There's no police training stronger than a cop's instinct. Faith Mitchell's mother isn't answering her phone. Her front door is open. There's a bloodstain above the knob. Everything Faith learned in the academy goes out the window when she charges into her mother's house, gun drawn. She sees a man dead in the laundry room, a hostage situation in the bedroom. What she doesn't see is her mother. When the hostage situation turns deadly, Faith is left with too many questions. She'll need the help of her partner, Will Trent, and trauma doctor Sara Linton to get some answers. But Faith isn't just a cop anymore, she's a witness--and a suspect. To find her mother, Faith will have to cross the thin blue line and bring the truth to light--or bury it forever.

Reviews

At the start of Slaughter's gripping third novel to combine characters from her two Georgia-based series (after Broken), Georgia Bureau of Investigation agent Faith Mitchell arrives at the Atlanta house of her widowed mother, Evelyn, to find serious trouble: her mother, a retired police captain, is missing; a dead man is lying on the laundry room floor; and an Asian man is holding her mother's pistol to a Hispanic man's head in Evelyn's bedroom. More violence follows. Faith's partner, Will Trent, tries to gather clues without stepping on any jurisdictional toes in the ensuing investigation, but Will fears that Evelyn's kidnapping is tied to a corruption scandal involving Evelyn's past as a narcotics officer, an angle he knows Faith doesn't want to consider. Will's deepening friendship with Dr. Sara Linton, currently working in an Atlanta E.R. and one of the few people able to crack his protective shell, adds depth. Family-biological, professional, and everything in between-plays a key role in a thriller sure to please Slaughter's many fans. (June) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Atlanta police officer Faith Mitchell arrives at her mother's house to pick up her daughter, and the resulting chaos jeopardizes her career and life. Sheer suspense heaven for die-hard fans and new readers. (LJ Xpress Reviews, 6/17/11) (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

"A complex, gripping and deadly serious novel that reflects anew Slaughter's abundant talent.""--The Washington Post
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"An amazing effort . . . This is [Karin] Slaughter's best book to date, and readers unfamiliar with her work will find this one a perfect place to begin."--Associated Press

"An absolute master . . . Slaughter creates some wonderfully complex and mature female characters, a distinctive achievement in the world of thrillers.""--Chicago Tribune"
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"Slaughter has always known how to pace the suspense in her stellar crime novels, but she really outdoes herself here. . . . [She] reveals the heart and soul of her characters within a highly choreographed, unrelentingly suspenseful plot."--"Booklist" (starred review)