Triptych: A Novel (Will Trent)

From Publishers Weekly Bestseller Slaughter departs from her Grant County crime series (_Faithless_, etc.) with a stand-alone thriller notable mainly for a jolting mid-book twist similar to one Ira Levin used with more subtlety in A Kiss Before Dying . The case of a prostitute's brutal murder provides a welcome break for Michael Ormewood, a cynical, world-weary Atlanta cop weighed down by dealing with the city's underclass and the heartbreak of a mentally impaired son. Since the victim's tongue was severed, linking the crime to several other recent outrages, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation intervenes. Suspicions focus on a recently paroled sex offender, John Shelley, who viciously butchered a neighbor more than a decade earlier. Slaughter unexpectedly switches the narrative's perspective, but the shock value garnered by the plot twist isn't matched by the predictable denouement. (Aug.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From Booklist In her first stand-alone thriller since she began writing her best-selling Grant County series (the latest is Faithless, 2005), Slaughter continues to obsess over her favorite theme--the close link between intimacy and violence. In this intricately plotted page-turner of a novel, there's a serial killer at work in Atlanta, and he likes his victims young. His telltale m.o.--biting off his victims' tongues--brings in Will Trent, an agent from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, but the latest vicious murder doesn't fit with the previous cases. For one thing, the victim is a drug-addicted black prostitute in her thirties. Will is assigned to work the case with local detective Michael Ormewood, a hard-to-read veteran who resents Will's presence. Will also calls upon vice-squad undercover agent Angie Polaski, a lifelong friend he first met in an orphanage where they were both placed after suffering severe abuse--their on-again, off-again romantic relationship is a source of comfort and frustration for both of them. Suspicious of authority and severely dyslexic, Will slowly pieces together an investigation that leads to feckless ex-con John Shelley, a man so stunted by his prison stint that he can barely function yet comes roaring back to life when he senses that his newfound freedom is about to be snatched away. Slaughter is keenly interested in the root causes of sexual perversity, and she writes about them so affectingly that her fascinations also become the readers'. Joanne Wilkinson Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

triptych, Slaughter's Brilliantly Manipulative Stand-alone Will Thrust Readers Onto The Razorsharpedge Between Truth And Innocence....

for Atlanta Detective Michael Ormewood, The Investigation Into The Sadistic Murder Of A Local Woman Provides A Welcome Escape From An Unhappy Marriage And Crushing Guilt Over The Near-fatal Shooting Of His Partner. But For John Shelley, An Ex-con Left With Nothing But The Certainty Of His Own Innocence, A Nightmare Is About To Begin. And The Shocking Consequences Will Leave Readers Gasping For Breath.

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bestseller Slaughter Departs From Her Grant County Crime Series (faithless, Etc.) With A Stand-alone Thriller Notable Mainly For A Jolting Mid-book Twist Similar To One Ira Levin Used With More Subtlety In A Kiss Before Dying. The Case Of A Prostitute's Brutal Murder Provides A Welcome Break For Michael Ormewood, A Cynical, World-weary Atlanta Cop Weighed Down By Dealing With The City's Underclass And The Heartbreak Of A Mentally Impaired Son. Since The Victim's Tongue Was Severed, Linking The Crime To Several Other Recent Outrages, The Georgia Bureau Of Investigation Intervenes. Suspicions Focus On A Recently Paroled Sex Offender, John Shelley, Who Viciously Butchered A Neighbor More Than A Decade Earlier. Slaughter Unexpectedly Switches The Narrative's Perspective, But The Shock Value Garnered By The Plot Twist Isn't Matched By The Predictable Denouement. (aug.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

A superb stand-alone thriller by the #1 bestselling author of FaithlessWhen Atlanta police detective Michael Ormewood is called out to a murder scene at the notorious Grady Homes, he finds himself faced with one of the the most brutal killings of his career: Aleesha Monroe is found in the stairwell in a pool of her own blood, her body horribly mutilated.As a one-off killing it's shocking, but when it becomes clear that it's just the latest in a series of similar attacks, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation are called in, and Ormewood is forced into working with Special Agent Will Trent of the Criminal Apprehension Team - a man he instinctively dislikes.But then, only twenty-four hours later, the violence Ormewood sees around him every day explodes in his own back yard. And it seems the mystery behind Monroe's death is inextricably entangled with a past that refuses to stay buried... In the city of Atlanta, young women are dying—at the hands of a killer who signs his work with a single, chilling act of mutilation. Leaving behind enough evidence to fuel a frenzied police hunt, this cunning madman is bringing together dozens of lives, crossing the boundaries of wealth and race. And the people who are chasing him must cross those boundaries too. Among them is Michael Ormewood, a veteran detective whose marriage is hanging by a thread—and whose arrogance and explosive temper are threatening his career. And Angie Polaski, a beautiful vice cop who was once Michael’s lover before she became his enemy. But another player has entered the game: a loser ex-con who has stumbled upon the killer’s trail in the most coincidental of ways—someone who may be the key to breaking the case wide open.... From Atlanta's wealthiest suburbs to its stark inner-city housing projects, a killer has crossed the boundaries of wealth and race. And the people who are chasing him must cross those boundaries, too. Among them is Michael Ormewood, a veteran detective whose marriage is hanging by a thread--and whose arrogance and explosive temper are threatening his career. And Angie Polaski, a beautiful vice cop who was once Michael's lover before she became his enemy. But unbeknownst to both of them, another player has entered the game: a loser ex-con who has stumbled upon the killer's trail in the most coincidental of ways--and who may be the key to breaking the case wide open Troubled by a rocky marriage and the recent loss of his partner, Atlanta detective Michael Ormewood launches an investigation into the savage murder of a local woman, and ex-con John Shelley may be the key to solving the case