Skip to main content
PBS logo
 
 

Book Reviews of Triptych (Will Trent, Bk 1)

Triptych (Will Trent, Bk 1)
Triptych - Will Trent, Bk 1
Author: Karin Slaughter
ISBN-13: 9780385339469
ISBN-10: 0385339461
Publication Date: 8/15/2006
Pages: 384
Rating:
  • Currently 4/5 Stars.
 155

4 stars, based on 155 ratings
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Book Type: Hardcover
Reviews: Amazon | Write a Review

65 Book Reviews submitted by our Members...sorted by voted most helpful

reviewed Triptych (Will Trent, Bk 1) on
Helpful Score: 3
Triptych is a great crime book. Suspenseful with lots of emotions. A page turner.
CrystalRose avatar reviewed Triptych (Will Trent, Bk 1) on + 23 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
There aren't too many books that I simply cannot put down but this was one of them! A very gripping story with enough twists and turns to keep you reading well into the night. Karin Slaughter is definately one of my new favorite authors!
reviewed Triptych (Will Trent, Bk 1) on + 26 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
Nerve-wracking--USA Today---Describes this book perfectly. Surprising ending, keeps you guessing. Must read.
reviewed Triptych (Will Trent, Bk 1) on + 92 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
This author is fast becoming one of my favorites. Her books are set in the south, mostly Georgia, and she's very much at home with that as a location for the action in her books. Triptych is well named, although discovering how and why is part of the enjoyment of this well-written murder mystery.
Linda avatar reviewed Triptych (Will Trent, Bk 1) on + 770 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
Awesome! One of the best ones I've read.
brandyjp avatar reviewed Triptych (Will Trent, Bk 1) on + 58 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
I have loved everything I have ever read by karin Slaughter. She writes characters that are complex and real which makes it so easy to get lost in her books. This is a great story and a great twist at the end!
reviewed Triptych (Will Trent, Bk 1) on + 228 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
The first Karin Slaughter book I have read! She is a fantastic crime novelist! Her characters are alive and have depth! She gives alot of insight into their nature and motivations! Lots of twists and turns,enough evidence but not so much technical stuff that you nod off! She has won me over and I will continue to read her books. Very very good.
marcym avatar reviewed Triptych (Will Trent, Bk 1) on + 159 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
My first Karin Slaughter book. I wasn't disappointed!
Formor avatar reviewed Triptych (Will Trent, Bk 1) on + 99 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
This is probably the best mystery book I have read and I have read hundreds. This book kept me on the edge of my seat all the way and altho it was a bit bloodier than I usually like it was still a great book. It has everything you need in a good mystery....the cunning madman, a love angle, and innocent players. It really is a nerve wracking suspense book.
PapaMark avatar reviewed Triptych (Will Trent, Bk 1) on
Helpful Score: 1
1st time I read one of her books. Won't be the last. Some of it I was able to figure out before we got there while other parts were a surprise. I wanted the ending to be different ... to be perfect. The only time you can get a "Happy Ending" is when you order a sundae at Friendly's. ;)
reviewed Triptych (Will Trent, Bk 1) on + 5 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Pretty good read. It was easy to figure out who did it, but kept me wanting to read to find out how it ended.
reviewed Triptych (Will Trent, Bk 1) on + 5 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Both of Karin Slaughter's Atlanta books I've read are dense with place and character. This introduction to Will Trent, which I read after the second book, was no less satisfying for being different, a different take on the same character as he is subjected to different social frictions, than was the first book I read --- the second Atlanta Will Trent novel. Wow, that is a horrible couple of sentences.
reviewed Triptych (Will Trent, Bk 1) on + 14 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
This is by far one of the best books I have ever read.
reviewed Triptych (Will Trent, Bk 1) on + 18 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Not part of the Grant County series. Excellent mystery full of twists and turns.
reviewed Triptych (Will Trent, Bk 1) on + 109 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
definitely 5 stars!!!!!!
jdyinva avatar reviewed Triptych (Will Trent, Bk 1) on + 408 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
You may think you know someone, may have spent a lifetime of school memories or on-the-job contact - may even be a relative - but what's beneath the surface of that casual acquaintance may shock and horrify you. What evil can a person hide without the world knowing? This is the story of just such a man. To say anymore would give away the story but suffice it to say that this is a powerful book that will keep you guessing until the last two chapters. Exciting, involving, puzzling. I recommend that you read it for yourself. Great book!
heather73 avatar reviewed Triptych (Will Trent, Bk 1) on + 16 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Fast paced, keeps your interest from the very first page!
sgray29 avatar reviewed Triptych (Will Trent, Bk 1) on + 18 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
At first I didn't like this series as much as the "Grant County" series, but it didn't take long for me to decide I did like this book a lot. As with the G C series, I have favorite characters I love & characters I don't care much for. I liked the story line and how it all fell together. I love this author!
debs avatar reviewed Triptych (Will Trent, Bk 1) on + 641 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
This book has one of the most shocking twists that I have ever encountered in any of the hundreds of mystery/thriller books that I have read. It unsettled me so much that I had to put the book down and sit quietly for a moment - thinking "did I just read what I think I read??" Then I went back and read the paragraphs again. Getting to know these characters, learning about their backgrounds and complexities - I couldn't put this book down. Great story; she builds the puzzle pieces at just the right speed from the first to the last page.
tioga avatar reviewed Triptych (Will Trent, Bk 1) on + 167 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Tense? Nerve-wracking? Yes. But also a good story with interesting characters. A winner.

Four stars.
skyler2761 avatar reviewed Triptych (Will Trent, Bk 1) on + 36 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
So many twists and turns!! It's one of those books I could read again and again even though I know how it ends. Probably one of her best, if not THE best.
reviewed Triptych (Will Trent, Bk 1) on + 44 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Wow - this was my first Karin Slaughter and it was amazing. Loved the different characters - all are flawed, but some have redeeming qualities. Very exciting book - it grabbed me from the beginning and I couldn't put it down.
legs avatar reviewed Triptych (Will Trent, Bk 1) on + 86 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
a little gross at times, but a lot of twists and turns
myanniecat avatar reviewed Triptych (Will Trent, Bk 1) on + 218 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
A wonderful book told from different characters point of view with an intricate plot. I loved it! As much as I enjoy this author's Grant County series, I think this is her masterpiece. Highly recommend!
debs avatar reviewed Triptych (Will Trent, Bk 1) on + 641 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
This book has one of the most shocking twists that I have ever encountered in any of the hundreds of mystery/thriller books that I have read. It unsettled me so much that I had to put the book down and sit quietly for a moment - thinking "did I just read what I think I read??" Then I went back and read the paragraphs again. Getting to know these characters, learning about their backgrounds and complexities - I couldn't put this book down. Great story; she builds the puzzle pieces at just the right speed from the first to the last page.
reviewed Triptych (Will Trent, Bk 1) on
Helpful Score: 1
Gruesome at times, but with a couple of plot twists that keep you reading! The writing was ok, some characters better developed than others. But the plot can draw you in, especially if you like thrillers and mysteries. The ending is fairly predictable, but leaves you satisfied.
daylilylover avatar reviewed Triptych (Will Trent, Bk 1) on + 768 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Very good, murder mystery!
BarnBabe avatar reviewed Triptych (Will Trent, Bk 1) on + 38 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Another great Karin Slaughter. This is NOT in the Grant County series if you are familiar with her other novels but is still a great read.
reviewed Triptych (Will Trent, Bk 1) on + 121 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Different than her series, but still really good!
reviewed Triptych (Will Trent, Bk 1) on + 45 more book reviews
This was my first Karin Slaughter book. I loved it. I thought it was excellent and I am looking forward to reading another one of her books. I have Fractured in my home library and I'm going to read this one next. I hope it is as good as Triptych. Make sure to add this book to your list of books to read. You won't regret it.
gsisk avatar reviewed Triptych (Will Trent, Bk 1) on + 189 more book reviews
Why would someone steal John Shelley's identity? He's been in prison for the past 22 years. Stranger still ... whoever has opened credit card and bank accounts in his name was paying the bills on time, and even bought and paid off a house.

This is an excellently constructed and very suspenseful book. The only reason why I did not finish it in one sitting, was that I was dead tired. Great read!
justreadingabook avatar reviewed Triptych (Will Trent, Bk 1) on + 1711 more book reviews
This was a great story, the twists and turns were pretty intense. I wasn't fond of Angie and her emotional distress, kept wondering how she was on officer with that kind go emotional baggage.
Will was pretty interesting and someone you would like to know better.
This has lots fo violence towards women so be prepared.
delecia avatar reviewed Triptych (Will Trent, Bk 1) on + 16 more book reviews
Fantastic book. Suspenseful. fast paced, with great characters, good story. You really hate the people you are supposed to hate, and love the good guys. In this one you DO know the bad guy, BUT you don't KNOW IF he will get caught until the very end!! Surprises all throughout so keeps you guessing. I will be looking for Bk 2 in this series.
sgray29 avatar reviewed Triptych (Will Trent, Bk 1) on + 18 more book reviews
At first I didn't like this series as much as the "Grant County" series, but it didn't take long for me to decide I did like this book a lot. As with the GC series, I have favorite characters I love & characters I don't care much for. I liked the story line and how it all fell together. I love this author!
SusanG avatar reviewed Triptych (Will Trent, Bk 1) on + 41 more book reviews
I like this author very much. This book is not about her usual characters, but I found it very engrossing and hard to predict.
reviewed Triptych (Will Trent, Bk 1) on + 26 more book reviews
This was a very good book and was really suprise at the end when you find out who the bad guy is, there is alot going in this book and fell that it was a little havery of a read then some of my other books, but I really like this book and arthur,
reviewed Triptych (Will Trent, Bk 1) on + 69 more book reviews
liked this book
reviewed Triptych (Will Trent, Bk 1) on
I absolutely love Karin's gritty style when writing her books. She makes her books believable as well as her characters. This book was one I had a very hard time putting down.
reviewed Triptych (Will Trent, Bk 1) on + 170 more book reviews
This book is Karin Slaughter's first stand alone book. All her other books before this one were part of the "Grant County" series. This was different but at the same time similar to her series style. There were less "good guy" characters, it was still very gritty and descriptive. I wouldn't say I didn't like it...I was far from disliking it but I wouldn't recommend it as a first read by this author. It wasn't as great as her series.
MELNELYNN avatar reviewed Triptych (Will Trent, Bk 1) on + 669 more book reviews
Triptych by Karin Slaughter is a Will Trent novel in which the investigation of the murder of a prostitute involves Trent in a series of attacks in which young women are brutally raped. Trent joins the investigation with Atlanta Police Detective Michael Ormewood, but when Ormewood's young neighbor is attacked and killed, he is too upset to continue the investigation, leaving Trent alone to follow the case. Trent's attention soon focuses on Jonathan Shelly, an ex-con who has spent 15 years in prison for the brutal rape and murder of a teen-aged girl. Jonathan also attracts the attention of Trent's sometimes girlfriend, Angie Polaski, who is convinced that Jonathan has nothing to do with the current series of attacks.

For the most part I enjoyed this novel. I liked getting more insight into the relationship between Polaski and Trent. The other novels I have read in which Polaski plays a part depict her as being very unlikable so I enjoyed getting to see a different side of her. At first I was a little bored by the focus on Johnathan Shelley, but as I became involved in the story and understood the reason behind it, I found myself liking Shelly as a character and feeling for his frustration and the hopelessness of his situation. I think Slaughter is also to be commended for not shying away from the horror that Shelley endured in prison.

SPOILER ALERT: My biggest problem with this book is that the ending leaves too many loose ends-- did Shelley reconcile with his father or did his father ever even find out the truth? Was Shelley's role in the death of Ormewood's neighbor discovered and if so, was he charged with it? What happened to Shelley-- surely the statement of Ormewood's mother was not enough to absolve him? However, despite the unsatisfying ending, I enjoyed the book and think it adds to the Will Trent series.
reviewed Triptych (Will Trent, Bk 1) on + 57 more book reviews
Can't wait for more of these books to come, I love the characters in this book. Slaughter is definately dark, but an excellent read!
reviewed Triptych (Will Trent, Bk 1) on + 3 more book reviews
I finished in less than a day...couldn't put it down!!
reviewed Triptych (Will Trent, Bk 1) on + 21 more book reviews
Very good
perryfran avatar reviewed Triptych (Will Trent, Bk 1) on + 1175 more book reviews
Another thrill ride from Ms. Slaughter! I've only read a couple of her other books but they have all been page-turners delving into the darker aspects of the human psyche. The other books I have read were both stand alone novels, Pretty Girls and The Good Daughter, while Triptych is the first in a series of books featuring Will Trent, an investigator for the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI).

The novel starts with the brutal killing of a black prostitute in the low-income housing projects of Atlanta. This is being investigated by a veteran police detective named Michael Ormewood, whose marriage is on the outs and who has a mentally disabled young son. Will Trent is called upon to assist in the investigation. Trent is a very complex character who is dyslexic and must use a tape recorder to assist him in his interviews. A beautiful vice cop, Angie Polaski, also gets involved in the investigation. Angie had once worked with Ormewood but she also grew up with Trent in foster homes and witnessed some of the abuses that happened through that system. Trent has the scars that show this. As Trent gets involved in the case, he comes up with some similar recent cases where some young girls were sexually assaulted and abused. There is one thing that ties these cases to the murder in the projects. . .the victims tongues were bitten off. Then into the mix comes John Shelley who was recently paroled from prison for the murder and mutilation of a young girl back in the 1980s. John was a teenager when this occurred but was tried and incarcerated as an adult. Prison was not kind to him. So is John the current rapist and killer? Did he actually commit the crime from 20 years ago?

There were some good twists to this story and all was not as it first seemed. I was engrossed and am really looking forward to reading more in the series at some point. I should also note that Will Trent has been made into a TV series on ABC. I have seen the first season of this and while I enjoyed it for the most part, it was really quite watered down from the book I just read. In it, Ormewood is Angie's partner in the police department and although he seems to be somewhat of a jerk, he is not the very disturbed person as portrayed in the novel.
reviewed Triptych (Will Trent, Bk 1) on
Excellent Book!
Cycle304 avatar reviewed Triptych (Will Trent, Bk 1) on + 135 more book reviews
Very good book. Took a little bit to figure out the direction it was taking, then you're just waiting to see who's next, who the good guy is, and who the bad guy is. Has you rooting for the the good guys in their personal lives and professional lives at the same time. If you like this author, you'll definitely like this book!
reviewed Triptych (Will Trent, Bk 1) on + 149 more book reviews
Loved it!!!!
reviewed Triptych (Will Trent, Bk 1) on + 354 more book reviews
GREAT READ,COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN.
reviewed Triptych (Will Trent, Bk 1) on + 128 more book reviews
EXCELLENT thriller!
marcijo28 avatar reviewed Triptych (Will Trent, Bk 1) on + 282 more book reviews
Triptych was so good! It had a great twist early on. One I did not see it coming!
reviewed Triptych (Will Trent, Bk 1) on + 181 more book reviews
Very good read.
reviewed Triptych (Will Trent, Bk 1) on + 55 more book reviews
Excellent...loved this as much as the Grant County series
reviewed Triptych (Will Trent, Bk 1) on + 3 more book reviews
Love this author, and love these stories! The characters are great and very quick to draw you in. I couldn't put these books down!
robinmy avatar reviewed Triptych (Will Trent, Bk 1) on + 2045 more book reviews
A prostitute has been raped and murdered. GBI Agent Will Trent notices the details of her death match that of two teenage girls in Northern Georgia. He joins Detective Michael Ormewood and Vice Cop Angie Polaski in working the case. But another person is also trying to solve the mystery. An ex-con who has stumbled onto the killer's trail may know who is behind the murders. But he is afraid to tell the police since the evidence is pointing straight at him.

Wow, this is one of the best thrillers that I've read all year. This is a very dark, gritty mystery with non-stop suspense. The story jumps between a 1985 murder of a young girl, and the 2006 murder of a prostitute. Slaughter creates well-drawn characters in a gripping story I could not put down. My rating: 5 Stars.
suzyshadow avatar reviewed Triptych (Will Trent, Bk 1) on + 125 more book reviews
Karin Slaughter's latest, and best, so far.
bouncinbabi33 avatar reviewed Triptych (Will Trent, Bk 1) on + 9 more book reviews
This is a great book! A little gory in the beginning but don't let it turn you away. It is captivating and engrossing until the very end!
reviewed Triptych (Will Trent, Bk 1) on + 51 more book reviews
This was such a great book. I had no idea where it was all heading. Wow talk about a twisted tale. I will add this author to my wish list.
reviewed Triptych (Will Trent, Bk 1) on + 110 more book reviews
Absolutely awesome, great book!
reviewed Triptych (Will Trent, Bk 1) on
Bestseller Slaughter departs from her Grant County crime series (Faithless, etc.) with a stand-alone thriller notable mainly for a jolting mid-book twist similar to one Ira Levin used with more subtlety in A Kiss Before Dying. The case of a prostitute's brutal murder provides a welcome break for Michael Ormewood, a cynical, world-weary Atlanta cop weighed down by dealing with the city's underclass and the heartbreak of a mentally impaired son. Since the victim's tongue was severed, linking the crime to several other recent outrages, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation intervenes. Suspicions focus on a recently paroled sex offender, John Shelley, who viciously butchered a neighbor more than a decade earlier. Slaughter unexpectedly switches the narrative's perspective, but the shock value garnered by the plot twist isn't matched by the predictable denouement.
reviewed Triptych (Will Trent, Bk 1) on + 130 more book reviews
Very interesting. Well written. Get more of this author
eadieburke avatar reviewed Triptych (Will Trent, Bk 1) on + 1613 more book reviews
Atlanta - Michael Ormewood is searching for the killer of Mary Alice Finney, 15 years old. Her father is Paul Finney, assistant district attorney for DeKalb County. This is a gritty, psychological thriller and Karin Slaughter at her best. Lots of twists and turns make for a story that is hard to put down. Brilliant plotting with lots of suspense. Recommended to those who love mystery thrillers.
aussiekez1 avatar reviewed Triptych (Will Trent, Bk 1) on + 25 more book reviews
Absolutely loved this book and could not put it down.
auntiedis avatar reviewed Triptych (Will Trent, Bk 1) on + 2 more book reviews
Decent read in great condition.
tashajean avatar reviewed Triptych (Will Trent, Bk 1) on + 146 more book reviews
great story - hate to say more to give anything away.
reviewed Triptych (Will Trent, Bk 1) on
This is an advance reading copy and is not a hardback.