It's Monday morning in the sleepy tow of Heartsdale, Georgia, and everything is as normal. That is until Sara Linton - local paediatrician and medical examiner and ex-wife of Chief of Police Jeffery Tolliver - goes to the bathroom of the local diner and finds Sibyl Adams, sister of detective Lena Adams, barely clinging to life. She has been viciously raped, ad a cross has been cut deep in her abdomen. Despite Sara's desperate efforts to bring her back to the land of the living, Sibyl dies, thus becoming the first victim of a serial killer ready to commit ore horrifying crimes than anyone in this genteel little town could ever have dreamed of.
Then, a young student goes missing, and, shortly after, another victim is found, crucified and lying on the bonnet of Sara Linton's car...
This, an excellent portrait of crime in small-town America, is an absolutely first-class debut novel. Taut, suspenseful and shocking throughout, this is a runaway success that puts Karin Slaughter (perfect name!) right on the front line of female thriller writers, alongside Mo Hayder, Cornwell, Reichs, McDermid and the like. "Blindsighted" is bloody well-written, too, and Slaughter has struck an exquisitely perfect balance between plot and character.
The plot is excellent. It's brutal at times, although never gratuitously, shocking, with one or two events completely taking me by stunned surprise, yet also moving and compassionate. The leading trio are a compelling, fully realised bunch, and their relationships with one another (especially Sara and Jeffery) are fascinating.
Slaughter clearly has some fantastic talent and promise within her. "Blindsighted" is reminiscent of Cornwell's own spectacular debut, "Postmortem", and, while not yet quite as good as her, she hopefully has a long, similarly successful and influential career ahead of her.
Like Boston Teran's "God is a Bullet", "Blindsighted" is a debut to die-for.
Then, a young student goes missing, and, shortly after, another victim is found, crucified and lying on the bonnet of Sara Linton's car...
This, an excellent portrait of crime in small-town America, is an absolutely first-class debut novel. Taut, suspenseful and shocking throughout, this is a runaway success that puts Karin Slaughter (perfect name!) right on the front line of female thriller writers, alongside Mo Hayder, Cornwell, Reichs, McDermid and the like. "Blindsighted" is bloody well-written, too, and Slaughter has struck an exquisitely perfect balance between plot and character.
The plot is excellent. It's brutal at times, although never gratuitously, shocking, with one or two events completely taking me by stunned surprise, yet also moving and compassionate. The leading trio are a compelling, fully realised bunch, and their relationships with one another (especially Sara and Jeffery) are fascinating.
Slaughter clearly has some fantastic talent and promise within her. "Blindsighted" is reminiscent of Cornwell's own spectacular debut, "Postmortem", and, while not yet quite as good as her, she hopefully has a long, similarly successful and influential career ahead of her.
Like Boston Teran's "God is a Bullet", "Blindsighted" is a debut to die-for.
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