Customer Reviews

Triptych (Large Print)

5 star:		(39)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

After writing five books in her well-received "Grant County" series, author Karin Slaughter takes a new direction with her novel "Triptych," and it's a remarkable achievement.

An Atlanta police detective is investigating the murder of a prostitute when he discovers that several other women were also killed in a similar fashion. When the detective is joined on the case by an agent from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the reader gradually begins to learn what's really going on, and the truth is a shocker.

It can be difficult to read a book like this, so bare does it lay the pain of its characters. At the same time, the people in "Triptych" are so real and so well-developed that the reader can't help but feel empathy for them, and thus we are drawn even deeper into the ingenious plot.

This is the best thing Slaughter has written, both shocking and painful, but also gripping and resonant. "Triptych" launches a major new phase in her career, and it's a delight to behold.

Atlanta police detective Michael Ormewood is called to a murder scene at a housing estate to find the body of a drug addict and prostitute, Aleesha Monroe lying in a pool of blood with her tongue bitten out. He is joined in the investigation by Special Agent Will Trent of the Special Apprehension Team, a man with major problems of his own, being severely dyslexic and with an unhealthy attachment to one of the local police force's undercover detectives who operates as a street prostitute to attract and arrest gutter crawlers. This follows a series of mutilations of young girls who are stalked and attacked by a predatory killer. The killer is identified early in the book and what follows is the story of how he is at pains to implicate a relative of his who had been falsely accused of murder as a teenager and who has recently been released after serving a 20 year jail sentence. It's not a pleasant read and I was rather glad to finish it as I felt that I'd been immersed in corruption and the life of psychos and low lifes and was becoming depressed with all of the squalor.

I won't rehash the story line, as you can get that from the publishing reviews.

I became a Slaughter fan with her first novel "Kiss/Cut", and have followed all of her Grant County novels. They're very enjoyable. So I bought this book on the strength of her previous performance. Also, I know a lot of authors write books other than their trademark series, many successfully: Connelly, Burke, Sanford, et al.

I had a hard time getting through this book. I get her point, and the significance of the title, but it didn't make it any easier. Her characters are beyond complex, especially in the first half of the book; they're obtuse. Further, they're not really likeable, and that's hugely problematical, at least for me. For me to find a novel engaging, there has to be at least one truly sympathetic character on which to hook your anchor. I'm afraid there were none home here.

That problem also made it harder for me to keep track of what was going on as far as plot development. This book took much longer to get through than is typical for me, because I'd lose interest and have to almost force myself to continue. Not really a good sign, that.

Oh, well, I guess it's an interesting experiment for Slaughter, one that unfortunately went awry.

Two stars.

Karin Slaughter has written her best novel to date!!!
Young women are turning up slaughtered in the most horrendous manner in Atlanta. An ex-con is released from prison and days later another murder victim turns up. The manner of death is similar to the earlier murders, but something just feels different in this one. A cop with family trouble is neighbor to the last victim and he steps in to aid the investigation. A female under-cover cop learns some things on the street that lead her down a dangerous path as she delves in and tries to solve what appear to be serial murders.
This novel is a masterpiece of carefully woven threads that tightly bind the lives of some totally disparate people. This is undoubtedly her most intricate thriller yet.

I never thought Karin could top the Grant County series, but this book was excellent! It has great suspense, great character development, with some very interesting plot twists. The characters are developed through their own interesting story lines, and all becomes clear as the book develops! I highly recommend this book. It will keep you turning pages way into the night, trying to see what will happen next.

I was very pleasantly surprised at how good this book was. I read the occasional crime/thriller novel(Cornwall, Patterson, etc), although I find they are all alot alike. But still - good entertainment. I had never read Karin Slaughter before but saw her at the Decatur bookfair. Her talk was interesting so I picked the book up. And it really exceeded my expectations. I thought she did a really good job with her characters, that was really what set this book apart. I found them to have a little different twist. And although I kind of saw where the plot was going, I think she intended you to see it. And she was still able to keep the tension up and make it page turning. I stayed up late last night to finish, always a sign of a good book in my opinion ! I will read more of her work.

Could have been better
Karin Slaughter's Triptych is a very intricate and complex serial murder mystery that requires the reader to pay attention. Numerous characters and several flashbacks can create some confusion. The story centers on a psychotic serial killer who likes to bite young girls tongues off. Although deranged he somehow manages to live a normal life and it is not until halfway through this complex book that the reader starts to get a handle on just who this person really is. I won't spoil it for you, but nevertheless once you figure it out the story quickly goes downhill. All in all there are simply too many characters and not enough beef (no pun intended). Also, Ms. Slaughter leaves too many loose ends that she never ties up. Again, I won't spoil the story for you but the cardinal rule of a mystery is to not ask a question if you don't have an answer. Triptych is a murder mystery that never quite closes the deal.
Character development was shallow. The plot was rich with potential but Ms. Slaughter never did more than a cursory development of her characters.
Much graphic violence and language so beware. No gratuitous sex.
Mediocre recommend. This is my first Karin Slaughter book and I was not impressed. Again too many loose ends left dangling. I will give her one more shot when I read her new book Fractured. Best to save your money and get the paperback/library edition.

I have read all of Karin's books and even though this was not a "Grant County" book I have to say that she had keept me on the edge of my seat. You get so involved with the characters that you can visualize them in your mind as you read the story. Karin has taken her rightful place as one of the best female authors and one of my favorites. I look forward to reading her next book (hopefully soon).

I was an instant fan of Karen Slaughter when I read Blindsighted years ago. She took me on a rollercoaster ride I never thought possible. With TRIPTYCH, her first non-Grant County book, she continues that ride. Her development of characters and the way she makes you love them in one chapter and hate them in the next sets her apart from most writers who seem to only create one dimensional cut outs that we, the readers, are supposed to care about. Keep up the great work and I will keep getting my E-ticket for whatever ride she wants to take me on!!!

A prostitute is murdered on the steps of her apartment, in a run down area of Atlanta, and Detective Michal Ormewood is sent to the scene. The police soon discover that there have been a number of recent, similiar attacks, although not always fatal, involving younger victims. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation send one of their agents, Will Trent, who has been investigating these similiar crimes, to assist the Atlanta Police Department with their investigation.

I found this book an engrossing read. There is always something going on in it, that makes you want to read on. The characters in it have depth, and personality, which makes you care about them, when they are in perilious situations. There is a bit of jumping backwards and forwards at the beginning of the novel, but it all starts to make sense fairly quickly, as all is not as what the reader may have originally thought at the start of the book.

This is a standalone book, and not part of the Grant County series.