A Faint Cold Fear

By Karin Slaughter

Book Overview

The third thrilling Grant County novel by #1 New York Times bestselling author, Karin Slaughter, featuring Sara Linton of the acclaimed Will Trent Series.

"A fearless writer...One of the boldest thriller writers working today."-- New York Times bestselling author, Tess Gerritsen

"Scary, shocking and perfectly suspenseful."--BookPage
Sara Linton, medical examiner in the small town of Heartsdale, GA, is called out to an apparent suicide on the local college campus. The mutilated body provides little in the way of clues--and the college authorities are eager to avoid a scandal--but for Sara and police chief Jeffrey Tolliver, things don't add up.
Two more suspicious suicides follow, and a young woman is brutally attacked. For Sara, the violence strikes far too close to home. And as Jeffrey pursues the sadistic killer, he discovers that ex-police detective Lena Adams, now a security guard on campus, may be in possession of crucial information. But, bruised and angered by her expulsion from the force, Lena seems to be barely capable of protecting herself, let alone saving the next victim.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0688174582
• ISBN13: 9780688174583
• Release Date: September 2003
• Publisher: William Morrow
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 1.08 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 1.1" x 6.1"

Customer Reviews

A Faint Cold Fear by Karin Slaughter

As a mystery writer, I've heard the name Karin Slaughter many times, but never found the time to read her series. I went at this backward - started with this one first - and fell in love with Ms. Slaughter's writing right away. Sara Linton, pediatrician and part-time medical examiner in Heartsdale, Georgia, is a wonderful character. Although betrayed by her former husband, Jeffrey Tolliver, the Chief of Police, as medical examiner, she must work closely with him. In this book, she and Jeffrey seem to be moving toward one another and a possible reconciliation while trying to solve suspicious suicides at nearby Grant College. The pace of the book is excellent, the story intriguing. The twist at the end was unexpected and a real thrill. In essence, this was one book I did not want to put aside. If I could have, I would have read it through in one sitting.

I think it was great!

From other reviewers you can get the general jist of the story. I have read Karen Slaughter's other 2 books and this is definitely the best of the 3 (so far). I can definitely feel her growth as a writer in this one. I know I like to read reviews here when I'm looking for a book to read so I'll put in my two cents worth and respond to some other points made here in these reviews. I didn't find the characters annoying, I find what you don't know about them intriguing...but should we get to the "end" of the series someday and we know nothing...ok...that would be annoying, but I don't find that in her books. In each book she gives you a little more background on each character. Getting to know "all" about them requires watching them and hearing their thoughts as they go through their experiences. They are confronted with things they never expected to be confronted with in their lifetimes, and don't always respond as you "think" they will or as THEY thought they would. Slaughters writing (to me) is satisfying but it's not tidy. You get the crime solved but not always totally. The characters stay sometimes in turmoil, or something you think was resolved resurfaces. I believe this all makes her writing and her characters more real...and her writing more interesting. I don't find the violence excessive. Maybe I just know how she writes, she's detailed and yes, in detailing, it's graphic. You will leave a page with a definite picture of the crime scene. You won't have to use your imagination. About the only thing about these books that kind of makes me chuckle and seems a bit of a stretch of my imagination, is that this series takes place in a small southern town where everyone knows each other. It's a bit of a stretch to believe that these horrific crimes happen over and over again and noone's got a clue. But hey, I'll get over it. I'm just glad I don't live there. . Just my two cents for what is worth.

Recommended--for those with strong stomachs

Suicide is running rampant at the Grant Institute of Technology. But after three suspicious suicides in a row as well as a near-fatal stabbing, Grant County medical examiner Sara Linton has a score to settle. If there's a multiple murderer stalking the college, she and her ex-husband, Police Chief Jeffrey Tolliver, will bring him or her to justice--even as the Linton Family struggles through its own crisis.Add to this emotional mix the troubles of former detective Lena Adams, now a college security guard, who is sinking deeper into the myre of her own embattled psyche and acting out against Jeffrey, her former boss, whom she blames for her misfortunes.In this third installment of the Grant County series, Slaughter has created a tense page-turner that at times portrays such raw emotions that it's uncomfortable to read. But the crimes are sofascinating, so intricate, and the research so accurate that read it I did, with a vengeance. These characters are starting to feel like my own family. And when my nose wasn't in the book, I was talking about the characters as if they were real people.As with the previous title, KISSCUT, this book is recommended for those with strong stomachs. Fans of Patricia Cornwell should enjoy it.

graphic violence, well-plotted

The setting is a small college campus in the small town of Heartsdale, Georgia. The story opens with a student's apparent suicide and the stabbing of the protagonist's sister. More suspicious suicides follow and violence permeates Grant College. This is the third in the series featuring medical examiner Sara Linton, Police Chief Jeffrey Tolliver, and ex-police detective Lena Adams. Sara and Jeffrey were once married, but are still involved romantically with other. Lena was victim of a horrific crime in KISSCUT, and is still emotionally broken in A FAINT COLD FEAR. It really helps if you read the previous novels to understand all these characters are going through. The characters are fully drawn and three-dimensional with both good and bad traits just like most people. I wish the violence was less graphic, but the story was very involving and quite suspenseful. It's a fast-paced book that is hard to put down until the very end.

OUTSTANDING FOLLOW-UP

This is the third installment in Slaughter's Grant County series featuring Sara Linton. The story moves at a fast pace, never letting you go. A page-turner. If characterization and realistic dialogue are key to what you enjoy most out of your fiction, Slaughter is the author for you to try. I found her first book engrossing and her second book was a page-turner. The third is no different. She is an author to watch. I find her style unique and original. She is one of the few authors that I anticipate a new novel from and buy & read without reading reviews.She is not overrated as some reviewers have stated. I find her voice refreshing and yes, the violence level was extremely high in this book but overall, it did not shadow my enjoyment whatsoever. Lena's still struggling to find peace within herself and might have stepped over the line in this installment. She meets her match in Ethan, who seems to identify with her on some level that only the two of them understand. The friendship and respect between Jeffrey Tolliver and Lena Adams is stretched thin here stemming from events from the previous installment and in this book as well. At times it was exhausting to see Lena's struggle to find herself, to come to grips with her past. Sara Linton and her ex-husband, Jeff Toliver are still together and might even be thinking of marriage again. Their romance is nice.If this is your first time hearing of Karin Slaughter, this is not the book to start with and I recommend that you read them in order to get a better feel for the atmosphere, the characters. I am amazed that a few reviewers who posted seemed to think that the characters are unlikable. I don't agree. Slaughter is only one of the few writers who puts out thrillers with the emphasis on her characters. She gets great endorsements from authors I've enjoyed and respected like Michael Connelly who I just discovered this year and love. My grade was an A. Outstanding follow-up to last year's KISSCUT and I look forward to INDELIBLE. If I had any problems with this installment---it was the violence. It was excessive and often I wondered if the author was trying to see how much she could gross us out as there were quite a few gross out moments. Overall, great book Ms. Slaughter. The series is very well written thus far. I only hope that the violence level is toned down in future books. Thank You.