Criminal by Karin Slaughter on 2012
Genres/Lists: Fiction, Mystery/Thriller
Pages: 448
Read synopsis on Goodreads
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The book follows two main characters, Amanda and Will, who work with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Amanda is a generation older than Will and was a female police officer in the 1970’s. There are a lot of secrets, gruesome crimes and twists and turns that keep the reader going well into the wee hours of the morning. The story jumps back and forth from the 1970’s to today (with different narrators) and does a great job encapsulating the challenges female officers faced only a few decades ago. Plus, it throws in some girl power without trying to hard. It’s always nice to see some realistic kick-butt female characters.
The first half of the book was a bit choppy and skipped around a lot. I had to readjust my frame of mind on more than one occasion to figure out which character I was reading about. This resolved itself in the second half, although I’m not sure if it was because I became accustomed to it or because it flowed better. My guess is that it was the latter simply because of the way the story was unfolding. Regardless, the author really hit her stride in the second half of the book and I can see why she is such an acclaimed crime writer.
The second half of the book included a lot of details regarding homicides, dead bodies, autopsies and anatomy. These areas are definitely where the author is most comfortable and I flew through these parts. I’m not sure whether she has a medical background, but the way she writes about medical procedures has a very familiar feel to it.
The one thing that I didn’t understand about the book was the personal relationship between the main character and a woman named Sara. Their courtship seemed forced, as if it was thrown in at the last minute to appease a certain group of readers. If the entire relationship was removed, it would not have affected the storyline at all.
But in the end, I recommend this book. It has a great story that is full of twists and turns and if you like crime novels, this one is very well written in that regard. It has some great foreshadowing, with well-placed hints that you only pick up on after the fact. I can honestly say that the end of the book packed some punch and surprised me, which is always a treat.
