Karin Slaughter proves she's one of the best crime novelists at work today with "Criminal."
Slaughter examines the effects of crime and leaves the reader to imagine the sordid details of the act itself. She understands that the psychological underpinnings are more important than the gore. This time, she juggles two cases that are nearly 40 years apart, and her characters will have to reveal their secret histories if they want to survive the future.
Will Trent, an agent with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, cannot shake his past. A new chance at love feels both exhilarating and terrifying since he's worried that she will leave him if she discovers the truth.
Trent's supervisor, Amanda Wagner, orders him to stay away from a new case involving the disappearance of a college student. He doesn't understand why, and Wagner refuses to tell him.
The novels shifts between the past, when Wagner was a recruit in the Atlanta Police Department fighting rampant sexual harassment from the predominantly male force, and the present, which seems to be repeating a case from those early days.
Slaughter weaves a rich tapestry of complex characters with a compelling mystery. Readers will feel emotionally attached to these characters, and their journey will both delight and surprise even the jaded suspense fan.
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