Book Reviews of A Faint Cold Fear (Grant County, Bk 3)

If Hannibal L. is your favorite bad guy and you're into watching CSI for the forensics then this is a book for you!

Awesome awesome book loved it every bit of it was so interesting and page turning stayed up very late reading this book as with all of her other books lol very good read

Another strong entry in the Grant County series featuring Linton and Tolliver. Not quite up to the first two books, but still an engaging, fast-pased forensics/procedural.

A really good book. The last page was a shocker!!!!

An apparent student suicide has brought medical examiner Sara Linton to the local college campus, along with her ex-husband, police chief Jeffrey Tolliver. But a horribly mutilated corpse yields up few answers. And a suspicious rash of subsequent "suicides" suggests that a different kind of terror is stalking the youth of Heartsdale, Georgia-a nightmare that is coming to prey on Sara Linton's loved ones.

Wow, what a lot of surprises in this book and it just keeps coming and knocking the breath of out you. Wonderful!

#3. I really like this series of books. It's one of those books you can't put down until you finish it. Not for the squimish.

Once again,I was not disappointed. I have really grown to love Karin Slaughter. All of her books that I have read draw me in from page one. If you are like me, I can't get anything done . This book is definately no exception, I am looking forward to reading #4 in this series. If you are looking for a fast-paced thriller, you will love this book and this series. I highly recommend it to all.

Another "couldn't put it down to the end" by Karin Slaughter. Very good!

#3 in the series
Slaughter returns with the third riveting entry in her Grant County series, in which her lead characters seem to suffer as much as the victims of the horrific crimes they investigate. County coroner Sara Linton arrives at a crime scene with her sister in tow. She consults with her ex-husband, Detective Jeffrey Tolliver, and Lena Adams, a former policewoman who jumped ship rather than undergo psychological counseling and is now employed as part of the security force for the local college. Within minutes, they determine that the victim jumped off a bridge and had recently slashed his wrists and undergone genital piercing. But their investigation is interrupted by a devastating discovery--Sara's heavily pregnant sister has been stabbed. Jeffrey, Sara, and Lena join forces to determine whether the events are related, but their work is fraught with interpersonal difficulties, and their small town, once a safe haven, starts to seem like a claustrophobic and terrifying place. Slaughter knows how to ratchet up the psychological tension in a compelling plot with an unexpected twist. And Lena is a fascinating character, in thrall to a dark compulsion to play out her fears in unnerving sex games. Chilling and addictive reading.

In this third installment of the Grant County series, county medical examiner Sara Linton and police chief Jeffrey Tolliver (who is also Sara's ex-husband and on again/off again beau) investigate an apparent suicide at the local college campus. However, when Sara's sister is assaulted at the scene then another suicide takes place Sara and Jeffrey suspect that the incidents are related.

Meanwhile, Jeffrey's former partner and now disgruntled campus security officer Lena Adams is using alcohol to try to get over the emotional and physical wounds inflicted upon her while she was held captive by a mad man (story from a previous book.) She attempts to investigate the case on her own, and winds up in a twisted relationship with a potential suspect.

I did not enjoy this book as much as the first two in the series, because the pacing was not as even - the middle sections dragged. Sara Linton is not as integral to the story as in previous books, but Lena's story is the one that will keep you turning the pages in A Faint Cold Fear. The tone of this book is very dark, but the residents of Grant County are appealing enough to visit anyway.

A GREAT READ

Third book in the Dr. Sara Linton series. A solid, uncompromising plot with unrelenting suspense. Medical examiner Sara Linton and her ex-husband are called to the college campus for an apparent suicide. The corpse is horribly mutilated and gives few answers. Other suicides may or may not be related. Lena, an ex-detective for police chief Jeffrey Tolliver, now works for the campus security office. She is still traumatized by her brush with death and Jeff worries about her mental state and apparent involvement in the on-campus deaths. Lena has survived the unthinkable and has paid a devestating price. Now the survival of future victims may depend on her...she can barely take care of herself.

Good book. Four stars.

This book was pretty good. Not the most memorable of the series, but still a good mystery.

An apparent student suicide has brought medical examiner Sara Linton to the local college campus, along with her ex-husband, police chief Jeffrey Tolliver. But a horribly mutilated corpse yields up few answers. And a suspicious rash of subsequent "suicides" suggests that a different kind of terror is stalking the youth of Heartsdale, Georgia-a nightmare that is coming to prey on Sara Linton's loved ones.
A small town is being transformed into a killing ground. And the key to a sadistic murderer's motive and identity may be held in the unsteady hands of a campus security guard-a former police detective driven from the force by the hellish memories that will never leave her. Lena Adams survived the unthinkable and has paid a devastating price. Now the survival of the future victims may depend upon her...when she can barely protect herself.

This is the third book in Slaughter's terrific forensic series. Terrific story. Very hard to put down. Don't jump ahead in this book or you'll miss some clues. It has a surprise ending!!!

Just a good read if you like the genre

Sara Linton has gone to the local college because of an apparent student suicide. But a suspicious rash of subsequent suicides suggests that a different kind of terror is talkng the youth of Heartsdale, GA., a nightmare that is coming to prey on Sara's loved ones.

Great read i love the whole series

I have read other Karin Slaughter books and I enjoy the fast pace action and interaction of characters.

" A small town is being transformed into a killing ground." "...medical examiner Sara Linton along with her ex-husband, police chief Jeffrey Tollivar have to find the answers.

A good read!!

Loved this book. All of Karin Slaughter books are good.

great ending!!!

Excellent as always from Karin Slaughter.

Really really good thriller. This series is great, if you have not tried it, you MUST!

Excellent intense mystery. If you love suspense, this is a must read!

All of her books are great!

In the coldly captivating tradition of Cornwell and Reichs, Slaughter (Blindsighted; Kisscut) returns to Grant County, Ga., to offer a third installment in the adventures of smalltown pediatrician and part-time medical examiner Sara Linton. Called in to investigate the apparent suicide of a male Grant Tech student, Sara brings along her pregnant sister, Tessa, who wanders away from the scene and is brutally attacked. The distraught Sara must work side by side with her ex-husband, Det. Jeffrey Tolliver, whom she loves despite his past infidelity, but it's Lena Adams, formerly a cop and now a campus security guard, whose story the novel follows most closely. Still mourning the murder of her sister and recovering from her own torture and rape by the same man, Lena is looked on with suspicion by her ex-boss, Jeffrey. With reason: she's hiding a few key facts. The dead boy's mother is her therapist and Lena is involved with an abusive young man with a shady past. Campus gossip Richard Carter further confuses investigators; meanwhile, police discover the bodies of two more students, their deaths potentially suicides but more likely murder. Slaughter provides grisly variations on the themes of sibling rivalry, sexual abuse and campus politics in a story not for the faint of heart. Readers who can stomach gruesome details and like fitting together multiple stories of physical and psychological abuse will savor the way Slaughter can evoke sympathy for perverse, even criminal, behavior by tracing its origins, and those who make it through the complexities and the gore will be rewarded with a satisfyingly chilling ending.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY REVIEW

reminds me of early Patricia Cornwall.

Excellent read with great suspense and the thrill of danger!

Third book in Sara Linton series, which should be read in order. This one concerns former deputy sheriff, Lena Adams, and her response to tragedies in the first two books. Can't say much more without giving too much away. Pretty graphic...think CSI on cable.

Excellent thriller!

Great read

Excellent!!

A good mystery. Medical examiner type book!!!

I LOVE KARIN SLAUGHTER! She is my all-time favorite author! I recommend that you read the Grant County books in order starting with Blindsighted. This is the 3rd in the series.

Medical examiner, forensic science, cops, a corpse, small town USA. 422 pages of suspense which begin on Sunday and end on Friday.

The best book so far in this excellent series.

I love her writing, keeps up the suspense, well plotted. A first rate book.

I just finished Kisscut, my 2nd Karin Slaughter. I love a good series, & this Grant County series is a good one. Karin Slaughter is a great author for the slightly morbid (yes, like me!). Shock-value plays a big part of her books. A friend mentioned to me that she enjoyed this second book more than the first, Blindsighted, because it wasn't as graphic, but that really isn't true! I can hardly wait to discuss this with her! Not much bothers me, & I wasn't disturbed by either book, but I did find myself saying, "Eww!" a few times during this one!
I really enjoy the relationships in this series, particularly that of Sara & Jeffrey. I won't give anything away, but for those who have only read books 1 &/or 2, I want to add that I am anxious to get to book 3 because I'm a bit worried about Lena & how her behavior & thoughts are concerning... I can almost hear ominous old-time soap-opera music in the background along with, "Tune in next book when we find Lena..."

3

Love the Grant County series!

great read!

Excellent continuation of the "Grant County" series. It definitely stands on its own as a powerful story, but you will get a better, well rounded experience if you read books 1 and 2 first. Great character development; surprise twist ending.

Every decade or so writers come along who smash themselves a niche in the bestseller lists (often, some say, regardless of quality). In the 70's, it was Stephen King, the late eighties John Grisham, the early nineties Patricia Cornwell, and the late nineties saw James Patterson burst to huge almost unimaginable mega-bestsellerdom. Karin Slaughter (only with the right marketing, of course) could possibly be the first name of the 20th century to be added to that list, whether she really deserves it or not. A Faint Cold Fear though, certainly, displays a growing maturity to Slaughter's work that is pleasing indeed to behold. Gone is the slightly slapdash plotting of Blindsighted, gone is the stark rawness of Kisscut, and even the quality of the writing itself continues to improve bit-by-bit.

It begins with a suicide. A college student is dead, having leaped from a bridge on campus. At first, nothing seems very out of the ordinary to medical examiner Sara Linton, but then someone suffers a horrific attack, and the whole affair is cast in a new disturbing light. Two more suspicious suicides follow, but nothing seems to point anywhere specific at all. There are vague leads pointing to drugs, possibly jealousy, maybe even racial hatred, but nothing very strong or concrete. However, it quickly becomes apparent that Lena Adams - ex-police detective and now part of the college security team - may hold crucial information. But, bruised and bitter from her expulsion from the force, Lena is still very much damaged by the events which led up to her downfall, and even if she were keen to co-operate with Chief of police Jeffery Tolliver, it is clear that she may not even be capable, in herself, of doing so.


One of this series' most obvious strengths - for me, anyway- is its central trinity, all of whom are fascinating. They're not always 100% believable (to be honest, they seem to have a few too many "issues", very interesting to read about though those issues may make them) but they are still entertaining and more than capable of sustaining this series for a very long time indeed. That there are three central characters means that things can remain fresh and new and interesting for a lot longer than in other series'. Sara stays the level-headed moral arbiter, Jeffery remains the sometimes temperamental dispenser of justice, and Lena the damaged and tortured soul who likes to appear strong and who is just trying to cope (badly) in her own confused way. Indeed, Lena is either a character you will love or hate. She can be rather prickly and stubborn, and, admittedly, has a great many woes, but she is slowly beginning to grow on me. Although maybe that's because Slaughter certainly doesn't treat her very well at all in this book, and hasn't really for the entire series!


The bottom line is that this is a successful, satisfying novel with enough forensic detail to give it that Cornwellesque edge and a good, involving, twisty story. Oh, yes, and it does have a shocking last-paragraph sting in its tail that'll have you gasping. Slaughter appears to have hit her stride.

Fantastic read!

I really di enjoy this story it kept me guessing till the very end. I will say though for all the hurs she say's she spent on Remington's shotgun safety website, she made several glaring errors about firearms in the book. I started reading her book Kiss Cut and couldn't seem to get interested in it, I may retry it after reading this one.

This is the 3rd book of the Grant County series. You have to read this series if you are a mystery lover. She is a wonderful, engaging author who writes books you just can't put down. From the first page you will be sucked into the life of Sara, Lena, Jeffery and the gang. You will love them and hate them and yell at them as if they were your friends. Each story is never obvious and yet right there all along. What a wonderful and talented writer.

Ok, so I am reading these all out of order which is not the best idea, but given that, I still really like this series. The characters keep you interested and the plot are great, a good thriller

This book was an intense thriller in the Sara Linton/Grant County series, focusing mostly on Lena Adams and her struggle to identify the killer while dealing with her own personal issues. I liked the character interactions and the plot moved along well.

An apparent student suicide has brought medical examiner Sara Linton to the local college campus, along with her ex-husband, police chief Jeffrey Tolliver. But a horribly mutilated corpse yields up a few answers. And a suspicious rash of sub-sequent "suicides" suggests that a different kind of terror is stakling the youth of Heartsdale, Georgia-a nightmare that is coming to prey on Sara Linton's loved ones.

An apparent student suicide has brought medical examiner Sara Linton to the local college campus, along with her ex-husband, police chief Jeffrey Tolliver. But a horribly mutilated corpse yields up few answers. And a suspicious rash of subsequent "suicides" suggests that a different kind of terro is stalking the youth of Heartsdale, Georgia--a nightmare that is coming to prey on Sara Linton's loved ones.

From the back cover: A small town is being transformed into a killing ground. And the key to a sadistic murderer's motive and identity may be held in the unsteady hands of a campus security guard--a former police detective driven from the force by the hellish memories that will never leave her.

Great book!

Karin Slaughter is a dark, intense writer.

The medical examiner is a great character in her books. Quite enjoyable and fast reading

great book - great series