IF YOU GO DOWN TO THE WOODS TODAY ...! (Faithless - Karin Slaughter)

Member Name: Skyedame

Product:	Faithless - Karin Slaughter
Date:	09/08/05 (703 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Razor-sharp plotting. Engrossing.

Disadvantages: None - but reading her previous books might be an advantage

FAITHLESS is Karin Slaughter’s fifth book, which once again is set in the sleepy town of Heartsdale in Grant County, Georgia. (‘Sleepy’? Hah, I’d hate to see what the inhabitants get up to when fully alert!) The story, apart from the suspects, centres around three main characters: local Paediatrician and Medical Examiner on-the-side, Sara Linton and her ex-husband, Police Chief Jeffrey Tolliver and Lena Adams “the only female Detective on the force”. It took me just over a day to read (would have been less, but a girl has to sleep).

Why? Well it’s obvious, isn’t it? I couldn’t put it down.

*** A Smidgeon of the Plot***

Sara and Jeffrey are taking a walk in the woods (okay a little contrived but the story has to start somewhere) when they literally ‘stumble’ across the body of a young girl who been buried in a bizarre manner. To be buried in the woods is bad enough, but it appears there’s one sick psycho at large. As Medical Examiner for the County, Sara performs the autopsy, and concludes that the girl has literally been scared to death. She’s been killed in a shocking manner, so cruel it beggars belief at the mindset of the perpetrator .

*** My views on the book and writing style ***

Quite apart from the horrible murder, the meticulous detail Slaughter brings to her writing whether it be in the autopsy room or with regards to the complex relationships between the main characters, the pacing is
sure-footed. To say there is gripping tension on every page might be overstepping the mark, but the sub-plots involving the personal angst of the main characters are just as riveting as the trail we follow to find the killer.

I particularly enjoyed ‘Faithless’ because I had read Slaughter’s debut novel, ‘Blindsighted’ and then continued on with the others: Kisscut, A Faint Cold Fear and Indelible. In Blindsighted, the main three characters are introduced and feature in each subsequent book. As you read each book, a little more is revealed about them, perhaps more emphasis on a particular partnership or character until they are now nicely rounded and familiar. Perhaps it not absolutely necessary for the casual reader to have read the previous books, but it adds to the pleasure to know the characters and to understand what motivates them.

Sara Linton, and Jeffrey Tolliver are the main ‘busy’ characters in the book, both likeable but strong characters who are learning to overcome
some heart wrenching sadness. Then there’s Lena Adams, ‘the only female detective on the force’. Prone to outbreaks of prickliness and so stubbornly bolshie that I tended not to like her. But what that poor woman goes through between ‘Blindsighted’ and ‘Faithless’, you’d have a heart of stone not to warm towards her.

*** Strong and meaningful sub-plots ***

In this story, particularly, KS brings into play a sub-plot of a battered wife. She has obviously done a great deal of research and for those unfortunate enough to have experienced this despicable abuse against women I am sure they will find comfort, if not the answers, in the way the subject is handled. Those of us who cannot understand why a woman chooses to stay with an abusive partner will find here the reasons why it’s not so easy to flee. Slaughter teaches us never to judge.

Thinking about it, all Slaughter’s books so far have dealt with the victimization of women and their ghastly ends. When asked why this appears to be so, KS herself is quoted as saying: “…the truth is that the sorts of crimes you find in thrillers are generally crimes against women. What I try to do is use violence as a way to open up a dialogue about this sort of violence and why it’s happening. Perhaps if you understand it, we can help prevent it.”

I have a hard time understanding why someone would want to beat the living daylights out of someone they purport to love but if understanding it is the way forward …..?

I have noticed a familiar thread running through KS’s stories and that is of religion and the selective interpretation of the Bible which some people use for their own agendas. In ‘Faithless’ (a good title given the books content), some of the action takes place in a religious community. Of course, with murder on our minds, we could be forgiven for being reminded of breakaway movements from main stream religions, brainwashing tendencies and general bad press . Again, never judge, never presume – but never take your eye off the ball!

*** The Verdict ***

I experienced a lot of “It was him! No! it was her! Was it the creepy one?”. With clues twisting this way and that, teasing and testing the reader to reach a conclusion as to who-dunnit. When the dastardly murderer is finally revealed, Slaughter plays the tension for all it’s worth. It’s heart-stopping stuff, with many a cry of “No!” from me – enough to have my husband rattle his newspaper wondering why he never gets me that excited.

If you enjoy razor-sharp plotting and forensic detail with really engaging characters, I promise that you will enjoy this book.



388 pages
ISBN: 1844133745 (Available from Amazon – Hardback only at time of this review – July 2005)

Summary: Fast paced, well written and just as exciting as her previous four books