Melanie (MELNELYNN) reviewed on 8/11/2010 + 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.

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