Synopses & Reviews
How close do you let a killer come?
An apparent student suicide has brought medical examiner Sara Linton to the local college campus, along with her ex-husband, police chief Jeffrey Tolliver. But a horribly mutilated corpse yields up few answers. And a suspicious rash of subsequent "suicides" suggests that a different kind of terror is stalking the youth of Heartsdale, Georgia—a nightmare that is coming to prey on Sara Linton's loved ones. A small town is being transformed into a killing ground. And the key to a sadistic murderer's motive and identity may be held in the unsteady hands of a campus security guard—a former police detective driven from the force by the hellish memories that will never leave her. Lena Adams survived the unthinkable and has paid a devastating price. Now the survival of future victims may depend upon her . . . when she can barely protect herself.
Review
“An engrossing work, with a welldrawn cast of characters and a nicely tuned plot” Irish Times
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“Few young writers show more promise than the thirty-year-old Slaughter. She writes…with skill, anger, sensitivity, and compassion.” Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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“A fastpaced thriller for those not faint of heart.” Library Journal
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“An impressive new landmark on the thriller map.” Val McDermid
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“Hard to imagine that such a quiet shy girl as Slaughter harbors so fiendish a heart. In Kisscut, Georgia pediatrician Sara Linton and her ex, police chief Jeffrey Tolliver, are caught up in an evil web along with Detective Lena Adams. It begins with a young girl who commits suicide by forcing Jeffrey to shoot her down. Horrified, hes desperate to determine why. Sara, not just the dead Jennys doctor but also the towns coroner, does the autopsy and makes a horrible discovery: Jenny had been rudely castrated. Lena, wrestling with her own dark demons, joins in an investigation worthy of Andrew Vachs. Man, Kisscut is a killer book, savage but exciting, a strong followup to Slaughters debut in Blindsighted.” Barbara Peters, The Poisoned Pen Bookstore
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“Combines the best elements of a noir thriller and the Southern Gothic tradition complete with a brooding atmosphere.” Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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“Engrossing… [with] meticulous characterizations.” People
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“This is one of those rare books that keeps delivering surprises right up to the very last page.” San Francisco Chronicle
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“Slaughter spares no details…engrossing.” The Mirror (London)
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“Simply one of the best thriller writers working today.” Gillian Flynn, bestselling author of < i=""> Gone Girl <>
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“A fearless writer. One of the boldest thriller writers working today.” Tess Gerritsen
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“Her characters, plot, and pacing are unrivaled among thriller wrtiers.” Michael Connelly
Synopsis
The third book in Karin Slaughter's acclaimed Grant County Series.
" A] page-turner . . . Slaughter's plot has more twists than a Slinky factory and the characters' relationships are sharply drawn."
--People, starred review
"Scary, shocking and perfectly suspenseful."
--BookPage
Sara Linton, medical examiner in the small town of Heartsdale, GA, is called out to an apparent suicide on the local college campus. The mutilated body provides little in the way of clues--and the college authorities are eager to avoid a scandal--but for Sara and police chief Jeffrey Tolliver, things don't add up.
Two more suspicious suicides follow, and a young woman is brutally attacked. For Sara, the violence strikes far too close to home. And as Jeffrey pursues the sadistic killer, he discovers that ex-police detective Lena Adams, now a security guard on campus, may be in possession of crucial information. But, bruised and angered by her expulsion from the force, Lena seems to be barely capable of protecting herself, let alone saving the next victim.
About the Author
Karin Slaughter is the internationally bestselling author of Blindsighted, Kisscut, A Faint Cold Fear, and the forthcoming Indelible, the fourth novel in her Grant County series. She lives in Atlanta, Georgia.