Three People With Something To Hide... (Triptych - Karin Slaughter)

Member Name: rleigh

Product:	Triptych - Karin Slaughter
Date:	19/02/08 (128 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Didn't cost much, The cover looks pretty good.

Disadvantages: Plot progresses poorly, Three narrators makes for messy reading.

I am generally not particularly inclined to reading books. Other than the Harry Potter series and the occasional autobiography in fact, 'Triptych' is probably the only book that I have read in the last few years. The reason for this is that I find it extremely difficult to find books that capture and hold my attention and therefore when I begin reading a book I generally do not finish. I would much rather watch the film if there is one available as I find that films capture my attention far more easily and leave me much less open to becoming sidetracked. 'Triptych' is one book that I did happen to finish, a book that I bought whilst travelling on a long train journey some months back. The cover caught my eye, a dark and mysterious book which informed me that it was a tale of 'Three people with something to hide. One killer with nothing to lose'. It was WH Smith's title of the week at the time meaning that the usual price tag of £6.99 for the softback had been reduced to £3.49. I was sold, and setting off from the station I began to delve into the fictional world of 'Triptych'.

'Triptych' as a novel has three separate storylines, the novel begins with an in depth look into the lives of all three of our main men. One of our key protagonists is Michael Ormewood, a detective in the force. We learn that Michael has a wife called Gina whom he sees very little due to their hectic work schedules, and a son called Tim who was deprived of oxygen at some stage during Gina's pregnancy and therefore will never mentally develop past the level of a six-year-old. Michael is quite a cold man and an instantly detestable character, there is something quite unsavoury about him that you can't help but have a hatred for. A second storyline focuses in on the character of John Shelley. Shelley has had a troubled life, having spent some time in prison for a crime he proclaims adamantly that he did not commit. He how works in a car garage for minimum wage and is clearly unhappy in his work. Unlike with Michael, Shelley is a character whom we feel great empathy for and is at times quite a likeable character. At others however, we find we do not like him at all and remain constantly in the balance as the novel progresses as to whether to trust this man or not. He possesses some lovely personality traits, but also some really rather horrid ones.

A third focus is on the character of Will Trent. This third and final perspective we gain is an interesting one of a Special Agent within the police force. Clearly a lonely man living in solitude with his dog Betty, Will is a hard character to pin down and there just seems to be something missing from his life. A lady that he longs for is not a constant fixture and although he wants for them to be together, he understands that realistically this is not something that could ever happen. Whilst the lives of Michael Ormewood and John Shelley are given long-winded explanations, this third character is given much less focus and just as we begin to feel like we're getting to know Will Trent the novel starts switching between each of our three key characters. We never quite know where we are as it switches backwards and forwards in time in pursuit of the three key protagonists, chopping and changing chapter by chapter.

I feel that on the whole the novel is all a little messy. Not long after I had began reading the novel I already began to guess the ending and saw it coming from a long way off. There are a few twists and turns as 'Triptych' progresses, however it does very little in order to maintain your interest. The only reason I read to the end of this novel was so that I could get on with my life happily in the knowledge that it had all been more than a little predictable. I did not find the novel particularly engaging at all, but wanted to read to the end as quickly as possible just in order to get the whole ordeal over and done with. I wanted to prove myself right about the direction the novel had been taking right from the very beginning, however at the same time I found doing so an extremely tedious job and do not believe that there is enough going on to keep the reader engaged and interested throughout the duration of the novel. I have heard great things about Karin Slaughter as a writer and novelist, however it would seem that 'Triptych' is not at all one of her finer works.

I couldn't help but feel disappointed when I read this novel, I really thought I was going to enjoy it but enjoyment just wasn't gained through reading it and nothing really stood out to me about the novel whatsoever. The characters are not particularly interesting to read about, and none of three chosen as key have histories that provide for enthralling reading. Within the past of each of the three there are elements that are appealing, but on the whole none of their histories read well and what may start off as an interesting past soon becomes tiresome and reading on becomes a great chore. When the novel was nearing its end and the three sub-plots became intertwined I found it all a little disorientating and the way in which the novel progresses from then on is more than a little messy. Nothing reads particularly coherently and although the three are all interlinked, it all just fails to connect.

'Triptych' is a murderous tale that in my opinion just does not work, by the time the end of the novel came about in fact I was long since bored. Each and every word was read, and yet the novel had no impact on me whatsoever. I was wanting to feel moved as the novel progressed and intrigued to read on, there was no such excitement however and intrigue was always kept at a minimum. All three of the novels narrators are interconnected, and yet the mess that is caused by the time the novel reaches its end is catastrophic. Karin Slaughter is best known for her Grant County series, and I feel really that she should have stuck to what she knows best. With Grant County she has obviously found a winning formula that many can read and enjoy, but with 'Triptych' things just don't seem to work for her. I commend her efforts in trying to branch out, but I just don't feel that 'Triptych' is a novel that works. I certainly did not enjoy the novel and although I am sure there will be some out there that will, 'Triptych' is not a novel that I personally would recommend.

Summary: 'Triptych' is not at all a novel that I would recommend.