The Last Widow: A Novel: The Will Trent Series, Book 9
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The Last Widow: A Novel: The Will Trent Series, Book 9 Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 15,165 ratings
Editors' pick Best Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
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WATCH WILL TRENT ON ABC!

New York Times bestselling author Karin Slaughter brings back Will Trent and Sara Linton in this superb and timely thriller full of devious twists, disturbing secrets, and shocking surprises you won’t see coming.

A mysterious kidnapping

On a hot summer night, a scientist from the Centers for Disease Control is grabbed by unknown assailants in a shopping center parking lot. Vanished into thin air, the authorities are desperate to save the doctor.

A devastating explosion

One month later, the serenity of a sunny Sunday afternoon is shattered by the boom of a ground-shaking blast—followed by another seconds later. One of Atlanta’s busiest and most important neighborhoods —the location of Emory University, two major hospitals, the FBI headquarters, and the CDC—has been bombed.

A diabolical enemy

Medical examiner Sara Linton and her partner Will Trent, an investigator with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, rush to the scene—and into the heart of a deadly conspiracy that threatens to destroy thousands of innocent lives. When the assailants abduct Sara, Will goes undercover to save her and prevent a massacre—putting his own life on the line for the woman and the country he loves.

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  1. Listening Length
    16 hours and 41 minutes
  2. Author
    Karin Slaughter
  3. Narrator
    Kathleen Early
  4. Audible release date
    August 20, 2019
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    Blackstone Audio, Inc.
  7. ASIN
    B07NBVSCHC
  8. Version
    Unabridged
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
  10. See all details
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Product details

Listening Length 16 hours and 41 minutes
Author Karin Slaughter
Narrator Kathleen Early
Whispersync for Voice Ready
Audible.com Release Date August 20, 2019
Publisher Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B07NBVSCHC
Best Sellers Rank #1,741 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#25 in Police Procedural Mysteries
#79 in Crime Fiction (Audible Books & Originals)
#143 in Police Procedurals (Books)

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
15,165 global ratings
Great writing; uneven edges on the pages
3 Stars
Great writing; uneven edges on the pages
While the writing of Karen Slaughter is superb, the book itself has uneven rough edges unlike the Stephen King book I got at the same time. Her publisher at William Morris should be ashamed. Stephen King's book on top in the picture has professional smooth edges, but his publisher is Scribner.
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Top reviews from the United States

Mary N. Parker
5.0 out of 5 stars The Last Widow Gives a Window into Home-Grown Terrorism
Reviewed in the United States on May 7, 2024
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Will and Sara stay true to their characters as they fight the bad guys. The plot is not so novel in this novel, but the details and the action are intriguing. As with all of Slaughter’s books, the ending is logical and satisfying without having things turning out too perfect.
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JHSiess
4.0 out of 5 stars Slaughter never disappoints & The Last Widow is no exception
Reviewed in the United States on September 2, 2019
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Karin Slaughter can always be counted on to deliver a fast-paced, inventive, and often timely thriller. And her ninth installment in her popular series featuring Will Trent is no exception.

As the story opens, Will and Sara have taken their relationship to the next level. Although they are not officially living together, they spend all of their time at either Sara's place or Will's. Much to the consternation of Sara's mother, Cathy, who has not yet updated her father, Eddie. A muggy August afternoon finds Will mowing the expansive lawn at the home of Sara's aunt and anticipating lunch with the family. Suddenly, those plans are scuttled when one explosion is followed closely by another. Phone lines are jammed, preventing Will from getting an update from his colleagues so he runs toward the plume of smoke, with Sara close behind in her vehicle.

But they encounter a three-car vehicle collision which is highly suspicious. The men in the second and third vehicles are entirely too forthcoming with information, including their first names -- Dwight, Hank, Merle, Vince, and Clint. Their pseudonyms are based upon country music legends Dwight Yoakam, Hank Williams, Merle Haggard, Vince Gill, and Clint Black. In one of the cars is none other than Michelle Spivey, the CDC scientist who was kidnapped two months prior. Michelle has clearly been abused, and appears broken. When the men learn that Sara is a doctor, they abduct her as her horrified mother watches and Will, having been brutally beaten, is unable to stop them.

In Slaughter's latest tautly-constructed thriller, it soon becomes apparent that those men are part of a much larger, organized network of terrorists with a deadly agenda. transported, along with Michelle, to a remote location, Sara soon realizes that the man called Dwight is the leader -- Dash, a mannered but dangerous fanatic devoted to delivering his "Message" -- "excruciating, unforgiving death" -- to the nation and its citizens. It soon becomes apparent that Dash and his colleagues are part of a paramilitary, white nationalist group known as the Invisible Patriot Army (IPA) whose activities the FBI has been monitoring online and elsewhere. Dash did not found the group but he is the shot-caller, and his leadership has brought focus and organization to the group. Are they somehow connected to Martin Novak, a bank robber who is being held in high-security, protective custody pending sentencing? And if so, how?

Will's injuries are serious, but there is no time for him to recover. His mentor and boss, Amanda, is leading the investigation and giving direction to Faith, Will's partner. Amanda and Faith's mother were partners and best friends. Amanda literally saved Will from a life of crime when he was just eighteen years old. She pushed him to attend college and forced him to join the GBI. Amanda "made it possible for Will to be the kind of man who could be with a woman like Sara." Indeed, the deep connections between Slaughter's characters extend to Sara, their colleague and Faith's best friend. A single parent of a twenty-year-old son and two-year-old daughter, Faith notes that, after her mother, Sara, a former pediatrician, is the person she most trusts to care for her young child.

Sara is held captive at a compound where Dash's associates are engaging in repetitive drills designed to prepare them to breach a secure facility. The compound is populated by women, including Dash's wife, Gwen, and young girls, all of whom dress in long white dresses. There are only very young boys there, but no male teenagers. And Dash presses Sara into service, claiming that many in the camp have fallen victim to a measles outbreak. Most of them are children and Sara must, of course, attempt to help them, but is baffled when they don't respond to treatment. Is it really measles that they are suffering from . . . or something else? And is their mysterious illness somehow related to Dash's plan?

Slaughter's novels are always meticulously researched, bringing authenticity and credibility to her stories, and the frightening plot of <em>The Last Widow</em> could be a contemporary headline. Her books are not for the squeamish. The realistic story includes violence and heartbreaking deaths. The book's pace is relentless, with each new revelation spurring her characters to act quickly as it becomes increasingly clear that Dash will set his plan in motion very soon. The interplay between the various agencies -- GBI, FBI, and CDC -- demonstrates the territoriality and lack of cooperation that can characterize the relationships between bureaucracies. As always, Slaughter's dialogue is crisp, believable, and sometimes hilarious, emphasizing the deep bonds her characters share.

At the center of the story is the deepening relationship between Will and Sara. Their pasts have caused them to proceed cautiously and at the outset, Sara is, at times, frustrated by the difficulty Will has opening up and communicating his feelings to her. With Sara in grace danger, and Will feeling guilty that he was unable to prevent her abduction, he fully evaluates his feelings for her just as she does while confined for seemingly endless hours in the cabin at the compound where Dash is holding her. Their relationship, in Slaughter's capable hands, is endearing, charming, and believable.

The Last Widow is a gripping, contemporary thriller that is likely to cause readers to pay more attention the next time there is a story in the headlines about racist cults. She convincingly demonstrates that we could all be in serious danger, and not realize it until it's too late. Set aside time to read The Last Widow because once you start reading, you won't be able to quit until you reach the satisfying conclusion.

Thanks to Harper Collins Publishers for a copy of the book.
8 people found this helpful
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becky biermann
5.0 out of 5 stars love this series!
Reviewed in the United States on May 5, 2024
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Love Will Trent and the characters of this series.
Great plots that always keep me guessing and not the same old story.
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Pamela Rosen
5.0 out of 5 stars 5* for Nonstop Action & Realistic Portrayals
Reviewed in the United States on August 21, 2019
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I should probably state upfront that I don’t believe I’ve ever read a book by Karin Slaughter that I didn’t enjoy, generally enjoy more than most other authors writing today. I started out w KS when she wrote her very first bestseller Blindsighted, and then blossomed Into super stardom with each succeeding novel. I adored the Grant County bks and, TBH, love the Will Trent Series even more.

She might be the only author for whom I’ve paid full price for every single novel. (And then again, in order to own all her bks on Kindle.)

Slaughter has a style of writing that grips the reader from word one, and draws them into the action taking place, whether what’s happening is good or horrific. And unlike numerous other authors, while you theoretically could read her books out of order, I strongly suggest you not do so, bc her characterization is often key to the rhythm of the novel. While she, of course, gives small explanatory intros in each book so that a reader will have a taste of the character’s past, it’s just not the same as knowing how a character has grown or changed throughout her novels.

In what I consider to be a change of pace, The Last Widow reads more like a Lee Child book than my overall feel for the other books written by Slaughter. It might be the scale of the possible destruction in the book or simply the fact that the book is tackling not only a kidnapping of a major character, but is actually taking on the White Supremacist movement, pedophilia, and incest all at once. I could easily see Jack Reacher falling into a situation like this and going all in to take out the head of the movement while stopping mass destruction as a side note. (He does so in basically every novel.) Seeing Will go through something similar is much more troubling and, in Slaughter’s hands, you can feel the missing heartbeats each time Will or Sarah make a shocking realization or think that they won’t be able to stop such a large destructive force by themselves.

I don’t want to give away any spoilers (what I’ve written is noted in the blurb prior to reading the book) but once I started the novel, I read it straight through and my only disappointment is that now I’ll have to wait another one or two years before KS writes her next novel.

Just for context, she has written a few books where I thought “why was that included?” or “I honestly don’t care about that character, let’s move it along” or even “yes Faith’s life has been difficult, to say the least, but I read these books for Will... why are we dwelling on her love life?” I can honestly state that none of those thoughts (or similar ones) occurred while reading this novel. It was like watching a Jason Bourne movie where the action never stops. No lulls, no gaps, just constant, gut-wrenching action and drama.

While the storyline is a slight departure from the norm, the style in which it’s written is definitely Slaughter-esque and, thus, a delight to devour. The book actually shows certain scenes from each character’s POV, and the timeline is like a ticking clock in the reader’s mind. Most KS books will show that a day has passed - Monday, Tuesday, etc. - but this book is written with specific time given for every chapter.

And probably part of why I enjoyed the book so much: it focuses much time on Will and Sarah’s relationship, seeing how both of them view where they stand in their relationship, and (something almost never seen before) it both shows Will’s internal struggles with his emotions, most especially his emotions for Sarah, as well as giving Will an outlet for speaking about that (generally) forbidden topic. Even with a harrowing concussion and various other injuries, Will pushes forward, unwilling to admit even to himself how hurt he is physically in order to fix things before they explode (literally) in front of his eyes. And perhaps it’s the concussion itself that weakens Will to a point wherein he’ll speak aloud about how he’s feeling, but it’s still a major step in Will’s development of a positive relationship, the first in his lifetime.

Now a different clock is ticking... the one that continues until a new KS book arrives!
5 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars GOOD CONDITION
Reviewed in the United States on April 22, 2024
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NO DISLIKE
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Top reviews from other countries

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Glenda L Hounshell
5.0 out of 5 stars good read
Reviewed in Canada on September 21, 2023
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good book, need to know some background before reading this book.
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Des Murray
5.0 out of 5 stars Very enjoyable read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 4, 2024
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Great read from this amazing author
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Karine D.
1.0 out of 5 stars As a fan of Karin Slaughter, I didn't finish this book
Reviewed in the Netherlands on September 29, 2021
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Ok, so I'm a fan of Karin Slaughter since her first book. Through the years I started to miss the "old" writing style, the character developments and the empathy that seeped through every line.
But still, I persevered because it's Karin Slaughter after all.
I had high hopes, but what a disappointment this book is! It almost felt as this is written by someone else. The style is gone, the multilayered characters have made place for details about guns and warfare.
This is not a book about people and their motives and psychology, but about physical damage, terrorism and police-FBI politics.
From the first chapters on, I was devastated. What was that all about inheriting a house, where mother and aunt decide who gets the house and who will have to live above the garage? Seriously?

I certainly miss Sara and Will, but I just couldn't keep up reading and I gave up after 25% - what a shame.
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Ana Luísa
5.0 out of 5 stars INCRÍVEL
Reviewed in Brazil on February 29, 2020
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Como pode uma história relativamente sem surpresas ser sensacional? 😱 ❤
Desta vez, o que Karin Slaughter traz é uma excelente reflexão sobre a ascensão da extrema direita higienista. Impecável!
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daniel danoffre
4.0 out of 5 stars Cats and dogs
Reviewed in France on August 5, 2019
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Superb. A bit disappointing at the end.
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