Publisher: HarperTorch / HarperAudio
Published: October 2002 (Originally published Sept 2001) / Audio – February 10, 20215
Source: Print – Mass Market Paperback via Publisher / Audio via library
Summary:
A small Georgia town erupts in panic when a young college professor is found brutally mutilated in the local diner. But it’s only when town pediatrician and coroner Sara Linton does the autopsy that the full extent of the killer’s twisted work becomes clear.
Sara’s ex-husband, Police Chief Jeffrey Tolliver, leads the investigation – a trail of terror that grows increasingly macabre when another local woman is found crucified a few days later. But he’s got more than a sadistic serial killer on his hands, for the county’s sole female detective, Lena Adams – the first victim’s sister – wants to serve her own justice.
But it is Sara who holds the key to finding the killer. A secret from her past could unmask the brilliantly malevolent psychopath…or mean her death.
My thoughts:
I have been a fan of Karin Slaughter for quite some time but have really only read her stand-alones until recently when I got a copy of The Silent Wife, which is book 10 in the Will Trent series. Even though I hadn’t read any of those books, I decided to read The Silent Wife and loved it…and made a plan to go back to the beginning of the series before the next book comes out. Now…here’s the pickle if you will. The Grant County series is really where things start, so I have 2 series to get through…18 books, though that does include a few novellas towards the end that of course I am going to read. Luckily for me, most of these are now available on audio and that is most definitely the route I will be taking!
Blindsighted is the first book in The Grant County series and it introduces us to Sara Linton. I loved this…its got all of the hallmarks that I’ve come to love from a Karin Slaughter book – it’s dark, gritty and quite disturbing. Of course, because I’ve already read a later book in the series, I had some information that most people wouldn’t have if they had read this book when it first came out, but to me it just kept me on my toes thinking. It had been a while since I did read that other book, but some of it had come back and I was trying to work out what the link was. Nothing was ruined, but I think the groundwork is definitely laid here, which is kind of cool.
I love the characters that Karin Slaughter creates and the attention to detail she puts in. The relationships between the characters are top notch, whether they get along or not. Her good guys are stand-up characters and her bad guys are as evil as they come.
I am so excited to continue on with this series. It may be old but as far as crime fiction goes, in my book, this writing stands the test of time.
Audio thoughts:
I’m so glad my library had the audio of this and that Kathleen Early was narrating it. I’ve listened to a few of Karin Slaughter’s other books and Kathleen Early has narrated them and she really gets the nuances of her writing. This one was so exciting and thrilling to listen to and that is in part due to the story but also due to the narration. The narrator really did a great job with the voices and her pacing and intonation were spot on. I’m looking forward to continuing with the series and I’m glad to see that Kathleen Early narrates most of the books.
Books in this series:
- Blindsighted
- Kisscut
- A Faint Cold Fear
- Indelible
- Faithless
- Beyond Reach
