I love this series and this author. This new book is no exception. It was amazing. In Criminal, we learn a lot about the parents of GBI Investigator Will Trent. And Will finally gets some of the answers he's been looking for. He learns a little more about the strange relationship he has with his boss Amanda Wagner.
This story is told in two parts. Two crimes that take place 30 years apart. Both involving Will and Amanda. Atlanta, 1975, women are not a welcome or wanted part of the Atlanta Police Department. Amanda Wagner and Evelyn Mitchell (Wills partner Faith's mother) are among the first females promoted to detective. Its obvious that the author has done her homework in regards to the living and working conditions of the 1970's. It is very well written. Amanda and Evelyn are sent to check out the rape of a prostitute in a very bad neighborhood. Things are not adding up. It seems they have been on a wild goose chase. They want to know why, so they start investigating on their own. Which really angers the two bullies who are working a murder of another prostitute in the same building. Their investigation, leads them to several missing prostitutes, two of which turn up dead.
Present day Atlanta. Will is being held back from working a high profile case which is unusual. Amanda Wagner wants Will nowhere near this case. He learns That his father has been paroled after serving 30 years of a life sentence. And now girls are going missing again.
This story is told in alternating chapters. We start out in 1975 and switch to present day, then back to the original story. Both crimes are being told parallel of each other. It was a bit confusing at first, there are A LOT of characters to keep track of and some of the characters from the past are also still around in the present day case. It gets easier as the book goes on.
On a personal front for Will, he's having a hard time. He has been assigned the dreaded airport duty, he's being kept off of one of the biggest cases going on in Atlanta, his boss will not speak to him or give him any answers. He wants to get closer to his girlfriend doctor Sarah Linton. But as he learns more about suspect in these disappearances he closes himself off from everyone. Including Sarah. Sarah wonders if she can be with a man who cannot be honest with her and open up to her. And to make matters worse, Will's estranged wife Angie shows up again.
The two cases come together in the end and questions are answered. The bad guy is taken care of, a bit anti-climactic, but this, I think will lead into the next book. And Will learns more about himself than he's ever known.
I liked this story, learning Will's history was interesting. A story that needed to be told. I do have to caution anyone thinking of reading this book. While it is a great story, what this villain does, is graphic, extreme and disturbing. I've never read anything like this before.