The Book: Author Karin Slaughter started with two separate mystery series, one that stars Sara Linton, a pediatrician/coroner and one that stars Will Trent, an agent with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Slaughter combined the series, and Fallen is the second book in which the two protagonists appear together. This is my first Slaughter book, so I'm grateful that she adds enough background (when appropriate and needed) to bring the new reader up to date.Fallen starts with Will's partner, Faith Mitchell, single mother of a 4-month-old girl, as she is driving home from work on a Saturday afternoon. When she arrives at the home she shares with her mother, Faith finds her baby locked in a backyard shed, a dead man in the laundry room, the house ransacked, and a hostage situation in her mother's bedroom. Before police backup can arrive, Faith has killed two men but has no idea where her mother is.
A solid police procedural, Fallen is suspenseful and doesn't hide the nastier side of crime. Sara, Will, and Faith are complex characters, and we learn enough of their off-duty personalities to get a feel for them as unique individuals. Because I'm not quite halfway thorugh the audiobook, I can't yet reasonably predict the ending, but I can already tell that Slaughter isn't going to make it easy for me. The plot is easy to follow but is not straightforward or necessarily obvious.
The audio book is narrated by Shannon Cochran, who brings a hint of emotion and personality into the reading. Cochran nicely guides the listener, and her well-paced and easy-to-understand narration is a pleasure to listen to.
The Tea: Last week I was up in Maine, where we had a few cool, rainy afternoons, which were perfect for hot tea. I packed a small sampler tin of Singell tea from Harney & Sons and was looking forward to trying it. The description from the company says: "Singell is located outside the village of Kuresong, about halfway up to Darjeeling city. This was the best second flush darjeeling that we tasted this year. We loved its rich body and dark, fruity muscatel flavors." I liked it just fine, but I didn't love it. Maybe I should have added a little milk or sugar, but I drank it black and unsweetened (as always).
The Assessment: Because Sara, Will, and Faith live in Georgia, I can pretty much guarantee they drink tea. Doesn't everyone in the South drink tea? But I am also sure they're likely drinking their tea in a tall glass with sweetener and lots of ice. Would they drink Singell tea? I'm going to say no.
The giveaway: Thanks to audiobook producers AudioGo, I'm thrilled to be able to offer two copies of the unabridged audiobook of Fallen. These are CD copies and I can send them anywhere in the world. To enter, simply fill out the form, and I'll pick two winners on July 7. Remember, this one is open worldwide.
Thursday Tea was the brainchild of Anastasia at Birdbrain(ed) Book Blog.
Published by AudioGo, 2011 (audiobook edition)
ISBN-13: 9781609982645
Copyright © cbl for Beth Fish Reads, all rights reserved (see review policy)
FTC: I buy all teas myself, I am not a tea reviewer.
ISBN-13: 9781609982645
Copyright © cbl for Beth Fish Reads, all rights reserved (see review policy)
FTC: I buy all teas myself, I am not a tea reviewer.
Sounds like an engrossing read! I always wonder how you drink your tea without milk or sugar! I cannot think of doing that :)
ReplyDeleteThank you for the international giveaway!
As much as I love mysteries, I have never read Karin Slaughter - thanks fo rthe giveaway, I entered!
ReplyDeleteI listened to this in Poland. You are right, she does not make it easy for you. I actually read the first Sara/Will installment so it was nice to get back to them. I tell you, we are going to have the market saturated with audios before we're all done! (Yay for AudioGo)
ReplyDeleteI'm not an audio book reader but can hardly wait to read Fallen in print. This may have been your first Slaughter book, but I'll bet it won't be your last. She's great and her website and newsletter are a real gas.
ReplyDeleteI just discovered a great white tea with the flavors of peach and honey the other day, and I am loving it in the afternoons. I usually take mine with milk and sweetener, but also enjoy it plain sometimes too.
ReplyDeleteThis book sounds a little different than most other crime novels out there, which interests me. Thanks for the great review and giveaway!
I've never read this author and hope to win a copy of the book. Thanks for the giveaway!
ReplyDeleteP/S: I'm having green tea at the moment. :)
great giveaway,would love to win.
ReplyDeleteMy dad thought this book was pretty darn good. I'd love to try the audio!
ReplyDeleteThis one sounds like an interesting read. I've read one Slaughter before, but don't think I liked it too much. But I do like police procedurals, so perhaps I'll give this one a try!
ReplyDeleteThis is one I picked up at BEA and haven't gotten to yet. It will be my first reading (or listening) of Karin Slaughter's work, so I'm looking forward to it, especially after attending the APA Audiobook and Author Tea.
ReplyDeleteI'm reading lots of good reports on this one so I put my name in for the giveaway. I like the creative way the author combined her characters in one book.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the giveaway. I've read all of her previous books so it will be interesting to "listen" to one.
ReplyDeleteYou're right about that tea in the South - I'm pretty sure the main ingredient here is sugar.
ReplyDelete