A review by cnorbury
Triptych by Karin Slaughter
4.0
The work of a master storyteller is always evident from page one, and this book was no exception. The opening third was outstanding, gritty, ugly, and unsettling. Slaughter painted a dark, vivid picture of the seamier side of life in Atlanta. A serial killer who beats, tortures, and rapes young women and then bites their tongues off. But she captured the essence of human emotions--lust, greed, disappointment, lost chances, hopelessness, endemic poverty, trust, etc.
There were moments in the middle half of the book when the introspection and repetition of thoughts and emotions slowed the pace, but the stellar prose compensated for that to a degree. The plot twists were generally good and unexpected. I did have a hard time with Will Trent as an effective Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) agent. It's hard to imagine how a functional illiterate (thanks to severe dyslexia) can rise to his position and do a decent job, let alone and outstanding job. Plus, his past (orphan, foster homes, beaten tortured, etc.) seems like far too much baggage to overcome in the pursuit of a normal, productive life.
But, on the whole, this was a first-rate detective thriller, with compelling characters, vivid prose, and an interesting premise and plot.
There were moments in the middle half of the book when the introspection and repetition of thoughts and emotions slowed the pace, but the stellar prose compensated for that to a degree. The plot twists were generally good and unexpected. I did have a hard time with Will Trent as an effective Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) agent. It's hard to imagine how a functional illiterate (thanks to severe dyslexia) can rise to his position and do a decent job, let alone and outstanding job. Plus, his past (orphan, foster homes, beaten tortured, etc.) seems like far too much baggage to overcome in the pursuit of a normal, productive life.
But, on the whole, this was a first-rate detective thriller, with compelling characters, vivid prose, and an interesting premise and plot.