Customer Reviews

Blindsighted

5 star:		(51)
4 star:		(36)
3 star:		(19)
2 star:		(14)
1 star:		(15)

 

 

I picked up Blindsighted on a whim. The cover blurbs sounded interesting, and I love to read a good, gory, mystery. This one does not disappoint.

Karin Slaughter--a wonderful name for a crime/mystery writer--sets her novel in a small town in Georgia. Nothing much happens in Heartsdale, and the local pediatrician, Sara Linton, also works as the coroner. Sara meets her younger sister for lunch at the local diner one afternoon and stumbles upon a grisly scene. The twin sister of a local detective has been viciously attacked, mutilated, and raped. It's not long before another victim surfaces, and Sara works along with her ex-husband who also happens to be the Chief of Police to try to track down this sick killer. All the while, Sara has her own tortured past as well as her strained relationship with her ex-husband to deal with. In this small town where everyone knows everyone else, who could possibly be the twisted rapist murderer?

Slaughter seems to have done her research for this novel. The medical information alone is quite interesting, and the dialogue and characters are believable. The plot is a bit easy to figure out early on in the novel, but I think it's probably pretty difficult to write a totally original novel dealing with serial killers in this day and age. Overall, I enjoyed the story. It's well written, and it's a quick read that's perfect for the summer.

Let me start by stating that (1) I have never felt compelled to write a review on here before or "warn" others about a book, and (2) I ADORE mystery/suspense-type novels, including Patricia Cornwell, James Patterson, Mary Higgins Clark, Tami Hoag, the whole lot.

This book, while a decent mystery/suspense novel, goes much to far with the graphic rape scenes. It terrified me, particularly with its references to the rapist pulling out the women's teeth to "rape their faces," and other such graphic detailings. I had nightmares about it, and for some reason, it's all I can think about when I go to the dentist (I'm not kidding). I feel pretty traumatized just by READING it, and I don't really feel like I can talk to anyone else about it, given how gruesome it is. It's almost as if I've lived the rape and am afraid of my own "dirty little secret"; it was that upsetting for me. My mother and I usually share books, but I can't stand the idea of having her read this, and having her haunted by such awful visions as well. So, I'm throwing it away.

I've never been unable to stomach a book before-- graphic detailings of corpses has never bothered me. But this one crossed the line for me. I just wanted to warn others, so they know about the graphic scenes going in.

What initially attracted me to "Blindsighted" was the violence of its beginning. Even in a genre noted for the horrific, this tale wastes no time in firing with both barrels as Sara Linton, coroner of a sleepy, conservative Southern town enters a diner's restroom to discover the aftermath of a bloody and brutal attack on a local college professor. The woman dies in Sara's arms, and the subsequent autopsy reveals a crime almost baroque in its complex horror.

Sara's role forces her to deal with her ex-husband, Police Chief Jeffrey Tolliver. This unwilling partnership must confront its own issues while trying to deal with a second murder, even more gruesome than the first. Also part of the hunt is Detective Lena Adams, sister of the first victim. Torn by her own grief and a sense of powerlessness, the crimes seem to eat away at her, stretching her ability to retain control of her personal and professional life. The three find that they are dealing with a deranged serial killer that not only tortures and molests his victims, but then leaves them to be found at the edge of death. For Sara the deaths seem to be an impossible message from the past.

Each of the players, including the invisible killer, has some defect or injury which makes them vulnerable. As the lens shifts back and forth from Sara to Jeffrey, then to Lena, then back again, it is the fine detail of their personalities as much as the complex forensic work that first hides and then finally reveals the roots of the killer's motivation. Much of what makes "Blindsighted" work is the adeptness with which Karin Slaughter combines a complex and fast paced plot with unusually well developed main characters. Sara Linton, Jeffrey Tolliver, and Lena Tolliver are all given loving attention. If you think this means that some of the minor characters are too sketchy, you will be much surprised.

Wherever you look, this is a detail rich story. It lives up to it's billing as a Southern mystery story, not simply by hiding behind stereotypes, but in allowing the reader to experience the conflicts that lie under the surface of a rural South that is only steps away from it's urban counterpart. Nor are these factors peripheral to the tale. It is remarkable to encounter a first novel where the author as conscious of the part each fragment will play in the whole as is Karen Slaughter. While nothing is ever perfect, there is nothing here that is amateurish. This is something fresh and original for those who thought that the serial killer was past its peak.

I love to read mysteries / police procedurals. The appearance of a new novel by a new author, especially one that seems to be the beginning of a new series, draws me like a moth to a flame.

Karin Slaughter has produced such a book with Blindsighted.

I have lots to say about this book, most of which will go unsaid because I am not in the business of spoiling things for other readers. (You can read the main summary to get the details, anyway.) Instead, I will focus on what I liked and disliked about this work.

First, the good stuff.

While Dr Sara Linton is the nominal main character, Slaughter gives plenty of ink to Jeffery Tolliver (Linton's ex and the police chief), and Lena Adams, one of Tolliver's detectives. The author uses third-person perspective, which allows her to explore these and other supporting characters in depth.

Though I'm no doctor, the medical jargon and general gory goings-on seem authentic. Slaughter does indeed pile it on a little thick, but only in a few places.

The writing style is snappy, and the book is a fairly quick read. The situation hooked me from page one.

Now for the griping.

The book has, as I mentioned, a good pace; but that only becomes truly obvious after the first hundred pages or so. Until then, the author reminds me of Little Johnny One-Note and his Wonder Kazoo, trumpeting the twin themes of 1) It's ok to be gay, and 2) All men are scum. Really, it got way old way fast.

Another problem is the personalities of the characters. We're informed of these people's past histories in great and laboring detail, and really, some of these characters are not pleasant people.

Finally, there is just way too much exploration of these characters' problems for one book. With many such series, we get to the third or fourth outing before knowing this much about the players.

On balance, I have to give this book four stars because 1) I enjoyed reading it (for the most part), and 2) it holds lots of promise of things to come.

Here's hoping Karin Slaughter finds a way to moderate her tone (and her characters), and produces more volumes for my already overstuffed bookcase.

I love to read and spend way too much money on books monthly. My personal policy is not to spend money on a hardback by a new writer. I usually wait for paperback. Well, occasionally I gamble and break that policy hoping I won't get burnt. Thank goodness with Blindsighted by Karin Slaughter I didn't get burnt and now I have a promising author to add to my list of must read.

The first thing I found fascinating about Blindsighted was the realization the entire book was going to take place within a week. Secondly I loved the characters of Sara Linton, a pediatrician and part-time coroner, and her ex-husband Police Chief Jeffrey Tolliver. This is a couple who still belong together but can't seem to work through mistakes in their past.

A vicious rape takes place resulting in the death of Sibyl Adams, a local college professor who happens to be blind. Add to the suspense is she is the sister of Lena Adams, one of Jeffrey's detectives. The rapist carved a cross across her stomach. Then a college girl goes missing. When found, another religious symbolism is apparent. Who is committing these horrendous crimes and why is he targeting the small town of Heartsdale, Georgia?

Blindsighted is well written, fast-paced, with plenty of action and character development. For me, the descriptions of the assaults were too graphic, but it hit home how gruesome these crimes were. Probably the only complaint I had was it was a little too apparent who the bad guy was going to be. It's my understanding there will be another book featuring these lead characters. Well, put me on the list as someone who will be out there buying the next one by Karin Slaughter.

Those who have compared Karin Slaughter with Patricia Cornwell and Thomas Harris have done Ms Slaughter no favours. I think Blindsighted has very little in common with any of the other authors' work except, perhaps, in the degree of nastiness of the murders. Sara Linton, Ms Slaughter's principal protagonist, is a much more human and believable character than Kay Scarpetta, and Thomas Harris has taken Hannibal Lector way beyond the bounds of this planet - perhaps in search of Scarpetta's niece, the egregious Lucy who threw off the constraints of earthly credibility years ago.

Thus, it is a pleasant change to read a different kind of mystery novel from a fresh new voice. Ms Slaughter's scenes in Grant County, Georgia ring true. Her characters are small town people, with small town attitudes and small town fears and prejudices. They don't perform superhuman feats. Sara Linton, a pediatrician doubling as Medical Examiner, works no Scarpetta-esque miracles of forensic science. Her ex-husband, police chief Jeffrey Tolliver performs no brilliant feats of detection or deduction. Throughout the story there is an under-current of tension from the yet to be resolved issues from their failed marriage and former lives. These are real small-town people, dealing with their real-life problems while trying to cope with a terrifying series of gruesomely brutal murders where the victims are chillingly used as a means to an even more sinister end.

This is a book which grabs the reader's attention from page one and retains it to the bitter end. It is a fine foundation for what should be an enthralling series.

Karin Slaughter thrusts the reader into her story from the very beginning!! Her writing comes at you fast and hard and you are propelled into the world of Sara Linton, a pediatrician and also the town coroner.
When Sara discovers a college professor in a diner who has been brutally raped and mutilated, moments from death, the horrifying story begins. Is this a random act, will there be others and who can be behind the cold, precise tortuous murder? Sara must deal with the facts in her job as coroner and the feeling that somehow it is her responsibility to find the missing fragments to a perplexing, horrendous murder.
Events from Sara's past surface, affecting the way she looks at everything in her life and coloring her perspective.
This is a compelling, fast paced, psychological thriller that is both vivid and terrifying.

"Blindsighted" is everything a thriller should be and more: the pacing fast; the characters engrossing; the setting vividly depicted and the murders gruesome. What is truly novel in "Blindsighted" is that the murders make a kind of ugly sense. Karin Slaughter's villan is evil but he has his reasons and that makes this book unusual in a genre filled with unmotivated murderers and synthetic heroes. There are no cardboard characters or serial killer cliches in this book.
But, what is most striking about this debut novel is the author's writing. Karin Slaughter writes vivid and unflinching prose and I look forward to her next book.

I am actually torn as to how to rate Blindsighted, by Karin Slaughter. Looking through the other reviews, I can't disagree with much of anything that has been said. Part of me wants to give the book 5 stars, and part of me wants to give it 3 stars so I am compromising on 4.

First of all, the book was very riveting. It commanded my attention and absolutely refused to be put down. I really liked the character of Jeffrey Tolliver, who is stuck investigating a horrible series of crimes and has no one he can rely on to help him.

That's probably the crux of this book, the fact that Tolliver was so often hung out to dry on his own. His medical examiner (and ex-wife), Sara Linton, is cold and distant, unable to put their past behind her and hiding a big major secret that totally destroys any objectivity she may have about the case. The female detective, Lena Adams, has enough baggage of her own to fill a few train cars. She insists on being in on the investigation, even though the first victim is her sister. She hates Dr. Linton and blames her for not being able to save her sister.

There are also too many things that force me to suspend belief. The motive ends up being completely ridiculous, and Slaughter practically hits the reader over the head with the identity of the villain-- several times. The murders are very gruesome and almost made me think that the book was written by a man due to the titillation factor. (Sorry guys!) Yes, I understand that the victims were administered belladonna, which affected their thought processes, however, this is just too close to the stereotypical image that women actually enjoy being raped for comfort.

I guess my biggest problem with this book was the fatigue factor on my part-- I'm getting tired of books that substitute increasingly gruesome murders for actual plot and character development. I'm tired of the female medical examiner angle, and tired of women who are stupid about their relationships.

However, I would read another book by Slaughter- in fact I have one in my stack right now. This one was interesting enough to hold my attention, and I would like to read more to see if slaughter is able to rise above the problems with this book.

The book was recommended by my local bookseller and the author hooked me immediately with her easy style. I disagree with another reviewer's criticism of "wooden dialog". I appreciated the insight into the different characters backgrounds. Where so many authors expect the reader to accept at face value why something happened Ms Slaughter gave the reader some history as to why. Parts of the book were violently disturbing but I could understand the descripton as necessary for giving the reader a sense of the horror that was happening.
So, after reading the first paragragh you might ask, "Why only 2 stars?" It is due to the language used to describe the macabre rape sequenses. The rapist was violent, disturbed and demeaned his victims. Why the author chose to use the word love and have one victim say, "He made love to me." is beyond my comprehension. This has nothing to do with political correctness but everything to do with decency. Apparently the author has never had to counsel a rape victim nor must she have any friends who have gone through the horror of rape. If she had she wouldn't use the word love in such an obscene manner. It wasn't just a victim but the author describes the rapist as making love to his victim who is staked out on the floor with nails through her palms pinning her down.
Ms Slaughter wrote what could have been an excellent book. As an author she knows the importance of language and I am sorry she didn't take care with hers.