Criminal by Karin Slaughter

NOW this is a thriller that deserves some attention.

NOW this is a thriller that deserves some attention.

It's from a best-selling writer, it's fast-paced, it's moderately believable and it's thoroughly entertaining. But the reason it deserves some attention is because without it, it's easy to get a little lost.

The plot features Karin Slaughter's established character Will Trent, an agent with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation whose somewhat mysterious past has been hinted at in other books. This time, Slaughter weaves two mysteries together, jumping from the present to 40 years ago when Trent was a baby.

To cut a very long story short without giving away too much of the storyline, someone from Trent's past is back and he's not a nice person. And Trent's past is a lot more dark than anyone previously expected.

Slaughter also unravels the lives of several other long-standing characters, making their motivations easier to understand.

And then there's some particularly nasty murder going on, too. It is possible to enjoy the story without knowing much about Slaughter's previous books, but readers already familiar with Trent and his colleagues will get an extra level of enjoyment.

But pay attention. It's not one of those novels where you can let your attention drift for a few pages. Do that and you won't be sure whether you're in flash-back or present time.

It's good, it's clever and it has some moments of real blackness.

Criminal
Karin Slaughter
Random House, $32.95