Anyone who is shocked by the nightmare rise of the far right Alt-right and their Nazi ideology should read this well researched addition to the Will Trenton series with Dr Sara Linton, both members of the Georgia Bureau of Investigations (GBI) by Karin Slaughter. Slaughter pokes beneath the surface to examine the rise of this contemporary phenomena with the authentic creation of the kind of unhinged characters, mainly men, that are part of this unsavoury movement, their arrogance, their need to control women, and the depth of their racism and antisemitism. The survivalist and cultish nature of many such groups attracts young lost, naive young men in search of male role models in their lives, attracted by the glamour of military men, and fighting a cause akin to their very own holy war. The author hones in on critical issues such as the large number of disaffected ex-army men returning from war, the scapegoating of immigrants, the private militias, and the political climate that underpins the growth and legitimisation of the far right. Despite me wanting this story of white supremacist domestic terrorism to have no basis in reality, unfortunately Slaughter's chilling scenarios do not feel that far fetched at all, given what has been happening in our contemporary world.

Michelle Spivey is shopping with her 11 year old daughter, Ashley, when she is abducted. Spivey is a vital scientist working at the Centre for Disease Control, and the authorities are struggling to find her and no-one knows why she has been taken. Will and Medical Examiner Sara are virtually living together, although Sara's mother, Cathy, is having problems accepting Will as part of their family. Whilst they are spending time with Sarah's family, bombs go off at critically important sites in Georgia, including the hospitals, leaving many dead and injured. Will and Sara head towards the scene, only to find themselves held up at a apparent traffic accident scenario that feels off, which culminates in Sara's abduction and Will being injured. A devastated and traumatised Will is helped by his close friends and colleagues, Amanda Wagner and Faith Mitchell, collaborating with the FBI to locate Sara and Michelle. Will goes undercover, as he and the GBI race against time to try and prevent a unknown far right domestic terrorist plot indicated in the chatter picked up by the intelligence agencies.

This is a violent and brutal read, including the horrors of paedophilia, rape, child murders and biological warfare, but none of this factors felt out of place in this compulsive and riveting story. For me, there was only a minor issue in the novel that jarred, and that was the retelling of same scenes from the viewpoints of Will and Sara that served little purpose, but this did not really mar my reading experience. Slaughter could not have written a more relevant and informative novel on the unspeakable nightmare that is the rise of Alt-Right groups in the US and elsewhere. She demonstrates her understanding of the kind of people that run these groups, the militias, the involvement of ex-army men, and the huge numbers that are attracted to such groups and their despicable ideology. A brilliant, if desperately disturbing read, that I highly recommend. Many thanks to HarperCollins for an ARC.

An abduction with no apparent reason is the starter for this page turner, filled with twists to keep you hooked, and I was hooked from the start and read the whole book in just over a day!
Will Trent and his girlfriend Sarah both work for the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and their individual skill sets are put to the test throughout this story. Will’s work partner, Faith and his boss Amanda, both know him equally well and they know each other’s strengths and abilities well.
I love the way Karin Slaughter layers the story together, telling the same time frame more than once but each time from someone else’s viewpoint so that you get a bit more detail added to the picture and the story moves on a little more. I think it’s a great way of adding depth and detail without overwhelming the reader at the same time.
In short, I loved it from start to finish and would definitely recommend it.
My thanks to #NetGalley #HarperCollinsUK #HarperFiction and #KarinSlaughter for allowing me to read and review this book.

What a book, this is possibly my favourite Sara Linton book since Jeffery died.
Sara and Will rush to help when there is an explosion, on the way they come across a road collision and stop to help. Within no time things take a turn for the worse and Sara is kidnapped.
I love the Sara Linton series and I recommend you read them all, but this book would work well as a stand alone. I highly recommend this book.

I have read a few of Karin's books before and really enjoyed them so when i saw this one i couldn't wait to start but unfortunately i struggled so much to get into it that i found myself a few times putting the book down and going to do something else before trying again. It just didn't grip me from the start and so it struggled to hold my attention.
It didn't feel like the same characters as previously, granted i have not read every book in the series but i have read a few of them and it just didn't have the same feel.
A real shame i struggled but overall written well and if you go in with fresh eyes, maybe you'll enjoy it more.

I was so looking forward to a Sara/Will book but for me this was a let down. The story just didn't interest me, it's a far cry from the gore and suspense of earlier novels.

After a few standalone stories from Slaughter it is great to get back to the world of the GBI and the ninth Will Trent book. It many ways this feels much more like early Will as he is left foundering without a safety net and suddenly finds himself without Sara.

The book begins with the abduction of a female scientist in the car park at a shopping mall. The young mother works at the Centre for Disease Control and the whole of Georgia is trying to locate her. A month later there is still no sign of her.

A leisurely Sunday afternoon with Sara’s family is ended abruptly when she and Will both hear a large explosion in the distance. The sound of all the sirens spurs them into action. Realising that is it coming from the University/Hospital area of town they both jump in their vehicles and go to see if they can help. Sara comes across what looks like the immediate aftermath of a serious collision and stops to help but finds herself being taken hostage. By the time Will arrives on the scene he finds himself seriously injured and unable to stop Sara being kidnapped by the group.

Within hours the situation has spiralled out of control. Sara is being held prisoner by a violent and abusive Alt Right group planning to overthrow the government and Will has no alternative but to try and infiltrate the group as an undercover officer.

This is a Will reverting to type and struggling without the support of Sara but also a guy who has grown up a little through his experiences and is prepared to do whatever he has to to save Sara.

As with all of Slaughter’s GBI books it is quite violent and not for the faint hearted but despite this it never feels gratuitous. It always fits with what is going on. There is always a humanity and a depth that keeps you reading.

Supplied by Net Galley and Harper Collins in exchange for an honest review.

This was a gripping, fast paced story that grabbed hold hard and didn’t let go until I had finished the epilogue.
The characters were all really well written, especially Sara and Will, I was at various times worried, frustrated, saddened and intrigued, my emotions were really put through the wringer while I was trying to put the pieces together alongside the characters. This was an uncomfortable read at times, but I couldn’t put it down.
I especially loved the epilogue, I adored both Will and Sara and was so glad that they both made it through to be together.

The Last Widow
Author: Karin Slaughter
Publishers: HarperCollins

The Sara Linton/Will Trent books have been one of my favourite series of the past few years. This one did not disappoint. Covering relevant and contemporary themes including domestic terrorism, racism and paedophilia this is a tense thrilling read and came to a very satisfactory conclusion. I would highly recommend it.

Many thanks to the author, publishers and netgalley for providing me with this advance reader copy in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Karin Slaughter has done it again. This was another great read which I raced through with relish. A deeply disturbing book which keeps you desperate to know the end result . What more can you want from a good read?

This opens with the sort of dramatic scene you expect from Slaughter, but the reader soon realises that what appears to be a straightforward kidnapping is going to be something even more sinister.
As the central characters become increasingly involved, the reader closely empathises with their suffering and danger as well as those of the wider public whose safety and future is threatened.
Although it felt quite incredible that two people could virtually alone divert such a massive tragedy Slaughter makes them credible enough for the reader to accept and this makes gripping reading.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins UK, for the review copy. This is an unbiased review of the author's work and style. If you want plot lines and spoilers please see the publishers blurb and other reviewers' reports.

My, my I had looked forward to reading this. I had heard, from a number of people, how good the author was - maybe I shouldn't have started with this one.
If the chapters hadn't been dated I would have assumed, from the opening chapter, that this story was set in the late seventies early eighties. The relationship between the characters their mores are ridiculously of that period if not earlier. So, for me the volume started badly and unfortunately it didn't get better.
Overall I thought a second rate novel from the mid 20th century with extra violence and expletives. If you want something like, this but written with style I suggest Raymond Chandler - less violence, few expletives and more humour and a better plot.

I absolutely love Karin Slaughter and I adore Will Trent. The series so far has been one of the best I've ever read, so to get a chance to read this before publication, well, I was over the moon. I'm not sure why but for me this story just didn't gel with the others from the series. It didn't feel like the Will Trent I got to know in the previous books. Same with Sarah it just didn't feel right to me. That said it's still a great story a bit too science'y for me but I still couldn't put it down. One thing about Karin Slaughter is she knows how to tell an amazing story that grips you and you just have to find out what's going to happen next. I'm a bit gutted that unlike the other reviews I've left for her this ones not 5 stars from me

be prepared to read this in one sitting!
Sara and Will are an excellent leading team and their backstories are well told so that even if you have not read any of their earlier books you still feel you know them well.
This book begins with a startling potential kidnap scene as Michelle witnesses a van pulling up in front of her daughter and the doors opening. Luckily she has schooled her daughter for such an event and Ashley runs away...only it turns out they were there for Michelle all along.
The case of Michelle being snatched is an intense search as she is rapidly identified as a specialist in infectious diseases that could be weaponised and the speed shifts from a kidnap to a potential terror threat.
As the story unfolds we meet a frightening set of people who firmly believe that the world need to be reset to white supremacy- a group made all the more chilling by the fact that there are documented cases of exactly these types of communities in existence today.
Sara and Will both get dragged further and further into the IPA as they try to find and rescue Michelle and prevent whatever atrocity it is that has been planned.
The pages of this book pretty much turn themselves and with every chapter and section ending on a cliffhanger there is not stopping place where you feel you can put the book down and return to it tomorrow!

This book has action from the start and was really hard to put down.

It again features GBI agent Will and Doctor Sara Linton and their relationship is a core part of the story. In chapter one a scientist is abducted while out shopping with her daughter. The case then builds from that moment.

The criminal intent behind the group is all too believable in the present climate, the only trouble I had was with Will going undercover, it just felt unrealistic. Having said that, I couldn't put the book down and really enjoyed it.

Wow! This is my thriller of the year so far and one of the best Will and Sara outings in a long time. There is real intense suspense right from the very first chapter. Five star summer rollercoaster all the way.

Tensions are high and the twists keep on coming in this fast paced addition to Will Trent's story. If you're a fan of the series, this book is everything you want and more - dark, disturbing and utterly compelling.

Slaughter switches the style up a bit this time, repeating key moments as she tells them from different points of view. This allows the reader to really connect with each of the main characters, even if they haven't read any of the previous books in the series, and keeps the writing feeling fresh.
The plot is chillingly plausible in today's world, and so many moments put your heart in your mouth it would be impossible to pick a favourite.
Possibly her best yet!

Praise as always to Karin Slaughter and her Will Trent novels, I've been reading the stories from the beginning and everyone has kept me hooked until the end, so I was so happy when I was given the opportunity to read the new book, 'The last widow' early, this novel is no exception to the others, the story builds up the suspense brilliantly, and even though it does have some challenging and darker subjects such as child abuse and rape it hasn't been gratuitously written as some authors would write it. Ms Slaughter has a way to her writing that leaves you wanting more and I can't wait for another instalment of Will and Sarah.

Thanks to Harper Collins and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to review this book. It was brilliant. I was hooked from the first page and was reluctant to tear myself away for inconvenient things like eating and sleeping ! This finds Dr Sara Linton and Will Trent in a situation with white supremisists. It is very frightening that there are groups like this linked to the terrorist horrors that occur in the modern world and shows how people can be utterly inhumane.. The story was complex and I sometimes had to reread sections to fully understand and keep up with the plot, but that is more to do with me being from the Uk and not au fait with US terms. Well researched and fast paced. Excellent.

Karin slaughter at her usual excellence. Any fan will enjoy this! I’ve read it in a day. Recommend to everyone.

I’ve read a few Karin Slaughter but this is my favourite so far. Dealing with the difficult subject of hatred of race, sexual orientation and gender. Cleverly laid out I didn’t guess what was going to happen. Loved it. Only one thing maybe too many technical details of guns but that’s just personal preference.