Question R

[Jonetta]

Any other topics you’d like to discuss? Your overall opinion of the story?

[Sharon]

I loved this story. I was on pins and needles from the start. I followed the team solving the Daynes' murders. The procedural was well done and kept me guessing.

Symes story line was stressful. I tried to wrap my head around where Marsons was going to take the story. I went back and forth thinking if Kim was going to live or die. Jeffrey Tolliver was on my mind. I remember Karin Slaughter saying she needed to take the story in another direction. I thought that Marsons may be thinking the same. I believe that Kim has a lot of story left to tell, but I felt the same about Jeffrey. You never know what authors have up their sleeves.

[Jonetta]

Oh, that’s an interesting connection to the Grant County series! I know Marsons just negotiated a new book deal so it could have gone the same way as Jeffrey. Symes was über scary in the first book and he was worse here. I kept stopping because the suspense was killing me. When Edna was found and saved, it gave me new breath.

The Daynes case was fascinating and, like you, I just followed the investigation. The procedurals were excellent.

[Lisa - (Aussie Girl)]

Nuh, I knew Kim wasn't a goner. Interesting parallel to Grant County but this series is much more around Kim. I don't think without her it could go on. And she'd already killed off Dawson. Somehow Grant County had a more ensemble cast and even though Jeffrey's loss was devasting there was enough there in the other characters to continue on. And just get more awesome with Will Trent. 😍

Really enjoyed this instalment though. The return of Leanne was great and worked well.

[Jonetta]

I’ll remind you that the Grant County series ended with Jeffrey. He was the anchor, as he was for most fans. The backlash was brutal.

[Lisa - (Aussie Girl)]

That's interesting, I always felt that Grant County was a more of an ensemble with Sara and Lena taking equal billing. Because I read them later and was able to go straight into the Will Trent series and read the next six books the plot twist worked amazingly well. Maybe if I'd had to wait one or two years I would have been more shocked.

[Jonetta]

Slaughter didn’t originally intend for Will Trent to be a spinoff. Sara doesn’t show up until book #3, which was a little over two years later. She wrote a powerful letter to her fans explaining her choices.

I hadn’t read any of her books but the members of our mystery groups on Shelfari went ballistic at the time. They didn’t elaborate for fear of spoilers but felt they’d been betrayed.

Personally, from book to book in GC, Jeffrey had to grow on me and I always felt he was the central character because he connected everyone together. He, Sara and Lena felt like the main characters; everyone else secondary. But, Jeffrey was the tie. Without Jeffrey, Sara and Lena had no purpose with each other. It’s why she moved back to Atlanta. The series couldn’t go on without him.

[Lisa - (Aussie Girl)]

Wow, don't people get passionate about book series. Jeffrey did grow on me as well but as it all turned out the worlds evolved into such a addictive reading experience. Even if the author hadn't planned it originally that way. Suppose it shows how good an author Karin Slaughter is. Even though I find her work very dark at times.

It got me thinking about main characters dying or being killed in classic stories. I remember as a kid I sobbed in Little Women when Beth died also in Seven Little Australians when Judy was killed by a falling branch. So even back then major characters did die.

Thanks for the discussion Jonetta, really enjoying it.

[Jonetta]

Oh, I had the same reaction about Little Women, too! I was traumatized as I was very young when I read that book.

I’ve enjoyed the discussion, too, Lisa. I wasn’t one of those readers blindsided by GC, though I didn’t know exactly what the controversial ending would be. I tried to imagine how readers who were reading each book close to the release day felt. Probably how bereft we felt about Kevin. I had come to adore Jeffrey so I felt that pain but not the betrayal.

I always think it’s very brave of an author to take such risks, especially those who work so hard to stay true to a character. I’m just glad Marsons didn’t think it was Kim’s time😏

[Sharon]

I remember Little Women too. That was the first time I cried when a character died in a book.

I loved Jeffrey too, after a couple of books. I remember being upset when Jeffrey died, but some of the comments I read were over the top. I can't hate an author because they take a storyline in one direction or the other, especially someone as gifted as KS.

It is brave for an author to go down a different path. I remember Nora Roberts saying something like "I write my stories the way I think the characters will act. Everyone won't like everything I write. If they aren't happy, then they can write their book." This isn't even close to a direct quote, but it is the gist of her comment.

A lot of authors aren't that confident. I'm always surprised when I see an author ask fans on FB what they want to happen next. I feel like the books don't belong to the author anymore.

[Jonetta]

I so agree, Sharon! I evaluate a story based on the author’s ability to immerse me into a character’s skin and plot. I don’t overlay my own notions of how they should be. If an author can take me there, make me visualize a character completely, that’s my idea of good writing. I never want to tell them how or what to write.

When I develop these discussion questions, I’m completely into the story and character. The things I set up for discussion are those things I imagine occurred to the characters or those around them. It’s hard to do when the book didn’t “take me there.”

Slaughter and Marsons are examples of authors who not only “take me there” but thrust me completely out of my own world.

[Lisa - (Aussie Girl)]

Well said, Jonetta.

[Lynn]

I agree with all of the points made above even though I haven't read Karen Slaughter.

Angela Marsons has shown that she is willing to take her characters new directions when she wrote in the death of Dawson and added Penn to the team. With her new book contract, I would imagine that she is thinking of new directions to take this story.