The Silent Wife (Will Trent #10) – Karin Slaughter

Genre: Mystery, Thriller
Publisher: William Morrow
Release Date: August 4, 2020
Pages: 496

Investigating the killing of a prisoner during a riot inside a state penitentiary, GBI investigator Will Trent is confronted with disturbing information. One of the inmates claims that he is innocent of a brutal attack for which he has always been the prime suspect. The man insists that he was framed by a corrupt law enforcement team led by Jeffrey Tolliver and that the real culprit is still out there—a serial killer who has systematically been preying on women across the state for years. If Will reopens the investigation and implicates the dead police officer with a hero’s reputation of wrongdoing, the opportunistic convict is willing to provide the information GBI needs about the riot murder.

Only days ago, another young woman was viciously murdered in a state park in northern Georgia. Is it a fluke, or could there be a serial killer on the loose?

As Will Trent digs into both crimes it becomes clear that he must solve the cold case in order to find the answer. Yet nearly a decade has passed—time for memories to fade, witnesses to vanish, evidence to disappear, and lies to become truth. But Will can’t crack either mystery without the help of the one person he doesn’t want involved: his girlfriend and Jeffrey Tolliver’s widow, medical examiner Sara Linton.

When the past and present begin to collide, Will realizes that everything he values is at stake . . .

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The Silent Wife brings readers back to the beginning before Blindsighted. It’s told from Will, Sara, Faith, and Jeffrey’s perspectives. Yes, you read that correctly. The team is forced to reinvestigate one of Jeffrey and Lena’s old cases. 

The Silent Wife may be Slaughter’s most graphic novel yet. I usually don’t cringe at descriptions, but Slaughter brought it to another level. Coupling the descriptions with some of the characters’ comments and attitudes about women, The Silent Wife offers a grim and stark commentary on violence against women. 

The mystery is full of twists and turns I didn’t see coming. Slaughter is always masterful in crafting her mysteries, but The Silent Wife, again, was on another level. It wasn’t until the reveal was in my face that I realized the identity of the killer. Looking back, I can see the groundwork Slaughter put in and I appreciated it. 

I can’t talk about a Will Trent novel without talking about Will and Sara’s relationship. As always, they find themselves at odds with each other. However, this time around Will and Sara finally dealt with the elephant in the room, Jeffrey. 

Overall, The Silent Wife is an excellent installment that allows readers to see another side of the characters previously unseen. It also gives readers more insight into Lena and Jeffrey. I’m happy I kicked off my 2021 TBR with the last published Will Trent novel. Karin Slaughter rarely disappoints.

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Have you read The Silent Wife? What did you think?