KEPT WOMAN, THE

The Kept Woman is the eighth book in the Will Trent series by popular American author, Karin Slaughter. When the body of an ex-Atlanta PD officer is found in a warehouse early on a July Monday, Deputy Director Amanda Wagner calls in her GBI team. The location is the property of wealthy basketball star Marcus Rippy, whose crack legal team recently extracted him from a violent rape conviction, a case that Special Agent Will Trent has spent six futile months working. Will and Special Agent Faith Mitchell arrive to find the cop's car in flames.

Also present at the scene is the newest member of the GBI team, medical examiner, Dr Sara Linton. While Dale Harding's is only body, the excessive amount of blood seems to indicate another victim, perhaps Dale's murderer, has left the scene. Things get even more complicated for Will and Sara when items at the scene point to the involvement of Will's wife, Angie Polaski.

The story moves along at a fair clip, and just when the reader thinks they know the direction things are going, Slaughter hits them with such an unexpected twist, she might well be sued for whiplash injuries. It touches on domestic violence, the marketing of sports stars and the social mindset that allows sports stars to often get away, scot free, with violence and sexual assault.

In this instalment, Slaughter further develops her main characters, in particular, Will. The banter between the characters is often quite hilarious, and at one point, the tension is broken with a tangential remark from Will that will have readers laughing out loud. Faith gets a few good lines too.

Slaughter does enjoy giving her readers at least one truly despicable character, and in this series, Angie Polaski wins the prize, although Lena Adams probably comes a close second, and Amanda Wagner is occasionally in the running. Nasty and ever manipulative, Angie's latest machinations are no balm to the fledgling relationship that is forming between Will and Sara. Angie does not hesitate at a murder (or three) to achieve her own goals, and, as one character says, "would f@ck over the only guy in the entire world who doesn't think you're a worthless, cold-blooded bitch".

Slaughter once again gives the reader a fast-paced tale that builds to a gripping climax. Readers who have enjoyed Slaughter's previous books will wonder if this one makes the grade: the answer is a resounding "yes!" Fans who have been patiently awaiting the latest Will and Sara installment will not be disappointed. A brilliant read!