Staff Picks Blog

I just finished listening to Karin Slaughter’s Undone eAudiobook, and I’m pretty sure that I’ve never wanted to stop reading (or listening) to a book so much…well, except for Nicholas Sparks’ Nights In Rodanthe, which I was coerced into reading, and really can’t recommend. While my nausea in that instance was a reaction to Sparks’ treacly story, my aversion to Slaughter’s book was due to it’s horrific descriptions of torture. The details are generally couched in autopsy-speak, so they’re somewhat palatable, but I still found those moments to be literally cringe-inducing. If you’ve read any of Slaughter’s books, you know that her murders and crimes can be a bit more beyond the pale than those in other detective stories. Still, she’s good at it, the descriptions are well-informed, and it doesn’t seem gratuitous to me. In Undone, they’re searching for someone who’s kidnapping, torturing and murdering women in pairs, so you can expect a fair amount of queasiness.

I liked this book quite a lot. It brings together two separate storylines from the author’s previous books by crossing the paths of physician Sara Linton and detective Will Trent. Both are interesting, well-rounded characters–Sara in particular, as she is featured in several past titles. While you don’t need to have read the past books to enjoy or understand this one, there will be one big spoiler if you jump in here. Otherwise, if you like a dark story and have a strong stomach, I recommend this. It is the season for a wee bit o’ gore, after all.