Day 244 - Undone [ARC Review]

Undone

Karin Slaughter

Series or Stand Alone: Grant County series, book seven

Release Date: July 2009

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Pages: 448 (Hardcover)

My Rating: 5/5

Synopsis [from karinslaughter.com]:

Someone had spent time with her -- someone well-practiced in the art of pain... Three years ago former Grant County medical examiner Sara Linton moved to Atlanta hoping to leave her tragic past behind her. Now working as a doctor in Atlanta's Grady Hospital she is starting to piece her life together. But when a severely wounded young woman is brought in to the emergency room, she finds herself drawn back into a world of violence and terror. The woman has been hit by a car but, naked and brutalized, it's clear that she has been the prey of a twisted mind. When Special Agent Will Trent of the Criminal Investigation Team returns to the scene of the accident, he stumbles on a torture chamber buried deep beneath the earth. And this hidden house of horror reveals a ghastly truth - Sara's patient is just the first victim of a sick, sadistic killer. Wrestling the case away from the local police chief, Will and his partner Faith Mitchell find themselves at the center of a grisly murder hunt. And Sara, Will and Faith - each with their own wounds and their own secrets - are the only thing that stands between a madman and his next crime...



Review:

So I've never really been the "thriller" type. Movies, maybe. But I just never got into reading and enjoying the genre. But recently, my tastes for books seems to be expanding to include different flavors. Yum! But I digress, I don't really know what my expectations were before opening Undone. I was a little intimidated by the size of the book when I received it though. I think I groaned a little. But as I started reading I quickly forgot everything else. Karin Slaughter definitely has a way with words. And her characters, even secondary ones, really shine through in her writing.

Now, I'm gonna have a wee bit of a tough time talking about the book because it really is a spoiler for the rest of the series. You see, Undone is book seven in her Grant County series. This is the first time that she's bringing characters of two different series together in one book. I've never read anything by Karin before. So I wasn't aware of the characters or their lives prior to Undone, so I'm confidant in saying that this novel is suitable as a stand alone. There was plenty of background information provided. However, me being the way I am with series, I just have to go back and read it in order.

So I'll give you a bare-bones run through of the book because I would really prefer to leave all surprises for you to discover on your own. Sara Linton, former Grant County medical examiner, is now working in the emergency room at Grady Memorial in Atlanta. She has recently moved to Atlanta after suffering a devastating personal loss. It is at Grady Memorial where a victim of a car accident is rushed in. But the woman's injuries from being hit by the car are miniscule compared to the torture she had to have undergone to arrive in her current state. She is mute, blinded and has been horribly treated by someone truly evil.

This is where Special Agents Will Trent and Faith Mitchell step in with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. And since they can't take over the case from local authorities without jumping through a number of hoops, the two become frustrated with police politics. But after they find a second woman's body and stumble upon a torture chamber they know they have to act quickly to find the killer.

All three of these characters were so well put together. I thoroughly enjoyed the complexities of their lives and of their personalities. Each one has their own weaknesses and strengths that I really want to leave for you to find out on your own. But I didn't just love the characters, I loved Karin's writing as well. Now I must warn you, the scenes can be a bit graphic for some readers. I didn't mind them so much but I can understand some people skipping books with graphic violence in them.

So with the warning aside, I invite everyone to pick up Undone. It's a perfect way to see if you'll enjoy Karin's writing and the realistic world she has created. I know I will definitely be sticking with her and her books.