Unseen

Author: Karin Slaughter
Publish: Random House, July 2013, (ARC)
Pages: 400
Type: Print
Rate: 5

Synopsis: Will Trent is a Georgia Bureau of Investigation agent whose latest case has him posing as Bill Black, a scary ex-con who rides a motorcycle around Macon, Georgia, and trails an air of violence wherever he goes. The cover has worked and he has caught the eye of a wiry little drug dealer who thinks he might be a useful ally. But undercover and cut off from the support of the woman he loves, Sara Linton, Will finds his demons catching up with him.

Although she has no idea where Will has gone, or why, Sara herself has come to Macon because of a cop shooting: Her stepson, Jared, has been gunned down in his own home. Sara holds Lena, Jared’s wife, responsible: Lena, a detective, has been a magnet for trouble all her life, and Jared’s shooting is not the first time someone Sara loved got caught in the crossfire. Furious, Sara finds herself involved in the same case that Will is working without even knowing it, and soon danger is swirling around both of them.

In a novel of fierce intensity, shifting allegiances, and shocking twists, two investigations collide with a conspiracy straddling both sides of the law. Karin Slaughter’s latest is both an electrifying thriller and a piercing study of human nature: what happens when good people face the unseen evils in their lives.

My Review


The best stories aren't ones that leave good impressions, but the ones that offer connections from which we relate because of our own experiences. Yes the good ones draw you in but the best ones are the ones that make you feel like you’re somehow right beside each character. You feel what they feel, You want to give advice just as much as you learn from them. Unseen is one of those best stories that’s hard to tear yourself away from. It’s an example of characters that shouldn't be judged by their cover, entertains unfathomable actions by people who we trust without question, but most of all, it’s a story that shows that people by nature make mistakes.

Will Trent, an Agent with the GBI, that has gone undercover on a drug trafficking case. He does his job well as an Agent but he is superb undercover. As Bill Black he saves more than a couple lives. But as with all things in life, Will learns love is never painless and while he has been saved along the way through his personal relationship, it is not without a price. Bill Black is very much a believable alter ego, and it helps that Will has physical scars from his childhood as well as he can think quick on his feet. Bill Black has a bad boy exterior but Will has not lost who he is in the process. 

Many times throughout the book I thought Will exhibited actions as Bill Black that would happen in real life. This is also what makes his cover believable. All the time Bill Black is chasing a presumed ghost drug leader; Will learns that sometimes we don’t always have the “next” time to say how we feel so seizing the opportunity when faced with a second chance should not be overlooked.

For anyone who has lost someone they love, Sara Linton is a remarkable character that shows how picking up the pieces of your life and moving forward is ok. She thinks people won’t understand but in my opinion there is no set time that would be sufficient to move on. You just know it when your heart is ready. I didn’t understand how she thought she had been lied to because the nature of the situation caused for complete anonymity that was explained to her. This confusion causes tension in an already stressful situation, but I like how Sara responds when a long awaited confrontation intersects with a not so great night. Most importantly, I like how she is able to forgive. Love is not without forgiveness.  

This was my first time reading about the Lena Adams character. I quickly understood how she could be misunderstood. When you act a certain way for so long people are less likely to see you otherwise. Given the circumstances, something about the serenity of gardening and planting life, clashes her tough and standoffish personality because she was incapable of showing affection and had a terrible bedside manner. I just thought it was weird that she could tend a garden and care for flowers, but kept affection such as hand holding at a calculated proximity. Some of her actions seem as if she was without empathy, but at other times I found myself sympathizes with her.   

Overall, Unseen is a phenomenal mix of love, deceit, regret, sickness, and the will to move on. I rate this as a 5, and recommend this book. The lesson in Unseen to keep in mind is that we often underestimate people who we believe don’t have it in them and focus on the ones that we believe do. When in reality it’s the usual suspects we need to look out for. Unseen not only has a great plot, word choice, and flow, but the characters and events weave together flawlessly and have you guessing right up until the end.

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Unseen