Karin Slaughter Books in Order
The complete guide to Karin Slaughter’s books, including the Will Trent, Grant County, and North Falls series, plus order summaries.
Last updated: December 22, 2025
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Publication Order
38 books
The Secrets We Hide
by Karin Slaughter
2026
The second North Falls thriller. Sheriff Emmy Clifton and her sister, ex-federal agent Jude Archer, investigate a brutal attack that threatens to shatter the town's fragile peace again. The deeper they dig, the more dangerous the investigation becomes.
We Are All Guilty Here
by Karin Slaughter
2025
The first North Falls thriller. Officer Emmy Clifton is thrust into a nightmare when two teenage girls vanish during a Fourth of July celebration. As she investigates, she realizes the small town she loves is hiding dark secrets about the people closest to her.
This is Why We Lied
by Karin Slaughter
2024
Will Trent and Sara Linton head to a remote mountain lodge for their honeymoon, hoping to unplug. But when a guest is murdered during a storm, they become trapped with a killer and a family full of liars.
After That Night
by Karin Slaughter
2023
Fifteen years after a life-changing attack, Sara Linton’s past resurfaces when a young woman is brought into the ER with similar injuries. Will Trent leads the investigation, hoping to finally bring justice to a case that has haunted Sara for years.
Girl, Forgotten
by Karin Slaughter
2022
Newly minted US Marshal Andrea Oliver arrives in a small town to protect a judge, but her real mission is to uncover the truth about a cold case involving the judge's daughter. It’s a dangerous investigation that ties back to her own father.
False Witness
by Karin Slaughter
2021
Defense attorney Leigh Collier has built a successful life while hiding a dark history. When she is assigned to defend a wealthy man accused of rape, she realizes he knows her secrets and demands she get him acquitted—or else.
The Silent Wife
by Karin Slaughter
2020
A brutal murder in Atlanta mirrors a series of attacks from Grant County years ago. Will Trent reopens the old case, investigating the possibility that the man Jeffery Tolliver put in prison was innocent—and that a serial killer is still out there.
The Last Widow
by Karin Slaughter
2019
A scientist from the CDC is kidnapped in a brazen attack, and Will Trent and Sara Linton are caught in the aftermath. They must go undercover to stop a radical group planning a devastating biological attack on American soil.
Short Story
by Karin Slaughter
2019
A short thriller piece by Karin Slaughter, often featured in the *MatchUp* collection. It delivers a quick punch of suspense and character-driven tension typical of her longer novels.
Cleaning the Gold
by Lee Child
2019
A crossover short story where Will Trent meets Jack Reacher. Both men are undercover at Fort Knox—Will investigating a murder, and Reacher looking into a gold ring. They must team up to take down a criminal conspiracy.
Pieces of Her
by Karin Slaughter
2018
A violent afternoon at a shopping mall changes Andrea Oliver’s life forever when she sees her quiet mother eliminate a threat with startling skill. Andrea begins to unravel her mother’s past, discovering a hidden life she never knew existed.
The Good Daughter
by Karin Slaughter
2017
Two sisters, Charlie and Sam, survived a terrifying attack on their home twenty-eight years ago. Now, a school shooting in their hometown brings the trauma back to the surface, forcing them to confront the truth about that night.
Last Breath
by Karin Slaughter
2017
A prequel to *The Good Daughter*. Charlie Quinn acts as a lawyer for people with nowhere else to turn. When she tries to help a young girl, she is drawn into a case that challenges her instincts and her past.
The Kept Woman
by Karin Slaughter
2016
A body is found at a construction site owned by a wealthy athlete, and the investigation leads Will Trent back to his estranged wife, Angie Polaski. Will must uncover the truth while his personal life threatens to derail the case.
Three Twisted Stories
by Karin Slaughter
2015
A collection comprising three shorter works: the noir novella *Go Deep*, and the short stories *Necessary Women* and *Remmy Rothstein Toes the Line*. These tales showcase Slaughter’s range from dark humor to gritty suspense.
Pretty Girls
by Karin Slaughter
2015
Sisters Claire and Lydia have been estranged for years, driven apart by the disappearance of their sister Julia. When another tragedy strikes, they form an uneasy truce to uncover secrets that reveal a nightmare closer to home than they ever imagined.
Blonde Hair, Blue Eyes
by Karin Slaughter
2015
A prequel story to *Pretty Girls*. A young college student disappears, leaving behind a mystery that will haunt her family for decades. This short narrative sets the stage for the tragedy that fractures the lives of two sisters.
Cop Town
by Karin Slaughter
2014
In 1974 Atlanta, Kate Murphy and Maggie Lawson are two female officers trying to survive in a male-dominated police force. As a cop killer hunts down officers, they must risk everything to find the truth in a city on the brink of chaos.
Unseen
by Karin Slaughter
2013
Will Trent goes undercover as a biker to bring down a drug ring, cutting off contact with Sara Linton. When Sara is brought into the same case unaware of his identity, the danger escalates for both of them.
Busted
by Karin Slaughter
2013
A Will Trent novella. Will goes undercover at a gas station to catch a suspect, but the simple surveillance job turns complicated when a robbery occurs. It sets the stage for the novel *Unseen*.
Snatched
by Karin Slaughter
2012
A Will Trent novella. While waiting at the airport, Will witnesses a girl being abducted. Without his badge or gun, he must rely on his instincts to track the kidnapper and save the child.
Criminal
by Karin Slaughter
2012
Will Trent discovers that a current case is linked to his own troubled origins. The story alternates between the present and the 1970s, revealing how Amanda Wagner and Evelyn Mitchell fought to make their mark in the police force and solve a series of murders.
Thorn in My Side
by Karin Slaughter
2011
A short story about two brothers who seem to be polar opposites—one charming, one quiet. A night out at a bar exposes the strange and dangerous bond between them, leading to a shocking revelation in the parking lot.
Fallen
by Karin Slaughter
2011
Faith Mitchell returns home to find her baby hidden in the shed and her mother missing. With a hostage situation unfolding, Will Trent and Sara Linton must help Faith find her mother before a corruption scandal from the past turns deadly.
Necessary Women
by Karin Slaughter
2010
A short story about a young girl in a rural border town whose mother dies, leaving her to take on the household duties. When her father underestimates her resolve, she proves she is willing to do whatever it takes to forge her own path.
Broken
by Karin Slaughter
2010
When a prisoner dies in custody in Grant County, Sara Linton asks Will Trent to investigate. Will arrives in the small town to find a police force closing ranks, led by a detective who will do anything to protect her secrets.
Genesis / Undone
by Karin Slaughter
2009
A sadistic killer is torturing victims in Atlanta, and Will Trent is on the case. This novel brings Dr. Sara Linton into the fold as she joins the investigation, marking the collision of the Grant County and Will Trent worlds.
Martin Misunderstood
by Karin Slaughter
2008
Martin Reed is an average, downtrodden accountant who is bullied by coworkers and nagged by his mother. But when a colleague is murdered and he becomes the prime suspect, Martin finds himself in a dark and twisted spotlight he never asked for.
Fractured
by Karin Slaughter
2008
Will Trent investigates a murder in an upscale Atlanta neighborhood where a teenage girl is found dead. As he digs deeper, he realizes the crime scene has been staged and the victim’s family is hiding secrets that complicate the case.
Beyond Reach / Skin Privilege
by Karin Slaughter
2007
Lena Adams returns to her hometown to check on her uncle, only to become a suspect in a bombing. Sara and Jeffery arrive to clear her name, but they uncover a web of drug dealing and white supremacy that ends in tragedy.
Triptych
by Karin Slaughter
2006
The introduction to Will Trent. In Atlanta, a serial killer is targeting women, and GBI agent Will Trent is brought in to investigate. He must navigate a hostile police department and his own difficult past to stop a murderer who leaves a gruesome signature.
Cold, Cold Heart
by Karin Slaughter
2006
A short story featuring a woman dealing with the aftermath of a violent marriage. It provides a glimpse into the psychological tension and character depth typical of Slaughter’s longer works.
Faithless
by Karin Slaughter
2005
Sara Linton and Jeffery Tolliver stumble upon a young woman buried alive in the woods. The investigation leads them to a secretive religious community that plays by its own rules and will do anything to keep outsiders away.
Like a Charm
by Karin Slaughter
2004
A crime anthology edited by Karin Slaughter, featuring linked stories from various thriller authors. The narrative follows a single charm bracelet as it travels through time and across continents, bringing misfortune and bad luck to everyone who possesses it.
Indelible
by Karin Slaughter
2004
Gunmen take over the Heartsdale police station, holding Simon and others hostage. As the tense standoff unfolds, flashbacks reveal the early days of Sara and Jeffery’s relationship and a past crime that has come back to haunt them.
A Faint Cold Fear
by Karin Slaughter
2003
Sara Linton is called to a college campus where a student has apparently committed suicide. When more deaths follow and her pregnant sister is attacked, Sara and Jeffery must stop a killer targeting the university.
Kisscut
by Karin Slaughter
2002
A weekend trip turns deadly when Sara Linton and Jeffery Tolliver intervene in a shooting involving a teenage girl. The investigation uncovers a horrifying ring of abuse and pedophilia that shocks the small community.
Blindsighted
by Karin Slaughter
2001
The first Grant County novel. Dr. Sara Linton finds a young woman brutally murdered and mutilated. She teams up with police chief Jeffery Tolliver to track a killer who seems to know the town’s darkest secrets.
Where should I start?
If you want the classic small-town mystery arc:
Blindsighted → Kisscut → A Faint Cold Fear
If you prefer a gritty police procedural in the city:
Triptych → Fractured → Undone
If you want a gripping standalone thriller:
Pretty Girls or The Good Daughter
Author bio
First things first: Yes, Karin Slaughter is her real name. It isn't a clever marketing trick or a spooky pseudonym chosen to sell crime novels. It is the name she was born with.
She grew up in the small town of Jonesboro, Georgia, a place that would later influence the settings of her books. Her father ran a local car dealership, and she spent her childhood immersed in the rhythms of Southern life. But while other kids were reading typical children's stories, Slaughter developed a fascination with the macabre at a very young age.
Her curiosity about the darker side of human nature started early. She wrote her very first story when she was just six years old. She wasn't exactly a mild-mannered student, either. In a story that has become a bit of a legend among her fans, she was once expelled from grade school. The reason? She tore apart a Bible.
That rebellious streak and intense curiosity eventually led her to a career as one of the world’s most recognizable thriller writers.
Slaughter launched her publishing career in 2001 with the novel Blindsighted. This book introduced readers to the fictional location of Grant County. It was a small, close-knit community where everyone knew everyone else’s business, making the crimes that occurred there feel even more personal.
This series also introduced two of her most enduring characters: Sara Linton, a pediatrician and coroner, and Jeffery Tolliver, the local police chief.
Readers quickly noticed that Slaughter wasn't afraid to go to dark places. Her novels are famous for their unflinching depiction of violence. She doesn’t write violence for the sake of shock value, however. Instead, she focuses on the ripple effects that trauma has on a community. She explores how a single terrible event can tear families and towns apart. Her stories are almost always set against the backdrop of the American South, capturing both the beauty and the grit of the region.
After establishing herself with the Grant County books, she decided to expand her fictional universe.
She moved the action to the big city with the Will Trent series. Set in Atlanta, these books follow a special agent for the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI). Will Trent is a unique hero in the genre. He is incredibly observant and skilled, but he also battles severe dyslexia and carries the scars of a difficult childhood in the foster care system. He felt distinct from the heroes in Grant County, bringing a different energy to her work.
Eventually, Slaughter did something that delighted her long-time readers. She merged her two major character arcs. She brought Sara Linton into Will Trent's world, creating a cohesive universe where the characters’ lives and histories intersect.
Today, Slaughter remains a lifelong resident of Georgia and still lives in Atlanta.
She is also passionate about keeping books accessible to everyone. Beyond her writing, she is the founder of Save the Libraries. This non-profit organization works to support public libraries, ensuring they have the resources they need to serve their communities. For someone who built a life on stories, fighting for the places that house them is a natural fit.
Edited by
Software engineer whose passion for tracking book recommendations from podcasts inspired the creation of MRB.
Lead investor at 3one4 Capital whose startup expertise and love for books helped shaped MRB and its growth.
























































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