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When I read Karin Slaughter's first novel, BLINDSIGHTED, I was impressed by how well she handled her characters. The trinity of Sara Linton, Jeffrey Tolliver and Lena Adams leapt to vivid life via the medium of her keyboard yet it was accomplished without obvious strain and effort. The success was partially explained by the fact that Slaughter had featured them in short stories prior to that first excursion into the longer format andÊas their adventures have been explored in succeeding novels, their minds and souls have become further exposed to the reading public with each episode only serving to increase their reality. FAITHLESS uncovers more of the past of each of the trio in another engrossing -- if torturous -- adventure. The story opens with Sara visiting her parents' house. Her aunt Bella is in residence, something which Sara's plumber father Eddie is finding difficult to tolerate. He is even less happy to learn that Sara and her former husband Jeff have reconciled. To escape the tense atmosphere, Sara and Jeffrey go for a walk in the woods. Jeff trips over a length of metal sticking up from the ground and the duo are horrified when they dig up a box containing the corpse of a young, pregnant girl. The post-mortem discloses a means of death that serves only to increase the puzzle. Detective Lena Adams is called back from vacation a day early to assist in the investigation which leads to the headquarters of a cult: a strange, fanatical religious sect that takes in the dregs of society, ostensibly to aid them. The leader of the group, Lev, bears an uncanny resemblance to Sara. I have, when reviewing Slaughter's previous works in the series, had occasion to comment on the concentration on gory details. FAITHLESS is, alas, no exception to the rule. For all that, those in the audience who are squeamish should not refuse the entire meal because of the peripheral offering but instead skim over the cruditŽs and concentrate on the meat of the dish. I have already remarked on the characterisation. Because the author obviously cares what becomes of her people, the reader does, too. There is not only the puzzle of the deaths to unravel but also the mystery of how Lena, Jeffrey and Sara will cope with changes in their own lives. As more and more of the early lives of the three actors in Slaughter's dramas is disclosed, including more of the background of the members of their families, more about Sara, Lena and Jeffrey is understood while at the same time, more mysteries remain to be uncovered. There are, of course, several issues left unresolved in the personal lives of Tolliver, Linton and Adams which, while not providing a true cliffhanger, will maintain the interest of readers and give the author a sturdy skeleton on which to drape the flesh (and an abundance of blood) of her next mystery.
Reviewed by Denise Pickles, September 2005
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