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: #212896 in Books
• Published on: 2007-11-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 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
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?

Praise for Karin Slaughter

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

'Criminally spectacular' OK!

'Slaughter deftly turns all assumptions to their head ...

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

Not Slaughter's best but still brilliant
'Skin Privilege', the sixth book in Karin Slaughter's Grant County series begins when Sara and her husband, police chief Jeffrey Tolliver, must travel to rural Reese, where Lena Adams, Jeffrey's often reckless detective, has been injured in an explosion that killed a local woman. Lena's mysterious escape from the hospital plunges her, Sara and Jeffrey into a dangerous web of meth trafficking, white supremacy groups and long-buried family secrets.

Once you get past the slow start this book is a brilliant read that is truly unputdownable. Slaughter expertly shifts back and forth in both time and point of view connecting every loose plot strand in a devastating and unforgettable climax. My only real complaint about this book is the fact that the story all revolves around Lena (again) as she isn't the best character in the series by a long shot and her almost teenager-like attitude and persona is becoming increasingly more annoying with each book. Otherwise this is an excellent read that fans of the series should love and the shocking and unforgettable ending is strong enough to whet your appetite for Slaughters next book, Sleeping Dogs, due in 2008.

A Betrayal of a Reader's Trust
I have thoroughly enjoyed all of the Grant County books from Karin Slaughter and looked forward to receiving the newest "Skin Privilege" with great enthusiasm.
Whilst this book is as well written as all her previous novels, I was discomforted by the increasingly bleak outlook for her main characters in particular Lena and Sara.
However, the reason for my dramatic title to this review is the ending of the book.
I will not spoil it for other readers, but it infuriated me. I see absolutely no reason for the book to end that way other than an author's desire to completely break away from a series.
The book probably deserves 4 stars for the quality of the writing, but since I wanted to give it just 1 star because of the ending, this is a more than fair compromise I feel!!

A spectacular installment
This well paced novel of the next installment in the lives of Sara Linton, Jeffrey Tolliver and Lena Adams, begins right in the middle of an intense situation which rapidly turns grotesque.

The novel is written in the usual style of Slaughter; starting with characters at different points on the timeline of the story drawing the reader into when both timelines converge. The focus is on Lenas past and the relationship between our three main characters whilst they are thrown into a town and situation riddled with corruption, hate, greed and deceit. However, I did find the constant referral to Sara's BMW quite tiresome, I understand she loves the cars they make, but must there be such shameless endorsement?

Slaughter presents many possibilities of where this story may end, not allowing you to trust your instincts as to where the story may go next, and then reveals the truth. The ending is quite spectacular and she does hint at it throughout the book, it does however leave you reeling for the next one. I hope we won't be kept waiting too long by this extraordinary writer. This book gives you all the gore and thrill you need from a book of its genre.