The Kept Woman’s Back-of-book Description:

Husbands and wives. Mothers and daughters. The past and the future.

Secrets bind them. And secrets can destroy them.

With the discovery of a murder at an abandoned construction site, Will Trent and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation are brought in on a case that becomes much more dangerous when the dead man is identified as an ex-cop.

Studying the body, Sara Linton—the GBI’s newest medical examiner and Will’s lover—realizes that the extensive blood loss didn’t belong to the corpse. Bloody footprints leading away from the scene indicate there is another victim—a woman—who has vanished…and who will die soon if she isn’t found.

Will is already compromised, because the site belongs to the city’s most popular citizen: a wealthy, powerful, and politically connected athlete—a man who’s already gotten away with rape, despite Will’s exhaustive efforts to put him away.

But when evidence links Will’s troubled past to the case, the consequences will tear through his life, wreaking havoc for Will and everyone around him, including his colleagues, family, friends—and even the suspects he pursues.

My Thoughts

If you read my earlier review of Karin Slaughter’s Pretty Girls, then you know I am a big fan of this author. I picked her up on a trip, and when I returned I promptly read every single book in her Will Trent character series.

Then, a year or two later, I was hanging out in my local book store when I saw The Kept Woman. Seeing a new Slaughter book was exciting enough but when I realized it featured Will Trent I was ecstatic! She has an incredible way of developing her characters and giving them the perfect balance of charm and flaws, you just want more and more.

Of course, because of Slaughter’s brilliance, this book reads just fine as a stand alone – you don’t have to read the eight or so other books that came before it. (But if you want to, you’re in good company.)

The Kept Woman features a character named Angie way more than any of the other books did. The reader gets an exciting opportunity to know her on a deeper level, while still experiencing other characters’ points of view and insights.

Angie is the kind of girl who probably wouldn’t be anyone’s favorite character, but she becomes a little more likeable – or at the very least understood – in this book.

I think that’s an awesome aspect of storytelling that Karin Slaughter possesses – even the most unlikable characters get redeeming, empathy-invoking qualities.

She really makes you question your opinions and feelings in a way that sucks you into the story. It’s remarkable and so fun!

All of that mixed with suspense, drama, and a little bit of gore – it is a murder mystery after all – makes this a fantastic addition to your thriller library.

Favorite Quotes From The Kept Woman

It was hard to narrow it down!

“‘I don’t know.’ The truth had the benefit of a cruel uncertainty.”

“Pain could be infectious. She couldn’t afford to let it in.”

“If you wanted to know shit about a woman, all you had to do was ask the woman who was pretending to be her friend.” 

 

“Some people are born with a hole inside them. They spend their lives trying to fill it.”

“Life always makes you pay for your personality.”

In Conclusion

4 stars! I mean, maybe I’m biased because I have read every Will Trent book Karin Slaughter has written, but you guys – they are really good! And again, this reads just fine as a standalone book, but if you’re interested in learning more of the main character’s back story you can pick up the other books here.

Either way – if you enjoy a good, suspenseful, thrilling cop drama, put this on your To Read List!

If you enjoy a good, suspenseful, thrilling cop drama, put this on your To Read List! Click To Tweet

Thanks so much for reading this review! consider sharing it with your friends or pinning one of these quotes on Pinterest.