As the action seesaws between present day and flashback, the revelations come thick and fast. It’s a clever author who can send her story in and out of focus, deftly tipping the balances so that we are never really certain of the truth until the bitter – and I mean bitter – end. It’s that gun, and the revelation of who it is registered to, that sends Will’s world crashing down around his ears. She’s left a handbag behind, and a Glock is discovered near to a recently torched car abandoned in the building’s car park and belonging to Harding. Judging by the sheer volume of blood, she must be close to death herself. The murder victim is an ex-cop, Dale Harding, felled by the spikey end of a doorknob, no less, but bloody footprints leading away from the scene indicate that another female victim has disappeared.

One of the investors is high-profile basketball star Marcus Rippy, and he and Will have recent history following an investigation which culminated in local hero Rippy walking away from a vicious rape case with his reputation intact. Thankfully, there is plenty of back story liberally scattered throughout, though sorting out the new revelations from the old is a bit of a conundrum.Ī body is discovered in an empty Atlanta warehouse which has been earmarked for a huge new development.

Trouble is, Will Trent’s a hugely complex character and understanding those complexities is vital if you are to keep up with the blistering speed of the narrative and its pot pourri of switchbacks and blind turns. That gap may prove something of a handicap for both followers of the series and newcomers, because three years is a long time to keep the minutiae of a character in mind, and reading this there will be times when you might feel you’ve been out of the loop. Will hasn’t been around since 2013 and Unseen – although the years between have allowed this best-selling author the time to produce a couple of standalone books, including the outstanding Cop Town. Written by Karin Slaughter - Keeping tabs on the myriad plot strands in a Karin Slaughter novel is like knitting with jelly, and number eight in the American author’s Will Trent series is a particularly slippery customer.

The Kept Woman by Karin Slaughter