GBI special agent Will Trent is a dedicated investigator who solves dark and dangerous crimes in Atlanta, Georgia. Karin Slaughter delves into the murkier psychological corners of violent crime in the Will Trent series while creating a sympathetic detective. Trent is a highly observant and successful investigator, but a bit of a loner and sometimes socially awkward.

The crime procedurals are intense and not for the faint of heart, filled with graphic descriptions of violence. However, Karin Slaughter says these elements are always done purposefully as she wants readers to be uncomfortable with the crimes, which she draws from real cases. Her sharp skills at creating nail-biting suspense and blindsides that scare and thrill her readers have them coming back for more.

Fans recommend reading the books chronologically so as to fully enjoy the characters as they evolve, but it is not strictly necessary. Karin Slaughter says that she’s a “stickler for reading in order, but I write the books so you can pick up any one and know exactly where you are and who the characters are.”

One of the series central protagonists, Sara Linton, joins the series in Undone (Book 3) but first appears in the Grant County thrillers, Slaughter’s series which predates the Will Trent books but is set in the same “universe.”

Karin Slaughter has written several Will Trent short stories. The novella Busted (2013) has been reprinted in Unseen (Book 7) and the novella Snatched (2012) is reprinted in the Criminal (Book 6). Cleaning the Gold is a crossover story featuring Will Trent and Lee Child’s Jack Reacher.