The victim was buried alive in the Georgia woods — then killed in a horrifying fashion. When Sara Linton and Jeffrey Tolliver stumble upon the body, both become consumed with finding out who killed the pretty, impeccably dressed young woman. And for Sara and Jeffrey, a harrowing journey begins, one that will test their own turbulent relationship and draw dozens of lives into the case.

Lena Adams is one of them. A Grant County detective for years, she has her own reasons for being drawn to this case and a fierce drive to see justice done. For these three people, who have each seen the darkest side of human nature, the body of the murdered girl is but the first in a series of shocking and sordid revelations.

Now, as Jeffrey and Sara narrow the field of suspects, they must confront their own doubts and indiscretions, while Lena Adams sees herself reflected in the frightened eyes of a battered woman who may be the key figure in the case. As Faithless builds to a stunning and unforgettable climax, Karin Slaughter masterfully brings together strands of interlocking lives, family secrets, and hidden passions with one astounding truth: the identity of a killer who is more evil anddangerous than anyone could have guessed.

"Georgia medical examiner Sara Linton returns in Slaughter's Grant County crime thriller series (Indelible), and this time she's hot on the trail of a demented killer who buries teenage girls alive. Out in the woods chatting about past infidelities, Sara and ex-husband/lover Jeffrey discover a young girl buried in a grotesque coffin, dead despite a breathing pipe extending to the surface. The victim is soon identified as Abigail Bennett, a member of the Holy Grown soybean farming collective, a group curiously unfazed to learn a daughter was poisoned. Suspicion blooms around Holy Grown's many farmhands, mostly ex-felons on work release, but then centers on the parishioners who congregate at the Church for the Greater Good, a local congregation run by a shifty minister. Another shallow grave, physical violence and another girl's disappearance lead Sara, Jeffrey and assisting detective Lena Adams back to the Bible-thumpers and their unholy dealings. Issues of abortion, domestic abuse and forgiveness afford these recurring female characters three-dimensional humanity, nicely offsetting Slaughter's patented grim forensic detailing. Slaughter's fifth Grant County case offers tough love, suspenseful spadework and life-affirming vigor. Agent, Victoria Saunders. (On sale Aug. 30)" Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

"Slaughter cannily incorporates any number of women's issues — from the difficult work of rebuilding a ruined relationship to finally figuring out when to call it quits — within a compulsively readable narrative." Booklist

"Slaughter once again displays her mastery of the fast-paced thriller that is not for the faint of heart. Highly recommended..." Library Journal

"...Slaughter turns a compassionate eye on a brace of female victims and still manages to come across as the toughest cookie in Georgia." Kirkus Reviews

"Faithless, Karin Slaughter's fifth novel, confirms her at the summit of the school of writers specialising in forensic medicine and terror....She's excellent at portraying the undertones and claustrophobia of communities where everyone knows everyone else's business, and even better at creating an atmosphere of lurking evil." The Times (London)

When medical examiner/pediatrician Sara Linton and her ex-husband, police chief Jeffrey Tolliver, stumble across the body of a teenage girl buried in the woods in Grant County, Georgia, they find themselves walking a knife-edge of terror.

Karin Slaughter is the internationally bestselling author of A Faint Cold Fear, which was named an International Book-of-the-Month Club selection, and Blindsighted, which was a New York Times bestseller and a Book Sense Top Mystery Pick. She is the author of Kisscut and Indelible, both international bestsellers, and contributed to and edited Like a Charm. A native of Georgia, she is currently working on Triptych, a stand-alone crime novel that Delacorte will publish in 2006.