashbacks. But despite this, it actually works pretty well, showing both past and recent events until it all crashes together to form the current situation. Nothing really surprised me much plot-wise; I saw most of the connections and reveals coming, but I still found Triptych to be an addicting read. Some things are never explained fully, but this may have been deliberate. The reasons behind the serial murders and attacks are never given, making the killer all the more ominous and terrifying, if of a somewhat incongruous personality.

I think that I probably liked Triptych even more than I liked Undone. Part of the reason is that it focuses a bit more on Will and his background, who I still find to be a fantastic character, but I actually feel that it is a better book all around (which is not to say Undone was at all bad). However, if I had to name one person as the main character, it would be John Shelley, who makes a compelling yet ambiguous protagonist. This ambiguity spreads to the rest of the book and is what impressed me so much about Triptych. Slaughter's skill in handling her plot and characters is impressive--she doesn't really hide anything from her readers but at the same time leaves them wondering if what is going on is actually true. I think I'm officially addicted to Slaughter and will definitely be picking up the second Will Trent book, Fractured, very soon.

Experiments in Reading ( )

"TripTych" is my first book by Karin Slaughter, but if it is any indication of the types of books that Ms. Slaughter authors, it won't be the last.

The basic plotline of "TripTych" could be formulaic (is a dead prostitute in Atlanta connected to a serial rapist/killer?) but thankfully it is not. The discovery of the prostitute in the first chapter is only the springboard to introduce us to a plethora of characters and a brutal murder from 20 years prior. While none of the primary characters are wholly sympathetic, they are gritty, original and real.

Ms. Slaughter hooked me from the first chapter and reeled me in thru several days of reading thru my lunch hour and staying up, trying to read as much as I could before bed, looking forward eagerly to the next page. A huge plotline twist mid-book caught me by pleasant surprise and the story didn't let up until the very end.

My only complaint about "TripTych" was the end - - it seemed a bit too tidy but perhaps that was simply due to the adrenaline rush the rest of the book throws at you.

Overall, I found the book addictive and totally absorbing. I will be looking for other books by Ms. Slaughter my next trip to the library.

Highly recommended. ( )

I enjoyed this book, very graphic I thought, but you needed to know what would happen. ( )