Publication Date October 17, 2023

In 2021, I wrote a five-star review for Karin Slaughter’s standalone novel False Witness, featuring Harleigh (“Leigh”) Collier. So I was excited to receive a copy of Slaughter’s After That Night, which is #11 in the Will Trent series. But then I remembered The Last Widow from 2019, which was #9 in the series, and went back to look at my thoughts about it. As I noted then “... I am a sucker for the psychological-thriller-woman-in-danger genre, so it sounded like a good fit for me..” Alas, I loved the first half then it all fell apart for me, and it ended up being a two-star review. Yikes, I’m a notoriously generous star-giver, so either it was not great or I was totally depressed 

I couldn’t actually remember why my aversion was so strong, so I went back and looked at my review for The Last Widow, and remembered that “…up til about halfway into the book, it was gripping. It was reflective of the current situation in the U.S., with validation for hatred and racism coming from the top down. I REALLY enjoyed the first half of the book, and was right there with the threat coming from the newly validated white supremacists. Maybe I should have just stopped there, secure in my certainty that Will would rescue Sara, the horrific event planned by the group would be stopped, and book #10 could take us to our next chapter in the adventures of Will and Sara. But it all went to hell when the leader turned into almost a cartoon figure, and the plot resolution happened as it did. By that time, I almost didn’t care if Sara got out or Will was a hero. It was just too over the top for me.”

Well, despite that, I loved the sound of After That Night, and went into it hoping for a grabber that would whisk me away from news and politics and let me sink into a good story with characters I cared about. It happened! In this latest entry in the Will Trent series, Sara is on duty at the hospital when a rape victim is brought in. Trying to save her, Sara is shocked to hear the few sentences the victim is able to whisper to her before she passes. Then, it turns out that the victim’s case may be related to the attack suffered by Sara over a decade ago. So — bring on Will Trent of the GBI (Georgia Bureau of Investigation)to head up the investigation! It’s full of twists and lots of character development. TBH, I haven’t read enough in this series to have strong opinions about the characters, other than to say they seem like REAL people, with interesting lives and I actually cared about what happened to them. 

I look forward to more books with Will and Sara. With gratitude for the copy I received from William Morrow and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review, this one is a solid four stars.