Ah Karin Slaughter, one of my all-time favorite authors. I can’t tell you how and long I tried to get an early copy of the newest Will Trent installment. I almost didn’t manage it but I ended up with an audiobook, and I am not mad about it because Kathleen Early, who narrates the series, is one of my favorite audiobook narrators. While it’s been a few years since I started reading Slaughter’s books, I didn’t dive into the Will Trent world until this year. I HIGHLY Recommend reading these books in order, though it’s not required. I also recommend reading the Grant County series first, which is the story of Sarah Linton and her husband Jeffrey. The Will Trent series is by far my favorite, but the amount of world building and character development you get by reading them in order is worth it.
After That Night focuses heavily on Sara Linton and the events that are unraveling after Sara gives her testimony for a sexual assault victim that came into the Grady ER. As the current investigation goes deeper, Sara is convinced that it may have been connected to events that happened to her 15 years prior at Grady. As the links between the two cases increases, Will, Sara, and Faith will stop at nothing to ensure the victims get justice.
Honestly, Karin Slaughter can do no wrong in my book. As all her books are, these are not for the faint of heart. Slaughter’s writing is honest and can be graphic, though it’s not done in a showy way. She just has a knack for capturing the twisted underbelly of society and weaves that reality into a page-turning mystery. While I prefer a focus on Will and Faith, getting a glimpse into Sara’s life pre-Will and pre-Jeffrey was interesting. I also loved the added focus on Faith’s son, Jeremy, and I’m interested to know if KS might be thinking about making a new spin off with him as lead?! While I hope the Will Trent series continues for 40 more books, I would love another series in this world.
If you love well written and addictive mysteries, highly recommend grabbing either this series or one of Karin Slaughter’s other books!
After That Night comes out August 22, 2023. Huge thank you to William Morrow and McMillan Audio for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion. If you liked this review please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my instagram @speakingof.books.
