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The Last Widow

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Karin Slaughter can do no wrong! There is nothing else that needs to be said - I would read this woman's grocery list!

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I love the Will Trent series by Karin Slaughter and this novel was a great addition. I never fail to recommend this series to other fellow readers. Now I am left longing for the next installment of this storyline.

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There is something terrible happening in Georgia. A scientist from the CDC has been kidnapped and there is pretty much no trail to be found. A month later there is a series of explosions over several locations. Sara, former pediatrician and now medical examiner works feverishly hard with her partner Will Trent, who is an investigator with the Georgia Bureau of Investigations, to get to the matter of things and do their best to save as many lives as possible before another explosion occurs. During the course of the investigation, Sara is kidnapped, forcing Will to go undercover to save her and countless others.

For most readers of this series, they had to wait a few years to see more of Will and Sara. However, I just found these books this year, so I was able to read them in immediate succession. Just as every other book in this series, as well as in the previous series, Grant County, the story is fast-paced, not letting up for one second. The book is tense, sharp and often brutal. I had gotten used to Karin Slaughter's writing so by now I was easily able to handle some of the graphic scenes in this story.

The way Slaughter presented this story was by three points of views. We have the POVs of Sara, Will and his partner Faith. There is nothing that could be missed and, in fact, this raised the intensity of the story. I was definitely kept engaged from beginning to end. Blessedly, when I went to finally read this book, I had the next book in the series ready to read, The Silent Wife.

I really love this incredible series and would love to see this in television or movie format. Whether it is the character development, the plot, the drama or the danger, The Last Widow is a remarkable story and a great way to bring Will and Sara back to Slaughter's fans.

Many thanks to William Morrow and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

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Will Trent and Sara Liston are back. This plot has it all: a kidnapping, an explosion, and the diabolical enemy. So many twists and turns as you race toward the end.

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A typical spy thriller involving the FBI, the police, the CDC (very appropriate during this time) and a white supremacist group. It touches on pedophilia, rape, hatred of single sex families, the gay community etc. It starts with the abduction of an infectious disease expert, followed by the abduction of the police force's medical examiner. This leads to her boyfriend, Will Trent, a police officer, doing everything in his power to find and rescue her. Not the most inspiring plot but a fast suspenseful read.

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This series is one of my all time favorites. I love Will Trent. So, so much. I think he's a fascinating character and there's a chance I have a book crush on him (I totally do).

This was another good installment in this series. It was a fast paced and entertaining story that kept me reading late in to the night. I can never put these books down and the author keeps me guessing. The romance, which is not the main part of the stories, had some interesting developments also. A must read for fans of the series.


**ARC provided through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**

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Sara and Will return in another novel. Sara is kidnapped and Will and the GBI have to figure out who has her and how to get her back. ARC from NetGalley..

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While I am familiar and normally love to read this author, I was a bit disappointed with this book. Seemed a bit disjointed at times...I did put it down often.

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Karin Slaughter never disappoints. This is chock full of action and riveting suspense and is unfortunately relevant to today’s society. The characters are well-developed and relatable. This is part of a series but works well as a stand alone too.

Many thanks to Netgalley, William Morrow and Karin Slaughter for my complimentary e-copy ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

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I absolutely loved everything I've read by Karin Slaughter, so I didn't hesitate to pick this one up. Had I known it was part of a series, I probably would have just gone ahead and read the rest of them first. (side note- I have the first one in my TBR pile now). I wasn't super sure about this when I took a look at the description because biological warfare and science isn't necessarily my thing-- think Dan Brown type books-- YUCK. I stuck with it though, hoping Ms. Slaughter wouldn't disappoint, and she did not. This book was disturbing and twisty and even though I figured out some of the twists I didn't see the whole thing coming, which is what I like about her books. If you like thrillers, science, or you've read one of her other books and enjoyed it, this one will be a good read. It took me longer than I intended it to only because I didn't have the time to sit there and read it. I will definitely be reading the rest of the Will Trent series.

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I’m a fan of Karin Slaughter but this was my first one in this series so I struggled with the characters not knowing the full backstory. The plot was very timely to today and readers will enjoy the suspense.

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Will Trent of the GBI is back with his girlfriend, Sara Linton, and all of his coworkers at the GBI. Will and Sara are at her mother's house near Emory University on a hot Sunday afternoon. They hear an explosion and both Will and Sara drop everything and head towards the disaster. On their way, they run into some bad guys. With those bad guys is the CDC scientist that was kidnapped over a month ago. Within just a few minutes Will is critically injured and Sara joins the kidnapped scientist going who-knows-where. The race is on and Will knows that with every passing minute the odds of getting Sara back alive. Will goes undercover to get her back and soon finds himself immersed in the extreme world of white nationalism. Will he be able to get Sara back and figure out what this extreme group has planned before innocent people are hurt and killed?

I just love Karin Slaughter. I have been reading her grisly books for years and she never disappoints. The Last Widow seemed longer than her usual style, but it was such a heart-pounding read that it went by faster than I expected. Will Trent is probably one of my favorite recurring characters from any author. His history and backstory make him a "hero" by anybody's definition. What he is willing to do to get Sara back just backs that theory up. What really terrified me about this book is that some of it is probably based in truth and the average American has no clue. These extreme groups do exist and they do plot these horrific events. Some probably even get far into their plans, but thankfully the FBI puts a stop to it and we just have no idea. Of course, things work out in the best way possible, but not everybody comes out unscathed. -- CLICK HERE FOR SPOILERS


Bottom Line - The Last Widow addresses a growing problem in America, the Alt-Right. It is terrifying to think about all of these groups that are hiding in America. Some in plain sight. The only thing brings me comfort is knowing that there are real-life heroes like Will Trent keeping us safe.

Details:
The Last Widow by Karin Slaughter
On Instagram
Pages: 464
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication Date: 8/20/19
Buy it Here!
Thank you to NetGalley for the free book in exchange for a review.

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I really enjoy Karin Slaughter novels and short stories. Her stories are intriguing and suspenseful Her characters are well developed. Her plots are well-constructed. The Last Widow is her newest novel in the Will Trent series. I love her characters in this series. Will is strong yet flawed and endearing. He is one of my favorite fictional characters. This new novel is a whirlwind of suspense from the get-go! It deals with the all too real-world problems of the Alt-right, Nazi ideology, white supremacists, and domestic terrorism. Starts out with kidnapping, immerses us with evil characters who are sicklily twisted, and kill for no apparent reason, then we plummet into cults where there is pedophilia, male supremacists, white supremacists, and true domestic biological terrorism. Unfortunately, the scenarios Slaughter brings to this novel are all too close to reality which made it quite a scary read for me. It is an action-packed, quick-paced, thriller of a read.

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Karin Slaughter's "Will Trent" series may be one of my favorites and I haven't even read all of the books in the series yet. "The Last Widow" can be read as a stand-alone, and I don't feel like it would make you feel as if you've missed anything from the previous books in the series. Karin Slaughter is excellent with providing just enough back story for her characters in each book of the series without dragging the story out. "The Last Widow" is well-written with plenty of action and a steady moving storyline.

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Wow-- this was my first experience reading this series but Will Trent has captured my imagination.
A doctor from the CDC is kidnapped and the action explodes from that point. A white nationalist terrorism network takes up arms and I hesitate to further comment on the plot so as not to divulge anything.
I know "I couldn't put this book down" is a cliche but it is a cliche that truly defines this book. If I had been able to, I would have kept reading from beginning to end. Beyond the suspense that emanates from the book, the subject matter was so timely. It is a frightening book with frightening overtones. Great read!

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I love this author and love this series. Will and Sara are some of my favorite characters. Unfortunately, although I liked this book, it was probably my least favorite in the series. I didn't really like the plot and found it kind boring and not as intriguing as some of the previous books.

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I received an early copy of this book, unaware that its part of a series. Fear not to those in the same situation! New readers to the series will find this thriller just as enjoyable as those who are well-versed in the world of Will Trent.

I previously worked as an academic, studying new religious movements and religious violence. That being said, Slaughter did a fantastic job with her research and making this world believable. So much so that I found myself thinking “this could really happen.”

The action was well-paced and the characters were well-rounded. I’ll definitely be returning to the early books and continuing as Slaughter releases more!

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Absorbing Plot, Good Beach Read
The Last Widow is the first Karin Slaughter novel I have read. After seeing her name everywhere, I was curious about her wide appeal and enthusiastic following. Coming in at Book Nine in the Will Trent series might have been confusing for someone like me, however the author provided enough exposition to help me along. I admit that I did struggle a bit with law enforcement jargon.

Trent is a vulnerable action hero with self esteem issues and a tragic past, who struggles to express his deeper emotions. He is tasked with saving his kidnapped girlfriend Sara from a sect of brutal white nationalist terrorists. The bad guys are diabolical or just plain dumb, and the good guys eventually prevail after acts of horrific violence.are committed. The first half of the novel kept me riveted. After that, I honestly had to force myself to finish it. I might go back and try to read the first books in the series.

Thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins for allowing me to read this book at no charge in exchange for my honest review.

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Another enjoyable Karin Slaughter read. I tackled this after only having read the first in the Will Trent series, so I went into it knowing I had little backstory on the main characters and their personal journeys up until now. Even so, it read as easy as a stand-alone, and I didn't feel like I was missing anything major that affected my understanding of The Last Widow. This one packed lots of action and a fast-moving plot and it inspired me to go back and catch up on the rest of the series.

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I normally don’t like to jump into a series in the middle without having read all of the previous books, as I’m pretty big on character development and the concern is always that I won’t be able to relate much to the characters due to missing out on so much of their backstory. Given this concern, I was a bit apprehensive at first when I received an ARC of Karin Slaughter’s latest thriller The Last Widow, which is actually book 9 in the Will Trent series and also features characters from the previous Grant County series, neither of which I have read before. On top of that, I’ve also never read this author before, despite the fact that she is one of the most popular writers in the mystery/thriller genre and I’ve had several of her books on my TBR list for a while.

My original intention was to start from the beginning of the series and read my way through to the current one so I could familiarize myself with the characters’ backstories, but of course with the time crunch I was under, that didn’t end up happening, so I made the last-minute decision to jump right into this one and hope for the best. Well, it turns out I needn’t have worried, as the character and relationship development in this particular installment were excellent – Slaughter included enough details from the main characters Will Trent and Sara Linton’s backstories that I was able to read this as a standalone without feeling confused or that something was missing. More than that though, I actually became enamored with both characters and liked them to the point that, by the end of the book, I really wanted to read all the previous installments in this series so I could see for myself how Will and Sara’s relationship evolved as well as understand their respective histories individually before they became a couple.

From a plot and story perspective, this was an intense, action-packed read, one that I found myself unable to put down after starting it. My review will be deliberately vague where the plot is concerned, as the book summary already provides enough information in this regard, plus as a thriller, it’s best to go into this one knowing as little as possible. With that said though, I do have to mention that the story was a lot more violent and graphic than I expected, so if that’s a concern, then definitely be warned. For me personally, the subject matter was also outside the realm of what I usually read, so it would seem that I’d have difficulty getting into the story, but Slaughter is such a powerful storyteller that, a few pages in, I was already drawn into and hooked on the story. One of the things that I still can’t get over after having finished reading this is how timely the story was given the current world we live in — there was a huge “ripped from the headlines” realistic feel to so many of the events that occurred in the story, which is a testament to the astounding amount of research that Slaughter put into her work.

This is a book that I’m sure fans of the Will Trent series will enjoy, though it also works extremely well as a stand-alone, so if, like me, you haven’t yet read the previous books in the series, I still recommend diving into this one sooner rather than later; for fans of fast-paced, intense, well-written thrillers, this one is pretty much a must-read! I know for me, I definitely can’t wait to read the next book in this series, though hopefully by the time the next one comes out, I will have caught up with this series’ backlist first!

Received ARC from William Morrow (HarperCollins) via NetGalley.

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