A Book Review by Lori Carol Maloy
Fractured by Karin Slaughter
Book 2 in the Will Trent Series (11 books in total)
Genre: Crime Thriller
Published: 2008
When wealthy housewife Abigail Campano walks into her home just after having an argument with her husband about his latest affair, she finds broken glass and realizes someone is inside her home. She is still on the phone with her husband when she walks upstairs and a man with a knife is standing over who she believes is her daughter’s dead body. She turns and runs, falling down the stairs, and the man with the knife comes after her. They wrestle. It doesn’t end well, and Abigail later realizes she has made a terrible mistake.
The Atlanta police department makes several blunders, and when Will Trent and his boss, Amanda, from the Georgia Bureau of Investigations arrive on scene, Will makes an assessment: not only is there a murder, but also a kidnapping. The case is handed to the GBI. Amanda pairs Will up with Faith Mitchell, who works for the Atlanta Police Department. Faith has heard of Will Trent and can’t stand him because of his takedown of some of her fellow officers, as well as shaming her mother, who had also worked for the department, and forcing her into retirement.Â
Will deals with his own embarrassment and shame and wants to keep his dyslexia a secret from Faith and plenty of others. Tension between the two is high and trust is almost non-existent.
Despite their differences they are forced to work together to solve the crime and find Emma. Pacing amps up as the clock ticks down.
I began reading this novel before I realized it was book 2 in the series, but for me, it was great as a stand-alone novel. There were hints of relationships and events that came before this novel, but Slaughter did an excellent job of making things clear. I didn’t feel it was necessary to read the novels in order but to fully understand and know the characters, doing so would be beneficial.
Slaughter did a beautiful job creating in-depth characters and giving the reader a reason to root for them. This novel kept me on the edge of my seat. She definitely knows police procedure, crime scene investigations, and plenty of medical and police lingo.
She provides explicit details during the crime scenes and brings the reader right into the gruesome crime. I was rooting for the investigators every step of the way. Not only did I root for them to solve the crime, but I also became very interested in their personal lives as well.
I especially enjoyed her morgue scenes and loved how she brought humor into such a creepy environment.
I was excited to know that ABC is airing the Will Trent series. So, Will Trent fans will definitely get their fix. I plan to watch it.
Will's dyslexia was fleshed out and I found this aspect of the novel very well done. Slaughter's knowledge about police procedures and crime scene investigations shined through. She didn’t skimp on giving the reader a close-up view.
Abigail is portrayed as a mother in grief, not only with finding the gruesome murder scene but the psychological trauma of also having to deal with the infidelity in her marriage at the same time. Abigail is one tough cookie. I would have loved to see her assist Will Trent with the investigation, but Faith did a great job, and I enjoyed her character.
Profanity is present but not in excess.
Through this book review of Fractured, I found Slaughter's ability to write was proven once again with this page turner. It was 511 pages, but I found myself whipping through it. If you like crime thrillers and more in-depth characters, you'll love this novel.
Happy reading! Lori
