American crime writer Karin Slaughter has been cranking out bestselling novels for over twenty years. She’s best known for her detective series, and thanks to television adaptations for both Will Trent (ABC) and Pieces of Her (Netflix), her work is more popular than ever.
To date, Slaughter has written 24 novels and sold over 40 million copies across 120 countries. There are few modern authors who are more prolific, so let’s take a look at all of Karin Slaughter’s books in order, starting with her first detective series.
The Grant County series (2001–2007)
Slaughter’s first book took place in the fictional town of Heartsdale, Georgia, and follows the story of three main characters: Jeffrey Tolliver, the chief of police, detective Lena Adams, and Jeffrey’s wife, town pediatrician and chief medical examiner Sara Linton.
Blindsighted (2001)
Women in Heartsdale keep winding up dead, and one of them happens to be the sister of Grant County’s only female detective, Lena Adams. Lena becomes determined to solve the crime and track down the crazed killer, but it’s Sara Linton whose past holds the key to the mystery.
Lena Adams, Sara Linton, and Jeffrey Tolliver are all featured in the next novels in the series:
- Kisscut (2002)
- A Faint Cold Fear (2003)
- Indelible (2004)
- Faithless (2005)
- Beyond Reach/Skin Privilege (U.K. title) (2007)
The Will Trent series (2006–present)
In 2006, Slaughter switched gears and introduced a new leading man: Will Trent. Trent is a Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) detective who grew up being abused and neglected in the state foster care system. He overcomes dyslexia and anxiety to become the detective with the highest clearance rate at the GBI, and he solves crimes alongside his partner, Faith Mitchell, and his on-again/off-again girlfriend, Angie Polaski.
In 2023, ABC premiered a television series based on the Will Trent novels. That show was renewed for a second season which aired in 2024, and it seems poised for future seasons as well.
Triptych (2006)
The first Will Trent novels introduces the main characters, along with Michael Ormewood, a hot-head cop who partners with Angie to bring down a vicious ex-con.
Fractured (2008) was the second novel in the Will Trent series.
Undone (2009)
Slaughter mixes things up in the third Will Trent book and brings in Sara Linton from the Grant County series. Linton appears in all of the subsequent Will Trent novels, which include:
- Broken (2010)
- Fallen (2011)
- Criminal (2012)
- Unseen (2013)
- The Kept Woman (2016)
- The Last Widow (2019)
- The Silent Wife (2020)
- After That Night (2023)
- This Is Why We Lied (2024)
Extras: e-Book Novellas
The character of Will Trent also appears in these short stories:
- Snatched (2012)
- Busted (2013)
- Cleaning the Gold (2019 novella, co-written with Lee Child)
Standalone Novels
Cop Town (2014)
Slaughter’s first standalone novel was a New York Times best seller. It takes place in Atlanta, Georgia in 1974 and follows two young female cops, Kate Murphy on her first day on the job, and veteran Maggie Lawson as they search for a killer who is targeting the police.
Technically, before that stand-alone novel came a standalone eBook novella titled Thorn in My Side (2011).
Other novels and novellas followed:
- Pretty Girls (2015)
- Blonde Hair, Blue Eyes (2015) (novella) (prequel to Pretty Girls)
- The Good Daughter (2017) New York Times best-seller
- Last Breath (2017) (novella) (prequel to The Good Daughter)
Pieces of Her (2018)
Andrea Oliver thought she knew her mother Laura, but her entire perspective shifts after Laura saves her from a random attack at a shopping mall. Details about Laura’s past come to light and Andrea must piece together these new facts to discover who her mother really is.
Slaughter’s novel was adapted into an 8-episode series of the same name and starring Toni Collette. Pieces of Her is now streaming on Netflix.
- False Witness (2021)
- Girl, Forgotten (2022)
Many of Slaughter’s works have ranked high on the New York Times bestseller list, and she’s been nominated for dozens of literary awards. Now that Hollywood has taken notice of her talent for storytelling and creating strong, likable characters, we have no doubt we’ll be seeing a lot more of Slaughter’s creations on both large and small screens.
In the meantime, you can stream all eight episodes of Pieces of Her on Netflix. Or, watch Will Trent on Hulu the day after episodes air live on ABC.
(featured image: HarperCollins)
