Product Description

'"Indelible" is a salutary reminder that Slaughter is one of the most riveting writers in the field today' - "Sunday Express". When medical examiner Sara Linton and police chief Jeffrey Tolliver take a trip away from the small town of Heartsdale - an escape from all the pressures which complicate their relationship - it should be a straightforward weekend at the beach. But they decide to take a detour via Jeffrey's hometown and things go violently wrong when Jeffrey's best friend Robert shoots dead an intruder who breaks into his house. Jeffrey and Sara are first on the scene and Jeffrey's keen to clear his friend's name, but for Sara things aren't so simple. The sear marks around the bullet-hole don't tally with Robert's story. Robert's wife, Jessie, is incoherent and confused. And when it seems that Jeffrey has altered the crime scene, Sara no longer knows who to trust. Twelve years later, Sara and Jeffrey are caught up in a shockingly brutal attack which threatens to destroy both their lives. But they're not random victims. They've been targeted. And it seems the past is catching up with both of them.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1333 in Books
• Published on: 2005-07-25
• Released on: 2005-07-25
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 416 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
Karin Slaughter’s reputation grows apace, and Indelible sports all the customary fingerprints. Over the space of a handful of novels, the author has built a reputation as one of the key crime novelists at work today. What's her secret? In some ways, Slaughter’s work is a refining of the Southern Gothic idiom that has been the bedrock of so much atmospheric work in the past, but Slaughter’s way with the form is entirely her own, and despite the lashings of atmosphere, she never forgets that a crime novelist has to be rigorous in the arena of plotting--and that’s her strongest suit.

Medical examiner Sara Linton and police chief Jeffrey Tolliver take a trip from the pressures of Heartsdale (in the hope of straightening out their relationship), but a detour to Jeffrey’s hometown lands them in the most difficult case of their career.

Readers are probably growing weary of the inevitable comparison novels like Slaughter’s draw with those of Thomas Harris--and rightly so. But the trouble is, such comparisons are right on the nail for Slaughter. She may not quite have the older writer's authority, but she is undoubtedly skilled at creating a delicious, unsettling tension in the reader--as is very much the case in Indelible. And she’s careful, too, to ensure that the relationship between Sara Linton and Jeffrey Tolliver isn’t sidelined by the accelerating tension--that relationship is moved on considerably here. The fulsome praise on the jacket from such fellow scribes as John Connolly and Michael Connelly is more than professional courtesy here--they’re fully justified by the work on offer.--Barry Forshaw

Review
"'Indelible is a salutary reminder that Slaughter is one of the most riveting writers in the field today' Sunday Express"

From the Publisher
THE GRIPPING NEW THRILLER FROM INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER KARIN SLAUGHTER

Customer Reviews

Not a classic but essential reading for Grant County fans...
Some people will find this book a disappointment after the first three novels in Karin Slaughter's Grant County series but it is essential reading if you have enjoyed the books so far. The writing in 'Blindsighted' and 'Kisscut' is so visceral and the events so shocking that even 'A Faint Cold Fear' seemed calmer in comparison and 'Indelible' seems more reserved still but what makes this installment so fascinating is the development of the relationship between Jeffrey & Sara. Sometimes one might wonder why someone so smart, funny and gorgeous would go for the equally attractive but adulterous and pig-headed Tolliver and 'Indelible' searches back in time to when they first started dating and the grim events surrounding their trip to Jeffrey's hometown.

I found the story a little weaker than the first three and certainly not as disturbing but there are few characters out there as believable and human as Dr Sara Linton (oh how I long for the days when Kay Scarpetta seemed so!) and delving into her past makes 'Indelible' a must for fans and new readers alike- if you like this you'll love the first three!

another great novel
Having read all the previous books in this series i was eagerly awaiting the fourth...and it was well worth it. Slaughter puts so much detail into her characters and story, plus she often refers to incidents in previous books which makes her novels that more believable!And the on going will they or wont they thing happening with Jeffrey and Sara just adds to the story!!!

Cant wait for Faithless the fifth book in the series to come out..... October 2005 feels a long time away!!!

Indelible, Karin Slaughter
Slaughter's first two books were eminently adequate; good, undemanding thrillers, yet not exactly peak of the art. Blindsighted was slightly slapdash, Kisscut was a little raw, and both had a tendency to rely too much on graphic gore, on an unnecessary exploitation of dead characters through their blood. It tried to pass for compassion but, as I say, it was just exploitation. Her most recent two have had a much better balance between plot and detail, and the characters are rightly taking centre stage. Thus, they've been superior, in terms of writing quality as well. There are still problems to be ironed out: to be honest, there's still too much graphic detail, and Slaughter doesn't know how to use it properly. In her hands, it's exploitive and you feel vaguely embarrassed on the corpse's behalf, and rather dirty yourself. Put very simply, it is never, ever necessary to know that fragments of a shooting-victim's ear are stuck to the bedside cabinet. Never.

For fans of the series, of Slaughter's three main characters, Indelible is a must. It's a great thriller, and there are plenty of surprises in store which will have all the more effect if you've already read the first three books. Slaughter crafts this double-novel very well indeed, and the dual stories (one in the present, one in the past which concerns Jeffery and Sara's trip back to Jeffery's home town) work so very well that they amply display the huge steps Slaughter's plotting ability has taken. Weaving two plots together is not easy, but Slaughter almost makes it look it.

Of course, Indelible could be better (this is true of almost every novel save a VERY rare few), but it's heartening to see such a talent developing in Slaughter. She could have handled the hostage situations a bit better, made it more suspenseful, because once or twice it threatens to get a little messy, but that's balanced by her remarkably ability (one of her prime assets) at being able to depict life in a small town, which is superb. Indelible is highly recommended, and comes with a big fat B+.