Product Description

It's no simple case of murder. Lena Adams has spent her life struggling to escape her past. She has only unhappy memories of Reece, the small town which nearly destroyed her. She's made a new life for herself as a police detective in Heartsdale, a hundred miles away - but nothing could prepare her for the violence which explodes when she is forced to return. A vicious murder leaves a young woman incinerated beyond recognition. And Lena is the only suspect. When Heartsdale police chief Jeffrey Tolliver, Lena's boss, receives word that his detective has been arrested, he has no choice but to go to Lena's aid - taking with him his wife, medical examiner Sara Linton. But soon after their arrival, a second victim is found. The town closes ranks. And both Jeffrey and Sara find themselves entangled in a horrifying underground world of bigotry and rage - a violent world which shocks even them. A world which puts their own lives in jeopardy. Only Jeffrey and Sara can free Lena from the web of lies, betrayal and brutality that has trapped her. But can they discover the truth before the killer strikes again?

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #110009 in Books
• Published on: 2007-07-05
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 416 pages

From the Inside Flap
IT’S NO SIMPLE CASE OF MURDER

Lena Adams has spent her life struggling to escape her past.She has only unhappy memories of Reece, the small town which nearly destroyed her.She’s made a new life for herself as a police detective in Heartsdale, a hundred miles away - but nothing could prepare her for the violence which explodes when she is forced to return.A vicious murder leaves a young woman incinerated beyond recognition.And Lena is the only suspect.

When Heartsdale police chief Jeffrey Tolliver, Lena’s boss, receives word that his detective has been arrested, he has no choice but to go to Lena’s aid – taking with him his wife, medical examiner Sara Linton.But soon after their arrival, a second victim is found.The town closes ranks.And both Jeffrey and Sara find themselves entangled in a horrifying underground world of bigotry and rage – a violent world which shocks even them.A world which puts their own lives in jeopardy.

Only Jeffrey and Sara can free Lena from the web of lies, betrayal and brutality that has trapped her.But can they discover the truth before the killer strikes again?

From the Back Cover
Praise for Karin Slaughter

'Without doubt an accomplished, compelling and complex tale, with page-turning power aplenty' Daily Express

'Slaughter's characters talk in believable dialogue. She's excellent at portraying the undertones and claustrophobia of communities where everyone knows everyone else's business, and even better at creating an atmosphere of lurking evil' The Times

'Slaughter deftly turns all assumptions to their head ... Her ability to make you buy into one reality, then another, means that the surprises - and the violent scenes - keep coming' Time Out

'A great read ... crime fiction at its finest' Michael Connelly

'A fast-paced and unsettling story ... A compelling and fluid read' Daily Telegraph

'Criminally spectacular' OK!

'Slaughter's plotting is relentless, piling on surprises and twists ... A good read that should come with a psychological health warning' Guardian

'The writing is lean and mean, and the climax will blow you away' Independent

'Brilliantly chilling' heat

About the Author
Karin Slaughter grew up in a small south Georgia town and has been writing since she was a child. She is the author of the Grant County series of international bestsellers Blindsighted, Kisscut, A Faint Cold Fear, Indelible and Faithless and the bestselling stand-alone novel set in Atlanta, Triptych. She is also the editor of Like A Charm, a collaboration of British and American crime fiction writers. She lives in Atlanta.

Customer Reviews

I won't be reading Karin Slaughter again
Like others, I was extremely disappointed, and I admit, a tad upset, at the ending. So bothered in fact, that I won't read any more of her books.

Loved it!
I can understand other people's anger at the way Karin ended the book, however, I think she has left it open if she wants to come back to it. We don't actually know 100% what the outcome was, and she could come back to it when she gets some more inspiration. I really enjoyed the book, and I think it was a great eye-opener at some of the problems in the Deep South with racism and prejudice. It was quite educational, especially with problems that Barack Obama is facing, and these are the sort of people he is up against. She writes in such a manner that you can believe what is being said and how it is being said. I love her style and the fact that she keeps you on the edge of her seat. There are also complaints that she focused on Lena too much. I quite liked that, it was nice to learn a bit more about her character and about her uncle and his shady past. I thoroughly enjoyed the book, and it was quite possibly my favourite out of the series.

Not The Best In The Series
In Skin Privilege Lena Adams returns to the small town of her youth, where she becomes the prime suspect in a vicious murder. It is up to her boss, police chief Jeffrey Tolliver, and his wife, Sara Linton, to prove her innocence. Their case is not helped, though, when Lena goes on the run.

This book deals more with the character Lena Adams, than the other books in the series, and I found it quite a depressing read. It's not that I don't like Lena's character, but I feel the author really piles on the misery in this one.

As for the storyline itself, I found that it was quite slow moving for the most part, and only really got me hooked towards the end. Overall, an okay read, but there are better books in the Grant County series.