Karin Slaughter

❧

Wikipedia

Karin Slaughter
Karin Slaughter
Karin Slaughter
Born (1971-01-06) January 6, 1971 (age 54)
Georgia, U.S.
OccupationWriter
GenreCrime Fiction, Mystery, Thriller
Years active2001–present

Karin Slaughter (born January 6, 1971) is an American crime writer. She is the #1 New York Times bestselling author [1] of more than twenty-five novels, including the Edgar-nominated Cop Town[2] and standalone novels Pretty Girls and False Witness. An international bestseller, Slaughter is published in 120 countries with more than 40 million copies sold across the globe. [3][4]

Her first novel, Blindsighted (2001), was published in 27 languages[5] and made the Crime Writers' Association's Dagger Award shortlist for "Best Thriller Debut" of 2001.[6] Slaughter won the 2015 CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger award for her novel Cop Town.[7]

Pieces of Her, based on her novel of the same name[8], debuted at #1 worldwide on Netflix as an original series in 2022.[9] Her bestselling thriller series, Will Trent, is now a television series in its 4th season on ABC.[10] The Good Daughter will soon be a limited series on Peacock starring Rose Byrne and Meghann Fahy.[11]

She is the founder of the Save the Libraries project—a nonprofit organization established to support libraries and library programming.[12]

Writing

North Falls series (2025 to present)

Slaughter's newest series is set in the fictional North Falls region in rural Georgia, featuring Officer Emmy Cliffton and her family.

  • We Are All Guilty Here, 2025

The first book in the series, We Are All Guilty Here, was a New York Times #1 bestseller.[13]

Will Trent series (2006 to present)

The Will Trent series, which takes place in Atlanta, Georgia, features Georgia Bureau of Investigation special agent Will Trent and his partner, Faith Mitchell. So far, the Will Trent series includes:

  • Triptych, 2006
  • Fractured, 2008
  • Undone, 2009
  • Broken, 2010
  • Fallen, 2011
  • Criminal, 2012
  • Unseen, 2013
  • The Kept Woman, 2016
  • The Last Widow, 2019
  • The Silent Wife, 2020
  • After That Night, 2023
  • This is Why We Lied, 2024

Characters from Slaughter's two main series, Grant County and Will Trent, were brought together in her novels Undone (2009), titled Genesis internationally, and Broken (2010). In these novels, Sara Linton and Will Trent work cases set in Georgia.

Grant County series (2001 to 2007)

Slaughter first came to attention with her Grant County series:

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 and part-time coroner; Jeffrey Tolliver, Linton's ex-husband and the chief of police; and his subordinate, detective Lena Adams.

Standalone Novels

  • Cop Town, 2014
  • Pretty Girls, 2015
  • The Good Daughter, 2017
  • Pieces of Her, 2018
  • False Witness, 2021
  • Girl, Forgotten, 2022

Pieces of Her reached #2 on the New York Times bestseller list, the week it was released in late August 2018.[14] Pieces of Her was published through HarperCollins and follows a young woman who learns about a hidden side of her mother, Laura.[15] It was given a positive review by Publishers Weekly[16] and Kirkus Reviews.[17]

Cop Town, Pretty Girls, The Good Daughter, and False Witness have all also been New York Times bestsellers.

Short Stories and Novellas

  • Like a Charm, 2004
  • Martin Misunderstood, 2008
  • Thorn in My Side, 2011
  • The Unremarkable Heart and Other Stories, 2011
  • Snatched, 2012
  • Busted, 2012
  • Blonde Hair, Blue Eyes, 2015
  • Cold, Cold Heart, 2016
  • Last Breath, 2017
  • Cleaning the Gold, 2019

“Like a Charm” is a short story anthology featuring several thriller authors, including Lee Child, Peter Robinson, John Connolly, and Laura Lippman.[18] Each story is linked by a charm bracelet that brings bad luck to its owners. Karin Slaughter wrote the first and last stories.

The audiobook version of Martin Misunderstood is narrated by Wayne Knight.[19] Both the story and the narration were nominated for an Audie Award in 2009.[20]

The Unremarkable Heart won the Edgar Award for Best Short Story in 2013.[21]

Television and Film

Pieces of Her

Slaughter's 2018 standalone novel, Pieces of Her, was adapted into an eight-episode TV series of the same name, which premiered on March 4, 2022. Starring Toni Collette and Bella Heathcote,[22] it debuted at #1 worldwide on Netflix. Between February 27, 2022, and April 3, 2022, the series was watched 227.5 million hours on Netflix globally.[23]

Will Trent

Slaughter's bestselling thriller series, Will Trent, is now a television series starring Ramón Rodríguez in the role of Will Trent and Erika Christensen as Angie.[24] Premiering on January 3, 2023[25] on ABC, the series has now been renewed for a fourth season slated to premiere on January 6, 2026. [26]

The Good Daughter

Production began in 2025 on The Good Daughter, a limited series for Peacock adapted from her novel of the same name and starring Rose Byrne and Meghann Fahy.[27][28]

Philanthropy

Slaughter is a library advocate and founded Save the Libraries, a non-profit organization that campaigns to support US public libraries.[29] The Save the Libraries fund has provided more than $300,000 to the DeKalb County Public Library in Atlanta, Georgia.[30]

Awards and Honors

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

  • 2025, Library Reads Hall of Fame Pick[31]
  • 2024, Amazon Editors Pick—Best Books of The Year[32]
  • 2023 & 2022, Winner of the Audiophile Earphones Award[33]
  • 2020, Ned Kelly Award[34]
  • 2019, Georgia Author of the Year[35]
  • 2019, International Thriller Writers Awards Finalist[36]
  • 2018, The Skimm Book Club[37]
  • 2017, Romantic Times Lifetime Achievement Award Winner, Suspense[38]
  • 2017, AudioFile Best Book of the Year (AudioFile Earphones Award)[39]
  • 2017, Crime Writers' Association Ian Fleming Steel Dagger Award Longlist
  • 2016, International Thriller Writers Awards Finalist[40]
  • 2016, People’s Choice Award Winner[41]
  • 2015, Edgar Nomination, Best Novel, Cop Town[42]
  • 2015, American Association of People with Disabilities Image Award[43]
  • 2015, Crime Writers' Association Ian Fleming Steel Dagger Award, Winner, Cop Town[44]
  • 2014, AudioFile Magazine Earphones Award Winner, Cop Town, 2013[45]
  • 2014, Crime Zone, The Silver Fingerprint Winner, Best Foreign Thriller, Unseen[46]
  • 2014, Anthony Bouchercon Nomination, Best Short Story, The Unremarkable Heart[47]
  • 2014, Edgar Award Winner, Best Short Story[48]
  • 2013, Mystery Readers International Macavity award nomination, Best Short Story, The Unremarkable Heart[49]
  • 2011, Crime Zone, The Silver Fingerprint Winner, Best Foreign Thriller, Fallen[50]
  • 2011, International Thriller Writers Silver Bullet Award Winner[51]
  • 2010, Suspense Magazine Best of 2010 Winner, Thriller/Suspense, Broken[52]
  • 2009, Le Livre de Poche Prix Lecteurs Winner, Faithless[53]
  • 2009, Crime Zone the Silver Fingerprint Winner, Best Foreign Thriller, Fractured[54]
  • 2009, Audio Publishers association Audie Nomination, Humor, Martin Misunderstood[55]
  • 2009, Left Coast Crime Hawaii Five-0 Nomination, Best Law Enforcement/Police Procedural, Fractured[56]
  • 2008, ITV Crime Thriller International Author of the Year Nomination, Best Fiction, Beyond Reach[57]
  • 2008, Georgia Author of the Year Nomination, Best Fiction, Beyond Reach[58]
  • 2007, Crime Zone the Silver Fingerprint Winner, Best Foreign Thriller, Beyond Reach[59]
  • 2007, Crime Writers' Association Ian Fleming Steel Dagger nomination, Best Thriller, Triptych[60]
  • 2003, Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Awards Winner, Best Contemporary Mystery, A Faint Cold[61]
  • 2002, Mystery Readers International Macavity Award Nomination, Best First Mystery, Blindsighted[62]
  • 2002, International Thriller Writers Barry Award Nomination, Best First Novel, Blindsighted[63]
  • 2001, Crime Writers' Association Dagger Award Nomination, Best Thriller Debut, Blindsighted[64]

Published Works

Slaughter at BookExpo America in 2019

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)
  • Criminal (2012)
  • Unseen (2013)
  • The Kept Woman (2016)[65]
  • The Last Widow (2019)
  • The Silent Wife (2020)
  • After That Night (2023)
  • This is Why We Lied (2024)

Andrea Oliver Series

North Falls Series

  • We Are All Guilty Here (2025)

Standalone Novels

  • Cop Town (2014)
  • Pretty Girls (2015)
  • The Good Daughter (2017)
  • False Witness (2021)

Short Stories and Novellas

  • Like a Charm (2004, editor)
  • Martin Misunderstood (2008)
  • Thorn in My Side (2011, digital short story)
  • The Unremarkable Heart and Other Stories (2011, audio short story)
  • Snatched (2012, digital novella)
  • Busted (2012, digital novella)
  • Blonde Hair, Blue Eyes (2015, digital short story, prequel to Pretty Girls)
  • Cold, Cold Heart (2016, digital short story)
  • Last Breath (2017, digital short story, prequel to The Good Daughter)
  • Cleaning the Gold (2019, digital short story, co-written with Lee Child)

Personal life

Slaughter was born in Covington, Georgia 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, but dropped out prior to graduating. She wrote her first novel Blindsighted in three months.[66]

References

  1. ↑ "The New York Times Best Sellers - Combined Print and E-Book Fiction". The New York Times. Retrieved November 21, 2025.
  2. ↑ "Category List - Best Novel". Edgar Awards. Retrieved November 21, 2025.
  3. ↑ "Karin Slaughter Explores Sisterhood". Kirkus Reviews. Archived from the original on October 16, 2021. Retrieved October 16, 2021.
  4. ↑ Dyer, Candace. "COVID-19 adds menace to Slaughter's latest thriller". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved October 16, 2021.
  5. ↑ "Languages — Karin Slaughter". Karin Slaughter. Retrieved November 24, 2018.
  6. ↑ "Blindsighted — The Crime Writers' Association". thecwa.co.uk. Retrieved November 24, 2018.
  7. ↑ "Cop Town — The Crime Writers' Association". thecwa.co.uk. Retrieved November 24, 2018.
  8. ↑ Lipez, Richard (August 16, 2018). "Shots ring out, and a daughter's world is forever changed in 'Pieces of Her'". The Washington Post.
  9. ↑ "Netflix's Pieces of Her: Release date, plot and latest news for Toni Collette thriller". Radiotimes.com. Retrieved November 21, 2025.
  10. ↑ "'Will Trent' Renewed For Season 4 At ABC". Deadline.com. Retrieved November 21, 2025.
  11. ↑ "Rose Byrne and Meghann Fahy to Lead 'The Good Daughter' Series Adaptation at Peacock". Variety.com. Retrieved November 21, 2025.
  12. ↑ "Karin Slaughter on Libraries: They 'Are the Backbone of a Community'". People.com. Retrieved November 21, 2025.
  13. ↑ "We Are All Guilty Here". Harper Collins Publisher. Retrieved November 21, 2025.
  14. ↑ "The New York Times Best Sellers". The New York Times.
  15. ↑ "Pieces of Her - Karin Slaughter - Hardcover".
  16. ↑ "Fiction Book Review: Pieces of Her by Karin Slaughter". Publishers Weekly.
  17. ↑ "Pieces of Her by Karin Slaughter". Kirkus Reviews.
  18. ↑ Slaughter, Karin (June 3, 2004). "Like A Charm". www.penguin.co.uk. Retrieved November 24, 2018.
  19. ↑ "Audio Book Review: Martin Misunderstood by Karin Slaughter, Author, read by Wayne Knight. BBC Audiobooks America $19.95 (, unabridged, two CDs, 2 hrs., $19.95 ISBN ) ISBN 978-1-60283-434-7". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved November 24, 2018.
  20. ↑ "2009 Audie Awards® - APA". www.audiopub.org. Archived from the original on October 30, 2020. Retrieved November 24, 2018.
  21. ↑ "Category List – Best Short Story | Edgars Database". theedgars.com. Retrieved February 28, 2017.
  22. ↑ Huff, Lauren (January 25, 2022). "Toni Collette is a mother with blood on her hands in 'Pieces of Her' first look". TV. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved July 17, 2025.
  23. ↑ "'Pieces of Her' Season 2: Will Netflix Renew or Cancel?". What's on Netflix. April 27, 2022. Archived from the original on June 10, 2022. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
  24. ↑ "'Will Trent' Star Erika Christensen Unpacks Those Angie Bombshells". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 21, 2025.
  25. ↑ "Meet the "Objectively Hot" Special Agent at the Center of ABC's New Show Will Trent". E!News. Retrieved November 21, 2025.
  26. ↑ "'Will Trent' Renewed For Season 4 At ABC". Deadline. Retrieved November 21, 2025.
  27. ↑ Cordero, Rosy (December 19, 2024). "Rose Byrne & Meghann Fahy To Headline Peacock's 'The Good Daughter' Limited Series". Deadline Hollywood.
  28. ↑ "The Good Daughter TV series being filmed inside Griffin City Hall this week". Griffin Daily News. March 19, 2025. Retrieved March 22, 2025.
  29. ↑ "Save the Libraries - Karin Slaughter". www.savethelibraries.com. Retrieved November 24, 2018.
  30. ↑ "Bestselling author Karin Slaughter will visit Barr Memorial Library to sign copies of her newest book | fkgoldstandard.com". www.fkgoldstandard.com. Retrieved November 24, 2018.
  31. ↑ "August 2025 The Top Ten Adult Fiction and Nonfiction" (PDF). Library Reads. Retrieved November 21, 2025.
  32. ↑ "This Is Why We Lied". Amazon. Retrieved November 21, 2025.
  33. ↑ "EarphonesAward Winners". Audio Editions. Retrieved November 21, 2025.
  34. ↑ "Announcing: The 2020 Ned Kelly Awards Shortlists". Australian Crime Writers Association. August 25, 2020. Retrieved October 16, 2021.
  35. ↑ "Past Winners – Georgia Author of the Year Awards". Archived from the original on October 16, 2021. Retrieved October 16, 2021.
  36. ↑ "Past Nominees and Winners – International Thriller Writers". thrillerwriters.org. Retrieved October 16, 2021.
  37. ↑ "Skimm Recommendations Books". www.goodreads.com. Retrieved October 16, 2021.
  38. ↑ "HARPERCOLLINS PUBLISHERS ACQUIRES WORLD RIGHTS FOR FOUR NEW BOOKS FROM #1 INTERNATIONALLY BESTSELLING AUTHOR KARIN SLAUGHTER". HarperCollins. Retrieved October 16, 2021.
  39. ↑ "LAST BREATH by Karin Slaughter Read by Kathleen Early | Audiobook Review". AudioFile Magazine. Retrieved October 16, 2021.
  40. ↑ "Past Nominees and Winners – International Thriller Writers". thrillerwriters.org. Retrieved October 16, 2021.
  41. ↑ "Favorite Books 2016 Winners". Retrieved November 24, 2025.
  42. ↑ Slaughter, Karin. "2015 Edgar Allan Poe Award Nominated Cop Town Now Available in Mass Market Paperback". www.prnewswire.com (Press release). Retrieved October 16, 2021.
  43. ↑ "Crime Pays". Retrieved November 24, 2025.
  44. ↑ "The Crime Writers' Association". thecwa.co.uk. Retrieved November 24, 2025.
  45. ↑ "COP TOWN by Karin Slaughter Read by Kathleen Early | Audiobook Review". AudioFile Magazine. Retrieved October 16, 2021.
  46. ↑ "Karin Slaughter Books in Order". www.mysterysequels.com. Retrieved November 24, 2025.
  47. ↑ "Bouchercon XLIV, More Commonly Known as Bouchercon 2013, Or Even Anthony Awards 2013!". The Cozy Mystery List Blog. May 24, 2013. Retrieved October 16, 2021.
  48. ↑ "Big Names Win Edgars". HuffPost. May 3, 2013. Retrieved October 16, 2021.
  49. ↑ "Macavity Awards – Mystery Readers International". Retrieved October 16, 2021.
  50. ↑ "Crimezone Thriller Award Buitenland | Book awards | LibraryThing". www.librarything.com. Retrieved October 16, 2021.
  51. ↑ "Karin Slaughter Books in Order". www.mysterysequels.com. Retrieved November 24, 2025.
  52. ↑ "Suspense Magazine announces Best of 2010 List". www.suspensemagazine.com. Archived from the original on October 16, 2021. Retrieved October 16, 2021.
  53. ↑ "Georgia Authors | Georgia Center for the Book | Supporting Libraries, Literary Programs and Georgia's Rich Literary Heritage". www.georgiacenterforthebook.org. Archived from the original on January 19, 2020. Retrieved October 16, 2021.
  54. ↑ "Karin Slaughter Books In Publication & Chronological Order". Book Series. August 26, 2016. Retrieved October 16, 2021.
  55. ↑ "Pretty Girls (Slaughter) - LitLovers". www.litlovers.com. Retrieved October 16, 2021.
  56. ↑ "Left Coast Crime 2009: Hawaii: Say Aloha To Murder!". leftcoastcrime.org. Retrieved October 16, 2021.
  57. ↑ "Novels listed for ITV3 crime awards | The Bookseller". www.thebookseller.com. Retrieved October 16, 2021.
  58. ↑ "HARPERCOLLINS PUBLISHERS ACQUIRES WORLD RIGHTS FOR FOUR NEW BOOKS FROM #1 INTERNATIONALLY BESTSELLING AUTHOR KARIN SLAUGHTER". HarperCollins. Retrieved October 16, 2021.
  59. ↑ "Karin Slaughter Books In Publication & Chronological Order". Book Series. August 26, 2016. Retrieved October 16, 2021.
  60. ↑ "Ian Fleming Steel Dagger Award Shortlist Announced". CommanderBond.net. June 6, 2007. Archived from the original on October 18, 2021. Retrieved October 18, 2021.
  61. ↑ "Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Award | Book awards | LibraryThing". www.librarything.com. Retrieved October 18, 2021.
  62. ↑ "2002 Macavity Award Winners". www.mostlyfiction.com. Retrieved October 18, 2021.
  63. ↑ "Barry Awards". www.stopyourekillingme.com. Retrieved October 18, 2021.
  64. ↑ "Library Thing". librarything.com. Retrieved November 24, 2025.
  65. ↑ "Pretty Girls | Review". Archived from the original on July 1, 2015. Retrieved July 1, 2015.
  66. ↑ Dyer, Candace (June 1, 2012). "Crime Pays". Atlanta Magazine.