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Blindsighted (Grant County) by Karin Slaughter
Book Summary InformationAuthor: Karin Slaughter Edition: Mass Market Paperback Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published) Published: 2002-10-01 ISBN: 0380820889 Number of pages: 400 Publisher: Harper
Book Reviews of Blindsighted (Grant County)Book Review: Transcends the Common Thriller Writers Summary: 5 Stars
I once wrote a review on Ms. Slaughter's debut "Blindsighted," but I have since amended my opinion after reading the books that follow "Blindsighted." Since I am not one to mince words, I will put it as clearly as possible: Ms. Slaughter is, quite simply, brilliant. "Blindsighted" is about Dr. Sara Linton (pediatrician and part-time coroner for Grant County), who discovers, quite graphically, the body of a young blind college professor who's been Brutally (with a capital "B") raped and murdered. Well, she isn't quite dead...not yet, anyway. She flops around a bit, getting Dr. Linton blood-spattered and whatnot, but she eventually dies. Either in situ, or at the hospital, I can't quite remember, having read this book about a year ago. The dead, blind professor (who is only the first victim in a string of bodies this twisted freak leaves in his wake) happened to be the sister of Lena Adams who is an employee (police officer/detective) of the local police force. The police force of which Dr. Linton's ex-husband, Jeffery, is the Chief. The plot is set at a break-your-neck speed, the violence, while at an all-time high, is in no way gratuitous. Those few who've given this positively brilliant book less than its most deserving 5 stars seemed to have a problem, most of all, with the violence and the horrendous crimes against women. Well, nobody ever said serial killers were good guys, did they? Even Lena can't escape the viciousness of this horrid foe. He kidnaps her and nails her to the floor (yes, I said nailed, as in "a hammer and...") and rapes her repeatedly over a course of several days, though thankfully she survives and helps apprehend the sicko. He has an affinity for ripping out the teeth of his female victims (without the numbing effects of lidocaine or epinephrine, I assure you) to "rape their faces." He is, as I said above, most certainly NOT a good guy. But he gets his just desserts in the end. And they are AWFULLY sweet. (The killer is, by the way, someone whom you'd never expect when his identity is finally revealed.) Oh, yes, this, Ms. Slaughter's first effort, is, in short, superb. I am writing a novel myself (mystery/serial killer-thriller) and it is from Ms. Slaughter's brilliant and "indelible" books (yes, I used the pun on purpose) that I learned how to put my main characters through absolute hell and pull them through it. Applaud Ms. Slaughter, for she certainly deserves your most fervent praises.
Summary of Blindsighted (Grant County)A small Georgia town erupts in panic when a young college professor is found brutally mutilated in the local diner. But it's only when town pediatrician and coroner Sara Linton does the autopsy that the full extent of the killer's twisted work becomes clear. Sara's ex-husband, police chief Jeffrey Tolliver, leads the investigation -- a trail of terror that grows increasingly macabre when another local woman is found crucified a few days later. But he's got more than a sadistic serial killer on his hands, for the county's sole female detective, Lena Adams -- the first victim's sister -- want to serve her own justice. But it is Sara who holds the key to finding the killer. A secret from her past could unmask the brilliantly malevolent psychopath .. or mean her death. In Blindsighted (book one of an anticipated three featuring Grant County, Georgia, pediatrician and coroner Dr. Sara Linton), first-time novelist Karin Slaughter comes out swinging in true medical examiner fashion. That is to say, covered with blood from the get-go. Without warning, the body jerked violently, pitching forward and slamming Sara onto the floor. Blood spread out around both of them, and Sara instinctively clawed to get out from under the convulsing woman. With her feet and hands she groped for some kind of purchase on the slick bathroom floor. Finally, Sara managed to slide out from underneath her. She turned Sibyl over, cradling her head, trying to help her through the convulsions. Suddenly, the jerking stopped. Sibyl is, or was, Sibyl Adams, a college professor who had the misfortune of being drugged, savagely raped, slashed, and left for dead in the toilet of the local diner, to be coincidentally discovered by Sara Linton. Coincidences don't stop there, and neither do the rapes and murders. The next is, unimaginably, still more gruesome than the first and it, too, is discovered by Dr. Linton. Police Chief Jeffrey Tolliver is Sara's ex-husband, and mercurial detective Lena Adams, another major player in the ensuing drama, was Sibyl's twin sister. And the monster behind these increasingly more depraved acts? Suspects abound, from the diner's jack-of-all-trades, Will Harris, to Victim No. 2's boyfriend, to Jack Allen Wright who, a dozen years prior, raped Dr. Linton (that rape had been a secret until now). There are other possibilities, naturally, and it soon becomes apparent that Sara's an intended target. A graduate of the Patricia Cornwell school of mayhem and gore, Slaughter has faithfully stitched together a fast, engaging, and diverting read complete with a strong-yet-vulnerable heroine. Characters are nicely if somewhat obviously drawn, the plot is inventive, and the narrative's pacing quickens the pulse straight to the cliff-hanging denouement. And really, what more can you ask of an ME thriller? --Michael Hudson
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