The Kept Woman

The Kept Woman by Karin Slaughter

HarperCollins: 9/20/16
eBook review copy; 480 pages
ISBN-13: 9780062430212
Will Trent Series #10

The Kept Woman by Karin Slaughter is a very highly recommended mystery/police procedural.

Will Trent of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation is back. After failing to get a conviction in the case of basketball superstar Marcus Rippy, who was acquitted of rape charges, Will is now investigating the murder of Dale Harding at a construction site with his partner Faith Mitchell. His lover and GBI medical examiner Dr. Sara Linton is also on the case, as is Amanda Wagner, the GBI deputy director. Harding was a despicable man, but he used to be a detective with the Atlanta PD. There is a whole lot more blood on the scene than could have possibly been Harding's. It is also not his blood type and evidence points to it coming from a woman, so potentially there is a witness or more than one murder happened.

When a Glock found at the scene is discovered to be registered to Angie Polaski, the search is on for Angie - or for her body. She and Will are still married... but it's complicated and they rarely see each other unless Angie wants something. In any event, suddenly Will's past is thrust into the case, and Angie's past is closely tied to Will's. To further complicate matters, the building is the future home of the All Star, a nightclub owned by basketball star Marcus Rippy. Construction was suspended for Rippy's rape trial, but now it is due to start again in a couple weeks.

Slaughter does an excellent job presenting the complicated investigation as the clues are discovered and leads are checked out. Part way through The Kept Woman, the action shifts to a week earlier which provides an insight into information the investigators aren't privy to yet. This really ratchets up the tension and makes the pace feel even more frantic. Will's personal demons seemed to be coming to the surface as he is conflicted over Angie's presence in his life, however marginal, versus his love for Sara.

Incredible writing, realistic, complicated characters, incredible tension, and a fast pace make reading The Kept Woman addictive. There are plenty of twists to surprise you, and questions for which you will be desperate to find answers. While it is a police procedural, it also is a psychological thriller that explores choices and consequences as well as the lasting effect of psychological damage experienced as a child.

Although The Kept Woman it is part of a series, you can read this on its own and follow the plot just fine.

Disclosure: My advanced reading copy was courtesy of the publisher for review purposes.