Blindsighted: A Novel (Dr. Sara Linton)

Such a great writer. I enjoy all her books!!

This was an excellent book. It suprised me that is was Karin Slaughter's first novel. It was well written and entertaining. The characters are likable and believable. This was a quick read with plenty of page turning suspense. Some reviewers has commented on the graphic scenes in this book, do not let that stop you from reading this book. It is about a serial killer/rapist. That entire subject is not pleasant - but it does not take away from this story's plot - as a matter of fact - I felt true compassion and sympathy for these characters which I think is a compliment to the author. I can't wait to read Karin Slaughter's next book.

There are synopses in many reviews of "Blindsighted", so I don't feel compelled to tell the story again and explain the relationships between the characters. I'll stick to the reality of the book as I feel it.Pre publication "blurbs" made comparisons to best-selling authors. Karin Slaughter is not like anyone else I've read -- she has forged her own voice and given us a tightly drawn story. Her descriptions of place and time moved comfortably into my mind's outline of developments. Each detail wove its way into the fabric of the narrative. I needed to pay attention to things I thought superfluous at the time because they were important later. Plot details and twists hit without notice.I found the story disturbing in the same way "Deja Dead" troubled me -- the thought of unspeakable acts committed against women intrudes on my sense of security. But the primary characters are believable, caring, flawed, insightful, professional, possibly near burnout at times -- just like you and me. You should read about them to gain new literary friends you want to know more about. You should read about them to learn about yourself. You should read about them to have examples of good people right there in your hands.This book if full of real people in a great story. Ms. Slaughter has written a wonderfully crafted first installment of a promised trilogy, and with any luck we'll get more than three books in this series. "Blindsighted" reads like an established author wrote it. Read it and discover her for yourself. Except for my squeamishness at crime details and descriptions, I'm really glad I did.

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.

"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 really enjoyed Blindsighted, although it's not for the faint of heart. Karin Slaughter's writing style is engaging, characters are believeable and interesting, and the plot is frightening but compelling. I read the whole thing in an afternoon--I couldn't put it down. Dr. Sara Linton (pediatrician and medical examiner) finds the body of Sibyl Adams in a pretty grotesque way, and she makes several more grisly discoveries during the ever-widening investigation. She's also got a stalker, and her ex-husband happens to be the town's police chief. Sara has to work with Sibyl's angry twin sister, police officer Lena Adams, who's investigating her sister's case and looking for the killer in their midst.I highly recommend this book and am eagerly anticipating KS's next installment.