A Faint Cold Fear (Karin Slaughter)

Since our heroine lives in a small town, she does double duty as a regular MD and a forensic investigator. I believe this arrangement is very common in small towns. I also love the realistic dialogue in the book, especially between the sisters. When lightning strikes twice by her sister getting stabbed while on site of a possible murder/suicide, the action gets very fast paced and you will enjoy the ride. This book looks at all the issues, quirks and obsessions of each family and it really adds to the quality of this book. Not just a mere whodunit, but a definite cut above.

I am a huge fan of Karin Slaughter and this book did not disappoint me. It is another can't put it down until the end book.

In this third installment of the Grant County series, county medical examiner Sara Linton and police chief Jeffrey Tolliver (who is also Sara's ex-husband and on again/off again beau) investigate an apparent suicide at the local college campus. However, when Sara's sister is assaulted at the scene then another suicide takes place Sara and Jeffrey suspect that the incidents are related. Meanwhile, Jeffrey's former partner and now disgruntled campus security officer Lena Adams is using alcohol to try to get over the emotional and physical wounds inflicted upon her while she was held captive by a mad man (story from a previous book.) She attempts to investigate the case on her own, and winds up in a twisted relationship with a potential suspect. I did not enjoy this book as much as the first two in the series, because the pacing was not as even - the middle sections dragged. Sara Linton is not as integral to the story as in previous books, but Lena's story is the one that will ke... Read more

The book for the most part is well-written. I did care about Sara & Lena up to a point but the story unnecessarily dragged on. But what disappointed me was the unrealisticness of the ending. I saw another reviewer said it is a novel, if you want reality read the news. However, while dramatic freedom is OK for literature, absurdity & stunts insult readers' intelligence. Tessa's survival was absurd. The solution was so far-fetched as to be absurd. And this gimmick of introducing a new plot twist to finally solve the problem, without giving readers any clue beforehand-surprising it was such a mystery anyway, just didn't work for me. And BTW, the cop Jeffrey was clueless & obnoxious, I guess Sara's relationship with him is a prime candidate for "Smart Women, Foolish Choices." And as an aside, somebody should have corrected the spelling of succinylcholine.

First the positives: The over-arching storyline is really a pretty good story. I did want to know who did it so I read until the very end. Now, the negatives: Too many characters that are introduced just once and then continually referred to from that moment on by their first name. There are nearly 20 characters that I am supposed to remember with no reminder of what they do in the plot. Just a name and I have to go back in to the book and look up who Kevin or Richard was. Plot items are brought in (the arrow drawn in the dirt outside the dorm window, for example) that are a big deal for about 3 pages and then are totally dropped. Lena. Her behavior is insane. She's terrified to be touched (being the victim of a horrific rape), afraid to be out of control and yet she goes to a rave party full of drugs, gets drunk and loses control with a dangerous man who has already hurt her. The relationship between Lena and Chief Jeffrey Tolliver is so contrived, so "fakey" that ... Read more