Karin Slaughter (born January 6, 1971) is an American

crime writer Crime fiction, detective story, murder mystery, crime novel, mystery novel, and police novel are terms used to describe narratives or fiction that centre on criminal acts and especially on the investigation, either by an amateur or a professiona ...

. She has written 24 novels, which have sold more than 40 million copies and have been published in 120 countries. Her first novel, ''Blindsighted'' (2001), was published in 27 languages and made the

Crime Writers' Association The Crime Writers' Association (CWA) is a specialist authors' organisation in the United Kingdom, most notable for its "Dagger" awards for the best crime writing of the year, and the Diamond Dagger awarded to an author for lifetime achievement. ...

's Dagger Award shortlist for "Best Thriller Debut" of 2001. Slaughter won the 2015 CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger award for her novel ''Cop Town''. Her 2018 novel, '' Pieces of Her'', was adapted into an eight-episode television series of the same name, released in March 2022 on

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

Early life

Slaughter was born in

Covington, Georgia Covington is a city in the U.S. state of Georgia and the seat of Newton County, and is part of the Atlanta metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, its population was 14,192. History Covington was founded by European immigrants to the Unite ...

and grew up in Lake Spivey. She has two older sisters. She attended Morrow High School in Ellenwood, Georgia. She then studied literature at

Georgia State University Georgia State University (Georgia State, State, or GSU) is a Public university, public research university in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1913, it is one of the University System of Georgia's four research universities. It is al ...

, but dropped out prior to graduating. She wrote her first novel ''Blindsighted'' in three months.

Philanthropy

Slaughter is a library advocate and founded Save the Libraries, a non-profit organization that campaigns to support US public

libraries A library is a collection of Book, books, and possibly other Document, materials and Media (communication), media, that is accessible for use by its members and members of allied institutions. Libraries provide physical (hard copies) or electron ...

. The Save the Libraries fund has provided more than $300,000 to the

DeKalb County Public Library The DeKalb County Public Library (DCPL) is the public library system of DeKalb County, Georgia in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The library system headquarters are at the Darro C. Willey Administrative Offices in Decatur, Georgia, Decatur. Its ...

in Atlanta, Georgia.

Publishing history

Characters from Slaughter's two main series,

Grant County Grant County may refer to: Places ;Australia * County of Grant, Victoria ;United States * Grant County, Arkansas * Grant County, Indiana * Grant County, Kansas *Grant County, Kentucky Grant County is a county located in the northern pa ...

and

Will Trent ''Will Trent'' is an American police procedural television series developed by Liz Heldens and Daniel T. Thomsen based on the series of novels by Karin Slaughter. The series, starring Ramón Rodríguez in the title role, premiered on January ...

(Atlanta), were brought together in her novels ''

Undone Undone may refer to: Literature * ''Undone'' (Colapinto novel), a 2015 novel by John Colapinto * ''Undone'' (Humphreys novel), a 2013 ''Amoveo Legend'' novel by Sara Humphreys * ''Undone'' (Slaughter novel), a 2009 ''Will Trent'' and ''Grand C ...

'' (2009), titled ''Genesis'' internationally, and ''Broken'' (2010). In these novels, Sara Linton and Will Trent work cases set in Grant County and Atlanta, respectively.

Grant County series (2001 to 2007)

Slaughter is best known for her Grant County series: * ''Blindsighted'', 2001 * ''

Kisscut ''Kisscut'' is the second book in the Grant County series by author Karin Slaughter. It was originally released in hardback in 2002. The previous book in the series is '' Blindsighted''. These books star Sara Linton, Jeffrey Tolliver, and Len ...

'', 2002 * '' A Faint Cold Fear'', 2003 * '' Indelible'', 2004 * ''

Faithless Faithless are an English dance music Band (rock and pop), band that formed in 1995, with its core original members being Rollo Armstrong, Rollo, Sister Bliss and Maxi Jazz. During the band's initial period of success, Sister Bliss and Maxi Ja ...

'', 2005 * '' Beyond Reach/Skin Privilege'', 2007 Set in the fictional town of Heartsdale, Georgia (in the fictional Grant County), the narrative takes place from the perspective of three main characters: Sara Linton, the town's

pediatrician Pediatrics (American English) also spelled paediatrics (British English), is the branch of medicine that involves the medical care of infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. In the United Kingdom, pediatrics covers many of their youth ...

and part-time

coroner A coroner is a government or judicial official who is empowered to conduct or order an inquest into the manner or cause of death. The official may also investigate or confirm the identity of an unknown person who has been found dead within th ...

;

Jeffrey Tolliver Karin Slaughter (born January 6, 1971) is an American crime writer. She has written 24 novels, which have sold more than 40 million copies and have been published in 120 countries. Her first novel, ''Blindsighted'' (2001), was published in 27 la ...

, Linton's husband and the chief of police; and his subordinate, detective

Lena Adams Karin Slaughter (born January 6, 1971) is an American Crime fiction, crime writer. She has written 24 novels, which have sold more than 40 million copies and have been published in 120 countries. Her first novel, ''Blindsighted'' (2001), was pub ...

Will Trent (Atlanta) series

The Will Trent series, which takes place in Atlanta, Georgia, features

Georgia Bureau of Investigation The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) is the state bureau of investigation of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is an independent, statewide agency that provides assistance to Georgia's criminal justice system in the areas of criminal investi ...

special agent Will Trent and his partner

Faith Mitchell Faith is confidence or trust in a person, thing, or concept. In the context of religion, faith is "belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion". According to the Merriam-Webster's Dictionary, faith has multiple definitions, includi ...

. So far, Trent has appeared in ''

Triptych A triptych ( ) is a work of art (usually a panel painting) that is divided into three sections, or three carved panels that are hinged together and can be folded shut or displayed open. It is therefore a type of polyptych, the term for all m ...

'', '' Fractured'', ''

'', '' Broken'', ''

Fallen Fallen may refer to: People * Carl Fredrik Fallén (1764–1830), Swedish botanist and entomologist * Gabriel Toledo (born 1991), known as FalleN, Brazilian ''Counter-Strike'' player Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Fallen'' (1998 fi ...

'', ''Criminal'', ''Unseen,'' ''The Kept Woman'', ''The Last Widow,'' ''The Silent Wife,'' ''After That Night,'' and ''This is Why We Lied,'' as well as the novellas ''Snatched,'' ''Busted,'' and ''Cleaning the Gold.''

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...

ordered a

pilot episode A television pilot (also known as a pilot or a pilot episode and sometimes marketed as a tele-movie) in United Kingdom and United States television, is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell a show to a television netwo ...

starring Ramón Rodríguez as Trent and

Erika Christensen Erika Jane Christensen (born August 19, 1982) is an American actress. Her filmography includes roles in ''Traffic'' (2000), '' Swimfan'' (2002), '' The Banger Sisters'' (2002), '' The Perfect Score'' (2004), '' Flightplan'' (2005), '' How to Ro ...

as Angie, his girlfriend. The

series Series may refer to: People with the name * Caroline Series (born 1951), English mathematician, daughter of George Series * George Series (1920–1995), English physicist Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Series, the ordered sets used i ...

premiered on January 3, 2023, and its third season is currently airing.

Other works

“Like a Charm” is a

short story A short story is a piece of prose fiction. It can typically be read in a single sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the old ...

anthology featuring several thriller authors, including

Lee Child James Dover Grant (born 29 October 1954), primarily known by his pen name Lee Child, is a British author who writes Thriller (genre), thriller novels, and is best known for his ''Jack Reacher (book series), Jack Reacher'' novel series. The boo ...

Peter Robinson Peter Robinson may refer to: Entertainment * Peter Robinson (sideshow artist) (1873–1947), American actor and sideshow performer, known for his appearance in film ''Freaks'' (1932) * J. Peter Robinson (born 1945), British musician and film score ...

, John Connolly, and

Laura Lippman Laura Lippman (born January 31, 1959) is an American journalist and author of over 20 detective fiction novels. Her novels have won multiple awards, including an Agatha Award, seven Anthony Awards, two Barry Awards, an Edgar Award, a Gumshoe Aw ...

. Each story is linked by a

charm bracelet A charm bracelet is a type of bracelet which carries personal jewelled ornaments or "charms", such as decorative pendants or wikt:trinket, trinkets. The decorative charms usually carry personal or sentimental attachment by the owner. History Th ...

that brings bad luck to its owners. The setting and time periods of each story vary greatly, ranging from 19th-century Georgia to wartime

Leeds Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...

. Karin Slaughter wrote the first and last stories. ''Martin Misunderstood'' is an original audio novella narrated by

Wayne Knight Wayne Elliot Knight (born August 7, 1955) is an American actor. In television, he played recurring roles such as Newman on the NBC sitcom ''Seinfeld'' (1992–1998) and Officer Don Orville on the NBC sitcom ''3rd Rock from the Sun'' (1996� ...

. Both the story and the narration were nominated for an

Audie Award The Audie Awards (, rhymes with "gaudy"; abbreviated from ''audiobook''), or simply the Audies, are awards for achievement in spoken word, particularly audiobook narration and audiodrama performance, published in the United States of America. They ...

in 2009. ''

The Unremarkable Heart The Unremarkable Heart and Other Stories () is a short story (''book'') written by Karin Slaughter and published by Mulholland Books (an imprint of Little, Brown and Company owned by Hachette Book Group) on 26 May 2011 which later won the Edga ...

'' won the

Edgar Award The Edgar Allan Poe Awards, popularly called the Edgars, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America which is based in New York City. Named after American writer Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849), a pioneer in the genre, the awards hon ...

for Best Short Story in 2013. Her book '' Pieces of Her'' reached number 2 on the ''New York Times'' Bestseller list, the week it was released in late August 2018. ''Pieces of Her'' was published through

HarperCollins HarperCollins Publishers LLC is a British–American publishing company that is considered to be one of the "Big Five (publishers), Big Five" English-language publishers, along with Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group USA, Hachette, Macmi ...

and follows a young woman who learns about a hidden side of her mother, Laura. It is in the vein of a psychological thriller and was given a positive review by ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

'' and ''

Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus. The magazine's publisher, Kirkus Media, is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fiction, no ...

''. Her other standalone novels—''Cop'' ''Town'', ''Pretty'' ''Girls'', ''The'' ''Good'' ''Daughter'', and ''False'' ''Witness''—have all been ''New York Times'' bestsellers. In February 2019, it was announced that

will be developing an 8-episode

television series A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming plat ...

starring

Toni Collette Toni Collette (born Collett; 1 November 1972) is an Australian actress, singer, and songwriter. Known for her work in television, blockbusters and independent films, her accolades include a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award, wit ...

, based on the ''Pieces of Her'' novel. Production began in 2025 on a television adaptation of ''

The Good Daughter ''The Good Daughter'' is a 2012 Philippine television drama series broadcast by GMA Network. Directed by Mike Tuviera, it stars Kylie Padilla in the title role. It premiered on February 13, 2012 on the network's Afternoon Prime line up. The se ...

''.

Personal life

Slaughter was a contestant on an installment of

's ''

Holey Moley ''Holey Moley'' is an American sports reality competition television series created for ABC by Chris Culvenor. The series is produced by Eureka Productions and Unanimous Media, with Culvenor, Paul Franklin, Wesley Dening, Stephen Curry, Jeron ...

'' which originally aired on June 4, 2020.

Bibliography

The Grant County series *''Blindsighted'' (2001) *''Kisscut'' (2002) *''A Faint Cold Fear'' (2003) *''Indelible'' (2004) *''Faithless'', (2005) *''Beyond Reach'' (2007), ''Skin Privilege'' (UK title) The Will Trent series *''Triptych'' (2006) *''Fractured'' (2008) *''Undone'' (2009), ''Genesis'' (UK/Australia title) *''Broken'' (2010) *''Fallen'' (2011) *''Snatched'' (2012, ebook novella) *''Criminal'' (2012) *''Busted'' (2013, ebook novella) *''Unseen'' (2013) *''The Kept Woman'' (2016) *''Cleaning the Gold'' (2019 novella, co-written with

) *''The Last Widow'' (2019) *''The Silent Wife'' (2020) *''After That Night'' (August 2023) *''This is Why We Lied'' (August 2024) Other books *''Like A Charm'' (2004; editor) *''Martin Misunderstood'' (2008) *''Thorn in My Side'' (2011; ebook novella) *''Cop Town'' (2014) * ''Blonde Hair, Blue Eyes'' (2015) (novella) (prequel to Pretty Girls) * ''Pretty Girls'' (2015) * ''Last Breath'' (2017) (novella) (prequel to The Good Daughter) * ''The Good Daughter'' (2017) * '' Pieces of Her'' (2018) * ''False Witness'' (2021) * ''Girl, Forgotten'' (2022)

Awards

Slaughter has won or been nominated for many awards. In reverse chronological order, they are: *2020,

Ned Kelly Award The Ned Kelly Awards (named for bushranger Ned Kelly) are Australia's leading literary awards for crime writing in both the crime fiction and true crime True crime is a genre of non-fiction work in which an author examines a crime, including d ...

*2019, Georgia Author of the Year *2019,

International Thriller Writers Awards The International Thriller Writers Awards are awarded by International Thriller Writers International Thriller Writers (ITW), was founded October 9, 2004, at Bouchercon XXXV, the "World Mystery and Suspense Conference", in Toronto, Ontario, Can ...

Finalist *2017, The Skimm Book Club *2017,

Romantic Times ''Romantic Times'' was an American magazine, genre magazine specializing in romance novels. It was founded as a newsletter in 1981 by Kathryn Falk. The initial publication took nine months to create and was distributed to 3,000 subscribers. In ...

Lifetime Achievement Award Winner, Suspense *2017, AudioFile Best Book of the Year ( AudioFile Earphones Award) *2017, Crime Writers' Association Ian Fleming Steel Dagger Award Longlist *2016, International Thriller Writers Awards Finalist *2016, People’s Choice Award Winner *2015, Edgar Nomination, Best Novel, ''Cop Town'' *2015,

American Association of People with Disabilities American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

Image Award *2015, Crime Writers' Association Ian Fleming Steel Dagger Award, Winner, ''Cop Town'' *2014, Romantic Times Reviewers Choice Award *2014, AudioFile Magazine Earphones Award Winner, ''Cop Town'', 2013 *2014, Crime Zone, The Silver Fingerprint Winner, Best Foreign Thriller, ''Unseen'' *2014, Anthony Bouchercon Nomination, Best Short Story, ''The'' ''Unremarkable'' ''Heart'' *2014,

Winner, Best Short Story *2013,

Mystery Readers International Mystery Readers International is a fan/reader organization open to all readers, fans, critics, editors, publishers, and writers of Mystery fiction. It was founded by Janet A. Rudolph in Berkeley, California. It publishes the ''Mystery Readers Jo ...

Macavity award The Macavity Awards, established in 1987, are a group of literary awards presented annually to mystery writers. Nominated and voted upon annually by the members of the Mystery Readers International, the award is named for the "Macavity, mystery cat ...

nomination, Best Short Story, ''The Unremarkable Heart'' *2011, Crime Zone, The Silver Fingerprint Winner, Best Foreign Thriller, ''Fallen'' *2011, International Thriller Writers Silver Bullet Award Winner *2010, Suspense Magazine Best of 2010 Winner, Thriller/Suspense, ''Broken'' *2009,

Le Livre de Poche Le Livre de Poche (literally "The Pocket Book") is the name of a collection of publications which first appeared on 9 February 1953 under the leadership of and published by the , a subsidiary of Hachette. In terms of its influence on the mains ...

Prix Lecteurs Winner, ''Faithless'' *2009, Crime Zone the Silver Fingerprint Winner, Best Foreign Thriller, ''Fractured'' *2009, Audio Publishers association Audie Nomination, Humor, ''Martin Misunderstood'' *2009,

Left Coast Crime Left Coast Crime is an annual conference organised by mystery fiction fans for mystery fiction fans, first held in San Francisco in 1991. It is concerned with western North American region mysteries, but the conference itself travels worldwide, ha ...

Hawaii Five-0 Nomination, Best Law Enforcement/Police Procedural, ''Fractured'' *2008, ITV Crime Thriller International Author of the Year Nomination, Best Fiction, ''Beyond Reach'' *2008, Georgia Author of the Year Nomination, Best Fiction, ''Beyond Reach'' *2007, Crime Zone the Silver Fingerprint Winner, Best Foreign Thriller, ''Beyond Reach'' *2007, Crime Writers' Association Ian Fleming Steel Dagger nomination, Best Thriller, ''Triptych'' *2003, Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Awards Winner, Best Contemporary Mystery, ''A Faint Cold'' *2002, Mystery Readers International Macavity Award Nomination, Best First Mystery, ''Blindsighted'' *2002, International Thriller Writers Barry Award Nomination, Best First Novel, ''Blindsighted'' *2001, Crime Writers' Association Dagger Award Nomination, Best Thriller Debut, ''Blindsighted''

References

External links

Karin Slaughter website

Interview with Karin Slaughter at www.LiteraryWeek.com

Karin Slaughter at Bookreporter.com

Interview with Karin Slaughter at www.TheCrimeHouse.com

Save the Libraries

Roger Nichols of Modern Signed Books interviews Karin Slaughter about her novel, ''The Kept Woman''

BlogTalkRadio interview about her novel, ''The Good Daughter''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Slaughter, Karin 21st-century American novelists American women novelists American thriller writers Living people Writers from Atlanta American LGBTQ novelists 21st-century American women writers American women mystery writers LGBTQ people from Georgia (U.S. state) American women thriller writers Novelists from Georgia (U.S. state) 1971 births Georgia State University alumni