The Kept Woman by Karin Slaughter Narrator: Kathleen Early
Series: Will Trent #8
Published by Blackstone Audiobooks on September 20, 2016
Genres: Mystery
Length: 16 hours, 10 minutes
Format: Audiobook
Source: Library
Goodreads
Amazon, Audible, Libro.fm, Barnes & Noble, Apple
With the discovery of a murder at an abandoned construction site, Will Trent and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation are brought in on a case that becomes much more dangerous when the dead man is identified as an ex-cop.
Studying the body, Sara Linton—the GBI’s newest medical examiner and Will’s lover—realizes that the extensive blood loss didn't belong to the corpse. Sure enough, bloody footprints leading away from the scene indicate there is another victim—a woman—who has vanished . . . and who will die soon if she isn’t found.
Will is already compromised, because the site belongs to the city’s most popular citizen: a wealthy, powerful, and politically connected athlete protected by the world’s most expensive lawyers—a man who’s already gotten away with rape, despite Will’s exhaustive efforts to put him away.
But the worst is yet to come. Evidence soon links Will’s troubled past to the case . . . and the consequences will tear through his life with the force of a tornado, wreaking havoc for Will and everyone around him, including his colleagues, family, friends—and even the suspects he pursues.
Relentlessly suspenseful and furiously paced, peopled with conflicted, fallible characters who leap from the page, The Kept Woman is a searing novel of love, loss, and redemption. A seamless blend of twisty police procedural and ingenious psychological thriller, it marks Karin Slaughter’s triumphant return to her most popular series, sure to please new and diehard fans alike.
The Will Trent series, never lets up with its clever plots and personal growth for characters. The character growth is a bit slow at times but we are seeing a snapshot of a few days to a week so that isn’t unreasonable. I just wish Will and Sara could be more settled. They are fully together but every crisis leads to questions and doubt. I want them to get over the insecurity and know how committed they both are. I want the comfort of certainty for them.
The Kept Woman is utterly gripping and horrific in its detailed stories of foster children, junkies, abused women and children. And yeah, Angie is a fucking bitch. Anything goes as long as she gets her way. We learn more details about her history and none of it is pretty. I feel for her but she hasn’t made many good choices. Just when I think she might have some personal growth, she shows her ugly, selfish side.
Angie leads both the powerful elite of sports and real estate world, as well as law enforcement, on a merry chase. She doesn’t handle everything well, causing hurt to both herself and others. Part of her goal is worthwhile so she is a a complex character, not all bad, but close. I hate her with a passion. And I started out liking her in the series!
Narration:
I continue to enjoy Kathleen Early as THE narrator of the series. While this might seem odd with the main character Will Trent being male. But Will is introspective and not very talkative. All the key people in his life are female: Angie, Amanda, Faith, Angie, and now Sara. All the voices feel authentic and I was able to listen at my usual 1.5x speed.
Listen to a clip: HERE
About Kathleen Early
Kathleen Early has performed on Broadway, as well as performing off-Broadway and at a number of regional theaters. She has made forays into the film and television world, winning a Beverly Hills Film Festival Outstanding Female Performance Award for her part in Trip in a Summer Dress. She was most recently seen as Dr. Dasiy Pepman on Grey’s Anatomy, and will be Nurse Kathy on the upcoming series Miami Medical.
About Karin Slaughter
Karin Slaughter is one of the world’s most popular and acclaimed storytellers. Published in 120 countries with more than 35 million copies sold across the globe, her nineteen novels include the Grant County and Will Trent books, as well as the Edgar-nominated COP TOWN and the instant NEW YORK TIMES bestselling novels PRETTY GIRLS, THE GOOD DAUGHTER, and PIECES OF HER. Slaughter is the founder of the Save the Libraries project—a nonprofit organization established to support libraries and library programming. A native of Georgia, Karin Slaughter lives in Atlanta. Her standalone novels PIECES OF HER, THE GOOD DAUGHTER, and COP TOWN are in development for film and television.
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I read all types of books but my favorites are urban fantasy and romantic suspense.I like some romance and some action / adventure / mystery in everything.I like sex in my books but please, only between TWO people.Intimate conversation is equally important to the sex in a book.It lets me see the characters.The other thing I enjoy is humor.
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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 2019 Audiobooks
- 2019 Library-Love
- COYER Hunt
You have barreled through this series, Anne! I loved this one, too, and am listening to the next one now. Terrific review?
Thanks. It’s possible this is my favorite but I say that about every book. lol It was easy to read all of these, so easy.
I’ve had that happen too. The more into a series I got, the less I liked a character. Worked the other way too. Started out loathing someone and then they grew on me.
Yes the author can really progress a character in interesting ways. That is often what makes a book great.