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    Broken: A Will Trent Thriller
    Broken: A Will Trent Thriller
    Broken: A Will Trent Thriller
    Audiobook13 hours

    Broken: A Will Trent Thriller

    Written by Karin Slaughter

    Narrated by Kathleen Early

    4.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    WATCH WILL TRENT ON ABC!

    NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

    “This chilling mystery is just begging to be read in one sitting.”—Cosmopolitan

    Broken features the return of New York Times bestselling author Karin Slaughter’s most compelling characters and introduces memorable new ones in a tale of corruption, murder, and confrontation that will leave more than one life destroyed . . .

    When Special Agent Will Trent arrives in Grant County, he finds a police department determined to protect its own and far too many unanswered questions about a prisoner’s death. He doesn’t understand why Officer Lena Adams is hiding secrets from him. He doesn’t understand her role in the death of Grant County’s popular police chief. He doesn’t understand why that man’s widow, Dr. Sara Linton, needs him now more than ever to help her crack this case.

    While the police force investigates the murder of a young woman pulled from a frigid lake, Trent investigates the police force, putting pressure on Adams just when she’s already about to crack. Caught between two complicated and determined women, trying to understand Linton’s passionate distrust of Adams, the facts surrounding Chief Tolliver’s death, and the complexities of this insular town, Trent will unleash a case filled with explosive secrets—and encounter a thin blue line that could be murderous if crossed.

    Spellbinding and keenly paced, Broken is Karin Slaughter at her best. Here is an unforgettable story of raw emotions, dangerous assumptions, the deadly and layered game of betrayal, and a man’s determination to expose the most painful of human truths—no matter how deeply they’re hidden . . . or how devastating.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperAudio
    Release dateJun 23, 2020
    ISBN9780062895905
    Broken: A Will Trent Thriller
    Author

    Karin Slaughter

    Karin Slaughter is one of the world’s most popular storytellers. She is the author of more than twenty instant New York Times bestselling novels, including the Edgar-nominated Cop Town and standalone novels The Good Daughter and Pretty Girls. An international bestseller, Slaughter is published in 120 countries with more than 40 million copies sold across the globe. Pieces of Her is a #1 Netflix original series, Will Trent is a television series starring Ramón Rodríguez on ABC, and further projects are in development for television. Karin Slaughter is the founder of the Save the Libraries project—a nonprofit organization established to support libraries and library programming. A native of Georgia, she lives in Atlanta.

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    Reviews for Broken

    4.5/5

    347 ratings75 reviews

    What did you think?

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    • 5/5
      One of my favorite authors. Loved the story. Great read.
    • 4/5
      It was a good read,not the most exciting book I ever read but I did enjoy
    • 5/5
      Can’t get enough. The twists and turns keep me wanting more. So happy Jared has been introduced to the mix. Can’t wait to begin Fallen.
    • 5/5
      "When the body of a young woman is discovered deep beneath the icy waters of Lake Grant, a note left under a rock by the shore points to suicide. But within minutes, it become clear that this is no suicide. It's a brutal, cold-blooded murder. All too soon, former Grant County medical examiner Sara Linton - home for Thanksgiving after a long absence - finds herself unwittingly drawn into the case. The chief suspect is desperate to see her, but when she arrives at the local police station she is met with a horrifying sight - he lies dead in his cell, the words 'Not me" scrawled across the walls. Something about his confession doesn't add up and, deeply suspicious of Lena Adams, the detective in charge, Sara immediately calls in the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Shortly afterwards, Special Agent Will Trent is brought in from his vacation to investigate. But he is immediately confronted with a wall of silence. Grant County is a close-knit community with loyalties and ties that run deep. And the only person who can tell the truth about what really happened is dead . . ."Small towns are quaint and usually full of secrets. That is glaringly obvious in the characters who are introduced in this book. Such a spider web of connections that makes you think of the old "6 Degrees of Kevin Bacon" game of old. Typical for Ms. Slaughter, the story goes in lots of possible directions, the clues are scattered throughout, the reader thinks it is definitely one person and then, nope, you're wrong. She throws you a fantastic curveball. Love it!
    • 4/5
      I accidentally read the previous book in this series, Undone, thinking it to be the first book in the Grant County/Sara Linton series and finding instead it was the first book in a new series that combined characters from Slaughter's other two mystery series. What I learned in that book makes going all the way back to the beginning impossible at least for now, so I decided to move forward and pick up the next book in the new combined series.In Broken, Sara Linton is back in her Grant County home visiting for Thanksgiving. A murder, a suicide, and her distrust of the local police force lead her to drag Georgia Bureau of Investigation detective Will Trent in to investigate. Together, they find the answer to the contemporary mystery and help Sara find some closure to a past heartache. The characters once again are the stars, though the plot is fully functional.
    • 4/5
      This is not my favorite of the Will Trent series so far, but it is necessary for bringing the stories together and was therefore well done. I should up my rating based on that, but I struggled with the way the story dissolved into petty grudges at times — memory, loss, letting go. Necessary but not my favorite read.
    • 4/5
      This book did keep me turning pages I had no idea who the murderer was until that fact was revealed. The story moves along at a good pace.
    • 4/5
      The fourth book of the Will Trent series opens late one night when a young woman is pulled from the lake. At first it looks like a suicide until the medical examination proves it is most definitely murder. Detective Lena Adams, a central character is Slaughter's Grant county series , along with Police Chief Frank Wallace go to the victim's apartment where they discover a masked intruder holding a knife. Things fall apart immediately and before long, one of the police officers is in the hospital. They take the suspect, Tommy Brahm, to jail and he eventually confesses. Lena and Frank and the entire local police force are convinced of Tommy's guilt, but this is just the beginning of a fascinating story.

      Meanwhile Dr. Sara Linton is back home in Grant County for Thanksgiving. She gets a call from Frank telling her that her former patient, Tommy, desperately wants to see her. When she arrives at the jail, circumstances cause her to place a call to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and Will Trent is brought in. He starts investigating the police force, but it slowly turns into an investigation into the murder of the woman pulled out of the lake.

      This is a difficult book to review without adding spoilers. The author has merged two series together and there's a lot of backstory here, especially Sara's hatred of Lena, the woman she blames for her husband's death several years ago. I've read the series before and am currently listening to them in audio. The author dies a wonderful job of portraying both good and bad sides of each character. Her ability to create realistic, three-dimensional characters is what makes this such a standout suspense series.
    • 5/5
      Oh yes, it's a great one by Karin Slaughter. It takes place down in south Georgia, more so than Atlanta, and a bit in Macon. Which are really three different worlds. Lena, Sara, and Faith are all the women in the book, all of whom are whole women who have experienced different levels of shattering. Faith is a voice on the phone, Sara Linton (mother is Catherine Earnshaw Linton - great literary reference!) is the doctor come home for the holidays, and Lena Steele is the cop. And both Sara and Lena have their blind spots towards one another which gives the book a depth that one does not get from a cozy mystery. These could be real women dealing with real life.Will Trent is down to investigate a murder/suicide and a possible cop cover-up and finds himself, with both Lena and Sara, in the midst of something he never imagined. Part of what I enjoyed about this book is that Lena has to work her way through Will: his thought processes, his questioning, and what he really wants to find out. And she knows what it is, but she is loyal to her boss until she realizes where it will get her. Then she does the brave and courageous thing and she and Will and Sara all uncover something truly tragic.So this seems to be a prelude to a love relationship that is examined in further books by Karin Slaughter, as well as the setting for what becomes of Will and Faith later on.
    • 4/5
      Twenty-one year old Allison Spooner is at the end of her rope. She is short of money, her boyfriend has disappointed her, and her rusted-out hulk of a car is on its last legs. She is struggling to keep up with her college classes at Georgia's Grant Tech while earning a pittance as a waitress in a diner. Sadly, her dream of escaping her tedious life is shattered by and unknown assailant. Evidence tells a darker story.

      Karin Slaughter depicts the characters as three-dimensional human beings, warts and all, most of whom would like to fix what is broken in their lives. Unfortunately, not everyone has the courage, honesty, and motivation to face the truth and take the necessary steps to rectify what is wrong.
    • 4/5
      This is another great read in the Georgia Series. I find Will Trent to be an interesting character and I look forward to his story development.
      This novel was set in Grant County so we meet up with Sara Linton and Lena Adams again.

      When Special Agent Will Trent arrives in Grant County, he finds a police department determined to protect its own and far too many unanswered questions about a prisoner’s death. He doesn’t understand why Officer Lena Adams is hiding secrets from him. He doesn’t understand her role in the death of Grant County’s popular police chief. He doesn’t understand why that man’s widow, Dr. Sara Linton, needs him now more than ever to help her crack this case.

      While the police force investigates the murder of a young woman pulled from a frigid lake, Trent investigates the police force, putting pressure on Adams just when she’s already about to crack. Caught between two complicated and determined women, trying to understand Linton’s passionate distrust of Adams, the facts surrounding Chief Tolliver’s death, and the complexities of this insular town, Trent will unleash a case filled with explosive secrets—and encounter a thin blue line that could be murderous if crossed.
    • 4/5
      I continue to really enjoy Will Trent as a unique character in law enforcement fiction.
    • 3/5
      Karin Slaughter’s BROKEN (Will Trent #4) is another compelling crime novel, with more background information into some intriguing characters, corruption, murder, and dirty deeds; while Will teams up with the doctor, (both with a past) for a dynamic duo!

      In Grant County, GA student Allison Spooner has been murdered after her breakup with her boyfriend Jason. Mentally disabled Tommy, is the prime suspect after he runs from what is believed to be the scene of the murder and accidentally stabs police detective. His confession and subsequent suicide seals the deal for arresting officer Senior Detective Lena Adams.

      Lena, has a past which is not always by the law, and she is protecting alcoholic Acting Chief of Police Frank Wallace who has dark secrets and skeletons in his own closet.

      Then you have Dr. Sara Linton (former coroner and Hartsdale Children’s Clinic director), and the widow of Jeffery Tolliver, murdered and she blames Lena for his death.

      Of course, Special Agent Will Trent of the GA Bureau of Investigation is called in to solve the case and begins working closely with Dr. Linton as they begin to unravel the cover-ups. These two are from different walks of life; however, both have a past and inner demons which offer them insights into the crimes.

      There is something which connects these murdered students, each of them need money; what is the driving force behind the plot to kill? There is also the police force which Will is more interested in as something smells fishy. He also is in the middle of two women, trying to figure out how all is connected.

      I started reading the latest versions of Will Trent and working my way back. Broken was helpful to provide me some background on Sara and how these two came to connect. With many characters, each brings a big part to the story line as there are many things broken.

      This was not my favorite of the Will Trent series; however, by starting with the latest and working your way backward, assume this will occur, as the author of course matures with each and every book in the series. However, would highly recommend the series and helpful to read each one to get the background of the characters (not as intense or page-turning, as the others).
      I listened to the audiobook and Natalie Ross did a good job with the performance.
    • 5/5
      Love the Will Trent series! This doesn't disappoint. A must read!
    • 3/5
      This is a short story of a newish D/s pair where the sub had been previously abused by his former Dom. It was a fine story, but the dynamics of the pair (the sub being very timid and childlike) was not my kink so the story left me cold. If that's your thing, this will certainly turn your crank, I've no doubt.
    • 4/5
      Slaughter is a awesome story teller. I loved the diversity of the characters and the twists and turns in the story. Intriguing and suspenseful to the end. A great read. I really enjoyed it.
    • 3/5
      Great story keeps you riveted until the very end.
    • 4/5
      I haven't exactly forgiven Karin Slaughter for her "another damn dead lover" a couple of books back.

      (My tag for authors who kill off a character after the character has become part of a committed (mostly married) couple and both characters have been around for several books.)

      And I don't tend to like authors who have a number of characters used as viewpoint characters, who are so flawed and unhappy and broken as Slaughter's tend to be.

      But she pulls it off - sort of. I still care what happens to these people.

      Sara Linton, a doctor is back in the town where her husband was killed four years ago, and gets some beginnings of being able to move on. Will Trent, from another sequence by this author moves forward a little in his ongoing coping with his demons - a broken childhood and dyslexia.

      Not a book to read if you are looking for a happy read, but well enough done to overcome my strong prejudice against books like this.
    • 5/5
      Awesome novel.
    • 4/5
      A Georgia student’s murder is solved all too quickly and violentlyin a way that tears apart her community, fuels the hatred between Det. Lena Adams and former Medical Examiner Sara Linton, and promises still further violence. Dr. Sara Linton reluctantly returns to Grant County, Ga., where her chief of police husband was killed, to spend Thanksgiving with her family. The last thing she wants is to become involved in the apparent murder of a young college student, but with the suicide of the prime suspect, the simple-minded Tommy Braham, Sara is soon deep into an investigation that isn’t only about murder, but coverups and corruption in the police department as well. With the help of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s special agent Will Trent, Sara discovers a tangled web of deception and danger. Summary BPLWith Karin Slaughter, it’s never just a who-done-it, although there is always a twist. It’s how she draws her recurring characters into jeopardy as they are sucked into the danger and drama of their investigations. Double jeopardy, you might say. Graphic, but not gratuitously so. 8 out of 10 For fans of murder investigations and procedural suspense.
    • 4/5
      When Special Agent Will Trent arrives in Grant County, he finds a police department determined to protect its own and far too many unanswered questions about a prisoner’s death. He doesn’t understand why Officer Lena Adams is hiding secrets from him. He doesn’t understand her role in the death of Grant County’s popular police chief. He doesn’t understand why that man’s widow, Dr. Sara Linton, needs him now more than ever to help her crack this case. While the police force investigates the murder of a young woman pulled from a frigid lake, Trent investigates the police force, putting pressure on Adams just when she’s already about to crack. Caught between two complicated and determined women, trying to understand Linton’s passionate distrust of Adams, the facts surrounding Chief Tolliver’s death, and the complexities of this insular town, Trent will unleash a case filled with explosive secrets—and encounter a thin blue line that could be murderous if crossed. (Desc. Amazon.com)Karin Slaughter is one of my favorite suspense authors. Her characters are well-drawn and there are lots of twists and turns to her plots. Many of her novels are part of a series and the characters in the novels often show up in other series. Each book offers a little more back-story of the main characters, which helps the reader understand the characters better. If you are a reader of suspense novels, pick up Karin Slaughter.
    • 1/5
      This book has the great merit of being written in a grammatical correct manner; not much more than that, and I am inclined to think that the merit goes to the dutch translator...In this book the world is divided between two kind of people: the heroes, good, honest, disciplined, loving, suffering, but destined to a bright future and true happiness; and the villain, corrupted, alcoholics, addicted, greedy, enjoying themselves in ways we might all be jealous in our deepest dreams we would never share; those will die in pain, by cancer and in solitude, or killed by the heroes. There is even a third category: people in between, they might go wrong or they might redeem, but they will never join True Happiness.What a waist of ink, and what a waist of talent. I have read a short story from Karin Slaughter, and it was funny and full of irony. This one is not even worth recycling.
    • 4/5
      I would have to agree with most of the reviews below. I thought when one of the main characters back a few books was killed off that the books would never be the same, and that is true but they are still worth reading. This one wasn't my favorite of Karin's, but definitely worth reading if you are into the series. Hopefully Fallen will be better!
    • 5/5
      Truly one of Slaughter's best books! I was so disappointed when a few books back a main charactors was killed off and I thought the books would never be the same. They were still great but this one tops them all.Can be a stand alone read but I think it will be enjoyed much better if you have read the other Grant County books in the series and know the backgrounds of the old characters.Thanks so much First Reads for a chance to read this before it's release. I highly recommend it!!
    • 5/5
      Karin Slaughter is the absolute best crime/mystery writer I have come across in this day and age. Her novels will simply astound you with their heart-racing moments and intrigue. Every time I pick one of her novels up I cannot stop reading until I'm done and I still find myself begging for more. She's a writer with no fear! She wields her instruments like a knife ready to dig in deep and take you by surprise at every turn!
    • 4/5
      A medical doctor, she returns to the town where her husband was killed in the line of duty (a cop). She believes his partner was responsible for his death and she is unable to move on. There are a couple of murders; one is drown in the lake and the other is stabbed. A third is also killed. They find the killer and the partner is exonerated.
    • 5/5
      My opinion: Like I've said before, I try not to read other peoples' reviews on books, or even their ratings before starting on a book. Especially when it's one of my favorite authors and I'm going to read it regardless. I saw some less than stellar reviews for this book and I thought "Uh oh, I hope this isn't going to be dry like Fractured (the only book by Karin Slaughter that I really couldn't get into). I've had trouble getting past Jeffrey's death, which is so weird to say because he's just a fictional character. But after that many books, you begin to feel like you actually know them and when one of the characters dies (especially a main character), you feel like you lost a best friend. This book is essentially based around the corruption that has befallen the police department after Jeffrey died. Frank, Lena's partner has taken over Jeffrey's job and he is definitely letting too many things slide, not doing things by the books at all. Sara is back in Grant County for a few days and still wants Lena to pay for causing Jeffrey's death. She tries her hardest not to get involved in the homicide investigation, but she soon becomes engrossed in it and with the help of Will Trent, starts to uncover some shocking omissions and coverups by the police. Lena knows Frank is covering up and hiding evidence, but since she was involved in the case she tries to go along with the official story (and I think with her history with Frank she still feels a certain loyalty to him as well). I found this book to be pretty fast-paced; I finished it in one sitting. Karin Slaughter's books just suck me in and I get lost in their world all over again. I keep hoping Sara will wake up and Jeffrey's death will all be just a dream, but I know that won't happen. When Will first came on the scene, I just couldn't fathom him and Sara becoming an item (how dare she even think about finding someone else, no one can replace Jeffrey!). The more we get to know Will though, the more I just want Sara to be happy and I think they would be good for each other. Unforunately we run into the road block that is Will's sometimes present wife, Angie, who treats him like dog crap and cheats on him, yet he always runs right back to her. I get that he has a long past with her that no one else understands, but I hope eventually he sees how toxic she is for him. I think Sara really starts to heal in this book and that's nice to see. All in all, a great read. Slaughter delivers again, a great new addition to the Grant County series. Already looking forward to the next one! My rating: 5/5 stars
    • 5/5
      Karin Slaughter is one of my favorite authors, so I might be biased. I started reading after dinner last night and I went to bed at 3:30am when I finished the book.My favorite quote in the novel is, "I'm a missionary, you dumbass. What do you think I've been doing for the last three years?" Sara Linton's little sister Tessa is hilarious!Okay, all that said, there was something just slightly off with the ending and I've NEVER felt anything off kilter in a Karin Slaughter book before. ***SPOILER ALERT*** I think it had something to do with how neatly everything wrapped up with Darla, Frank and Frank's ex. Darla just came out of nowhere. I'll have to go back to the other books, but I don't remember Frank having a rotten daughter. Maybe she had a minor role and I don't remember. And as dirty a cop as Frank is, and with his and Lena's shared history of covering up their mistakes, I don't get why he thought she would just do as he told her to without him telling her anything about his daughter. He knows how impulsive she is!And Jared! What is he thinking?! Lena might not be maliciously evil, but for her to willfully ignore her own tendencies to bring misery to those close to her with her bad decisions and then hook up with Jeffrey's son as an escape...I could just throttle both of them! Ugh! It's killing me to think what might happen to him in the future! Will Trent caught my heart in Tryptich and I am so glad Karin merged the two series. The anticipation of Will and Sara getting together is making me crazy. I am so ready for the next installment.
    • 4/5
      The title of this book could describe the characters. Officer Lena Adams of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, is called to the scene where a suicide note was found at a lover's lane by Lake Grant. When divers recover the body of a young woman, Lena sees a stab wound toward the rear of the woman's neck and knows it's a murder.The girl is identified as Allison Spooner, a college student and waitress at a nearby restaurant.Lena accompanies acting chief, Frank Wallace, to Allison's apartment. On route, Lena smells alcohol on Frank and observes him drinking from a flask.They are met by a young and overly enthusiastic detective, Brad Stevens. Brad looks in the apartment window and sees a person who they believe is Allison's boyfriend, Tommy Braken. He has a mask on and is holding a knife.In the attempt to question Tommy, Brad is stabbed and taken to a hospitol. Tommy is arrested.In the jail, Tommy commits suicide and in looking at his background we find that he was a flawed character, a boy of only nineteen-years-old with an i.q. of around eighty.Dr. Sara Lingon arrives home for Thanksgiving. She had been married to the former chief of police and was the coroner. She's asked to come to the jail to speak to Tommy before people learn of Tommy's suicide.When Sara learns of the suicide and that Lena was the interrigator, Sara believes that this is another case of Lena not doing her job correctly. She calls in Special Agent, Will Trent, to investigate a possible case of police neglect.Of the characters, Lena's flaw is that she feels guilt over the former chief's death. Even though she was cleared of any wrong doing, she feels responsible.Acting Chief Wallace's flaw is that he is an alcoholic and heading toward a breakdown.Sara's flaw is that she cannot forgive Lena and wants her to pay for causing Sara's husband's death.The police investigate Allison's murder and Tommy's suicide. Will Trent is an appealing character and someone the reader can route for. His flaw is that he has dyslexia and has some difficulty relating to people since he grew up in a foster home.There is an interesting portrayal of town and university. The university doesn't want any bad publicity and sometimes attempts to hinder investigations.I believe that readers will enjoy the contemporary story and see that it could have been lifted from the pages of a local newspaper of a city that has a large university.
    • 4/5
      Everyone has a secret in Karin Slaughter's new book Broken.Dr. Sara Linton has reluctantly returned home to Grant County for the Thanksgiving holiday. Since the death of her husband, the town's former police chief Jeffery Tolliver, Sara has avoided the entire police force and in particular police officer Lena Adams, her nemesis, but within hours of arriving home she finds herself in a jail cell with a dead prisoner. Immediately suspicious of the circumstances and Lena's involvement Sara calls in special agent Will Trent. Is Lena the dirty, dangerous cop Sara has always accused her of being or is the whole force corrupt? Trent will need to remain emotionally detached and follow the facts but as the bodies pile up his own secrets could get in the way.Broken brings together Slaughter's Grant County and Atlanta series but readers can jump in here with no knowledge of any of the previous events. A tight suspense.