physical world.) In Grant County, Sara now drives a Z4 instead of a Z3. Lena has a BlackBerry. Marla Simms still uses an IBM Selectric, but that was considered dinosaurish even in 2001. If you are wondering where Gina Vogel’s vexation comes from, now you know.
I hope you will forgive my quantum leap. I so enjoyed being with Jeffrey again, especially at a point in his relationship with Sara that I’ve never written about before. But I was also reminded of how much I love Will, and how when I chose to end Jeffrey’s story, I told myself that the best way to honor him was to make Will earn it. If you’ve been paying attention, Will has certainly earned it. For me, the line that summed up the two great loves of Sara’s life comes early on in The Silent Wife, when she thinks, “With Jeffrey, Sara had known that there were dozens, possibly hundreds of other women who could love him just as intensely as she did. With Will, Sara was keenly aware that she was the only woman on earth who could love him the way that he deserved to be loved.”
I bet you guys didn’t notice that I’ve been secretly writing love stories.
Really gritty, violent love stories, but still.
At the very beginning of my career those nineteen long years ago (or eight, in Karin Years) I made the decision that what I was writing about would matter from one book to the next. That’s why I decided to let go of Jeffrey. That’s why I decided to write frankly about violence against women. I felt it was important to openly describe what that violence actually looks like, and to explore the long-lasting effects of trauma in as realistic a way as possible. If I’ve done anything with these two series, I hope that people will look at them as an honest telling of stories we do not often hear about survivors, fighters, mothers, daughters, sisters, wives, friends and rogues.
And to answer the question that I hope you are asking, there are going to be more Sara and Will stories. I look forward to the journey ahead.
Karin Slaughter
Atlanta, Georgia
Enjoyed The Silent Wife? Make sure you’ve read Karin Slaughter’s previous books:
Three …
A woman is abducted in front of her child.
Two …
A month later, a second is taken in explosive circumstances.
One …
But the web is bigger and darker than anyone could imagine.
The clock is ticking to uncover the truth.
Click here to order a copy of The Last Widow.
A terrifying act of violence …
It takes a split second for your life to change forever. And for Andrea Oliver that split second is a mass shooting in her local mall.
A woman whose life is built on a lie …
But this shocking act is only the start. Because then, as the bodies fall around them, Andy’s mother Laura takes a step forward into the line of fire.
A fight for survival …
Hours later, Laura is in hospital, her face splashed over the newspapers. But the danger has only just begun. Now Andy must embark on a desperate race against time to uncover the secrets of her mother’s past before any more blood is shed …
Click here to order a copy of Pieces of Her.
One ran. One stayed. But who is … the good daughter?
Twenty-eight years ago, Charlotte and Samantha Quinn’s childhoods were destroyed by a terrifying attack on their family home. It left their mother dead. It left their father – a notorious defence attorney – devastated. And it left the family consumed by secrets from that shocking night.
Twenty-eight years later, Charlie has followed in her father’s footsteps to become a lawyer. But when violence comes to their home town again, the case triggers memories she’s desperately tried to suppress. Because the shocking truth about the crime which destroyed her family won’t stay buried for ever …
Click here to order a copy of The Good Daughter.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
First thanks always go to Kate Elton and Victoria Sanders, who’ve been with me from the beginning. Next I’d like to thank my HarperCollins GPP peeps both at home and abroad (and they are mostly broads) including but not limited to all the names I used as victims in this novel. You’re welcome! I’d also like to extend heartfelt thanks to Hilary Zaitz Michael at WME and at VSA, Diane Dickensheid, Bernadette Baker-Baughman, and Jessica Spivey.
Let’s hear it for my fellow authors! Carolina De Robertis again helped me with my filthy Spanish. Alafair Burke offered me non-binding legal advice. Charlaine Harris offered me advice in other areas. Lisa Unger talked to me about unicorns until I fell asleep. Kate White was awesome in all of her Kate Whiteness.
On the medical side, David Harper, MD, was his usually kind and incredibly helpful self. David has been helping me violently murder (and sometimes save) people since the early Grant County novels, and I am eternally grateful for his patience. Any mistakes are my own—so, if you are in the medical profession, please note this is a work of fiction, and if you are not, then please do not try any of this at home.
Dr. Judy Melinek offered me some great pointers on the medical examiner side. Dr. Stephen LaScala talked to me about ligaments and joints. Carola Vriend-Schurink fascinated me with funeral details. Special Agent Dona Robertson’s retirement from the GBI was a great loss to the state but a wonderful opportunity for me (and her local library). Dr. Lynne Nygaard aided me with some scientific language. Theresa Singer, who appears in this book as Rennie Seeger, won my dance contest to appear in this novel. I hope it was worth it!
Last thanks always goes to D.A., who’s been at the center of my heart for far more than eight Karin Years, and to my daddy, who still brings me soup while I am writing, though he forgot to bring cornbread a couple of times this year and I feel compelled to put in writing that these oversights are not acceptable.
A general note on content: I want to make it clear that I purposefully did not mention the name of the perpetrator who murdered at least four people in National Forests located in Georgia, Florida and North Carolina, between the years of 2007–2008. I would also like to offer my vocal support of Georgia House Bill 1322.
About the Author
Karin Slaughter is one of the world’s most popular and acclaimed storytellers. Published in 120 countries with more than 35 million copies sold across the globe, her 20 novels include the Grant County and Will Trent books, as well as the Edgar-nominated Cop Town and the instant Sunday Times bestselling novels Pretty Girls, The Good Daughter, Pieces of Her and The Last Widow. Slaughter is the founder of the Save the Libraries project—a nonprofit organization established to support libraries and library programming. A native of Georgia, Karin Slaughter lives in Atlanta. Her standalone novel Pieces of Her is in development with Netflix and the Grant County and Will Trent series are in development for television.
For more information visit KarinSlaughter.com
/AuthorKarinSlaughter
@SlaughterKarin
Also by Karin Slaughter
Blindsighted
Kisscut
A Faint Cold Fear
Indelible
Faithless
Triptych
Skin Privilege
Fractured
Genesis
Broken
Fallen
Criminal
Unseen
Cop Town
Pretty Girls
The Kept Woman
The Good Daughter
Pieces of Her
The Last Widow
eBook originals
Snatched
Cold, Cold Heart
Busted
Blonde Hair, Blue Eyes
Last Breath
Cleaning the Gold (with Lee Child)
Novellas and Stories
Like a Charm (Editor)
Martin Misunderstood
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