The Bottom Line: A timely and socially conscious conspiracy thriller that may test the loyalty of series fans. Highly recommended for readers who are concerned about the anti-vaccination movement and other social issues.
Check out our ranked list of Karin Slaughter’s best books.
The latest in Karin Slaughter’s Trent Will series opens as a scientist from the Centers for Disease Control is grabbed by unknown assailants in a shopping center parking lot. The authorities are desperate to save the doctor who’s been vanished into thin air.
A month later, the serenity of a sunny Sunday afternoon is shattered by the boom of a ground-shaking blast—followed by another seconds later. One of Atlanta’s busiest and most important neighborhoods has been bombed—the location of Emory University, two major hospitals, the FBI headquarters, and the CDC.
Medical examiner Sara Linton and Slaughter’s series hero Will Trent, an investigator with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, rush to the scene—and into the heart of a deadly conspiracy that threatens to destroy thousands of innocent lives.
When the assailants abduct Sara, Will goes undercover to save her and prevent a massacre—putting his own life on the line for the woman and the country he loves.
For Slaughter, the book’s themes are atypically dense and filled with social themes, namely misogyny, the consequences of the anti-vaccination movement and the politics of law enforcement. For some, the heavy focus on these issues may be a turn off, but in the end, Slaughter’s plot is a reliable one. She delivers the goods once again.
