Really disliked this book, but I was in a situation where I needed a book, and it was the only one I had. A forensic patholgoist, Sara, is married to a police officer, Jefffrey. The couple has just gotten back together after having been separated and they are trying to repair their relationship. Lena, Jeffrey's coworker on the police force, has gotten herself into major trouble in her hometown, so jeffrey goes there to investigate. Her town is a very poor rural town in Georgia. I forget how or why, but somehow Sara ends up going with him. All kinds of mayhem ensues. Finally they solve the mystery. The ending leaves some ridiculous ends unsolved, yet solves some permanently that could have been left hanging. I hated how Slaughter portrays rural towns. She portrays rural towns as dirty and filled with people who are nasty, She has pheasants being hunted with hounds, and a dentist gets his patients addicted to meth by using it to "take the edge off" during dental work. This goes on for twenty years and no one catches him or reports him to the authorities. Many of the bad guys are Neo-Nazis, as if all rural southern towns are filled with neo Nazi meth dealers. Then, so that it doesn't seem like she's slamming the south too much, she has the head of the whole operation come from Keene, New Hampshire. Apparently he has a "compound" in Keene, surrounded by barbed wire and mean dogs. Seriously? Keene New Hampshire is a college town and a pretty unlikely place for a compound that contains an interstate meth ring.Anyway, if you're stuck in a situation where you need books, I hope this isn't the only one you have.Coralie
I started this series as a Book of the Month read in one of my Goodreads groups. Blindsighted was the January book, and I was so hooked that I binge read the rest of the series in a week. The reason I was hooked enough to binge read it was because I bought into the characters. There have been the occasional author who has broken my heart at the end of a stand alone, like Nicholas Sparks in Message in a Bottle. But I can honestly say none have ever been brave enough to do so in a series. Until now. The last few pages of this book broke my literary heart. There are times when a broken heart can mend, there are times when it cannot. I am told by people that I MUST go on to the Will Trent series because Sara shows up in there. Maybe in the future, maybe not. At this point the end of this book has devastated me to the point that I have ZERO desire to ever read a Karin Slaughter book again. I understand the need to be true to your vision. I understand your need to stand by that decision. And it us very possible that the limited sales you would obtain from just me are insignificant enough to not be bothered by my reaction. I would; however, remind you that seldom is one reader simply just one reader. The idea that I invested so much of myself into your stories, only to be blasted into literary hell is not one I will get over easily. So, for now at least, this was the last Karin Slaughter book I ever intend to purchase.
What do You think about Beyond Reach (2007)?
3,5No doubt the book is, for the most part, a page turner, but I felt completely fed up with Sara, Lena and Jeffrey. They feel so predictable... And the "small town" atmosphere also got to my nerves more than usual...The story is quite interesting and we get to know a lot of Lena's past, the true story, and it keeps us on edge and curious, but I don't quite like the way Karin Slaughter leaves pending issues from one book to the other and then just refers to them in a not important way. And she does it again now, maybe she was tired of the series or wanted to end it in a high point, but Sara will continue to appear in the other series so I'm definitely not convinced by that ending. Unfortunatelly it wasn't a shock or surprise for me as I had already read what was going to happen, but I admit she needs to be brave to end it like that.
—Cláudia
"Wow" was what I said when I finished this one. Beyond Reach delves more into Lena Adams life, her background, what makes her unique, her sorrows, fears and family life. I really enjoyed learning more about Lena, which is what first sucked me into the plot. But make no mistake Sara Linton and Jeffrey Tolliver's role was also crucial to the plot and just as fascinating. The two of them are called down to Hank's town (can't remember the name, sorry) when Lena is arrested. What transpires next is a twisting, turning, roller coaster ride of intrigue, suspense and edge-of-your-seat action as they hit one obstacle after the next.An excellent ride! And brilliantly written, as usual for Karin Slaughter.I can not say enough about this book to really do it justice. You're just going to have to read it for yourself and find out what all the fuss is about. You will not be disappointed!
—Sue Coletta
I don’t know how to review this book. I have to give it full marks, even though every cell in my body screams at me not to.Sara Linton and Jeffrey Tolliver are well known to Slaughter’s fans. Slaughter has taken the American crime forensic genre and made it her own.Patricia Cornwell and Kathy Reichs are running to stand still to keep up with her.They can’t. They won’t. No-one will.It takes a special author to shock a reader for 7 sequential books. Slaughter does it without flinching and without resorting to sensationalism. And she is never boring.Join the ride as Sara and Jeffrey follow his fellow detective, Lena, to hell. Unraveling the horrors of small town America is Slaughter’s specialty. She doesn’t disappoint.Her characters are flawless and flawed.And the ending – I still can’t speak about it.Read it.
—Amanda Patterson
