Fallen

By: Karin Slaughter

Narrated by: Shannon Cochran

Length: 13 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's Summary

There's no police training stronger than a cop's instinct. Faith Mitchell's mother isn't answering her phone. Her front door is open. There's a bloodstain above the knob. Her infant daughter is hidden in a shed behind the house. All that the Georgia Bureau of Investigations taught Faith Mitchell goes out the window when she charges into her mother's house, gun drawn. She sees a man dead in the laundry room. She sees a hostage situation in the bedroom. What she doesn't see is her mother. When the hostage situation turns deadly, Faith is left with too many questions, not enough answers. To find her mother, she'll need the help of her partner, Will Trent, and they'll both need the help of trauma doctor Sara Linton. But Faith isn't just a cop anymore--she's a witness. She's also a suspect. The thin blue line hides police corruption, bribery, even murder. Faith will have to go up against the people she respects the most in order to find her mother and bring the truth to light--or bury it forever.

Karin Slaughter's most exhilarating novel yet is a thrilling journey through the heart and soul, where the personal and the criminal collide, and conflicted loyalties threaten to destroy reputations and ruin lives. It is the work of a master of the thriller at the top of her game, and a whirlwind of unrelenting suspense.

©2011 Karin Slaughter (P)2011 AudioGO

Gripping Story, Revelations of the Past

Several months ago I wrote a review of "Criminal," the 6th book in the Will Trent series, calling it the best of the series so far. It turns out that I may have made a slight misstatement. You see, I had read "Criminal" out of order. I had not at that time listened to "Fallen." Now I have to amend my statement to say that "Criminal" is ONE of the best of the series. "Fallen" is the other best book of the series.

In "Fallen," Slaughter began the process of revealing the history of the generation of women who were the first female detectives on the Atlanta police force, a process which was continued in "Criminal." The plot centers on the kidnapping and torture of Faith Mitchell's mother, a retired high-ranking detective. As things develop, the reader, along with Faith, Will, and others, learn more about the history of Faith and her mother, and her mother's contemporaries in the Atlanta PD and the State Police. And this development of back story provides an excellent background for a reading of "Criminal," the next book of the series.

Like all of Karin Slaughter's Will Trent books, the story is taut, gripping, and sometimes gutwrenching. She makes you really care and worry about the characters. And she keeps many of the plot developments well hidden until they burst into sight. These books make for a tense, sometimes bloody, but enjoyable read.

Shannon Chochran does an excellent job of narration.

12 of 12 people found this review helpful

Starts stong and loses steam...

There's much that's good in this book. The characters are interesting and beautifully drawn. The plot chugs along at a steady pace.

Why didn't I like it more?

I'm not sure. I found that midway through this story that my interest was flagging. With police procedurals I often find this is where my interest is keenest.

The story seems to lose its way a little, buried under flashbacks and subplots that serve to create just enough confusion to make me a little bored. What I'm saying is that the focus doesn't sharpen as the story continues. On the contrary.

There are many better crime novels...but this one isn't BAD. It's just...meh.

14 of 15 people found this review helpful

Another winner!

I absolutely love both of Karin Slaughter's series and this book merges the two! This is the best audiobook I've listened to yet. The story was amazing, and the narration was perfect. The narrator's southern accent is just right, not over the top like some books I've listened to. The subtle differences when she does the older female characters was so dead-on!
The author is so compassionate with her characters that I am able to relate to every single one. The mystery in this book is not the most plausible one yet, but defintely entertaining, tense, and unpredictable.
If you haven't read (or listened to) Karen Slaughter before, I would recommend starting from the beginning. This book can stand alone, but it gives away a lot about the previous books and is even better if you already know the characters from her previous work.

11 of 12 people found this review helpful

I wanted to like this.

I had been a Karin Slaughter fan, but this was a real disappointment. It's hard to explain in detail without giving away any spoilers, but we are led down various rabbit holes of police corruption and drug dealer wars to a forced, contrived ending. I was startled to realize, toward the end, that the events in the book all happened in a 48 hour period - it felt much longer. I was tired of everybody in this book by the time it ended.

It didn't help that the reader was horrible, but of course, she was following the way the characters were written - why did Faith's nearly 20 year old college student son suddenly sound (and act) like a whiny 10 year old? Why did another character, also 20, sound like an old man with a hint of an utterly inexplicable Mexican movie villain accent? Between the muddled plot and the awful reader, this was very disappointing - I've read all of Karin Slaughter's previous books, but after the oddly disappointing Broken and now this weirdness, I think she's lost me.

23 of 26 people found this review helpful

A shoot 'em up romance in the end...

Okay, Triptych, Unseen and Criminal were all home runs. Undone was good, a double, good for 4 stars. Fallen is a sacrifice fly, though not a strikeout.

The characters are engaging, Slaughter's writing is so charismatic that I feel like I live in Grant County Georgia. Once again, Will Trent is the understated, underestimated and thoughtful detective I appreciate. This story focuses on his partner, Faith Mitchell, feisty and relationally irresponsible, but still a good cop. Her mother is Evelyn Mitchell, a retired cop is kidnapped. (She was easily my favorite character in the blockbuster "Criminal." In my opinion the best in the series)

The mystery is not only by whom but why? Was her mom a dirty cop? Does she have a stash tucked away? It kept me listening.

Disappointment set in regarding believability and in the motives of the involved parties. Nevertheless there is no way I could've guessed the ending.

A solid 3 star from a reviewer who is liberal with his praise.

11 of 13 people found this review helpful

Now One Of My Favorites!

I really, really enjoyed this book. I was just sick when Jeffery was killed off the story line and have been skeptical since, but Karin Slaughter has done a great job building the relationships and explaining the loyalty between the characters. There are so many tangents in this story but it is very easy to follow and the build up of the relationship between Sara & Will was heartwarming. I couldn't stop listening, and sad when the book ended, I didn't want to let go. I can't wait for the next book....I wish it was out yesterday! Great read / listen. Enjoy

27 of 33 people found this review helpful

Chic lit meets crime

I stopped listening to this book after about three hours because I could not take it anymore. I love crime books, and they don't always have to be "deep" to draw me in, but this - my first Karen Slaughter - was beyond what I was willing to spend my time on. Maybe, if I had been on a really long, intercontinental flight I would have stayed with it, because Slaughter knows how to create some suspense. But the writing is so shallow and the characters are so bland that I did not want to stay with this story. Besides, the author has taken a lot of logical shortcuts that simply don't make sense and are not being explained which to me just smells of laziness. As a reader I don't mind following you to unlikely places, but you have to guide me there, rather than just saying "there was an alarm and when they turned around X was dead" (I condensed this a little) without further explaining what just happened. I will return this book.

As for the reader and the production: I felt that this was sub-par as well. You can basically hear the cuts where the reader had a break, returned to the recording but wasn't able to get the voice quite right.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Not the best in the series

As the series progresses you learn more about the history of Amanda Wagner.

I've found my friends either love or hate, no middle ground. I enjoy the series despite the overall depressing feel.

This book is as melancholy as the rest with the same over dramatic tone at times. However, I found it a little annoying with respect to the handling of Faith's diabetes. I found it a little disrespectful, but can't really articulate why.

The story was good though, character development moved nicely and though I read it out of order I wouldn't have felt lost had as a new reader to the series.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Least Favorite Will Trent - Bad Narrator

I did not like Shannon Cochran's performance in this book. She was so off when it came to capturing Will Trent's tones and mannerisms. She made him playful and cute in a comedian sort of way which I didn't like one bit. Her read ruined the book for me. Thank god for Criminal because I would have been negative about the whole series which I really enjoyed. Too bad they made such an awful choice...if it ever gets re-recorded I would have a man read it, reverting back to the sex of the first two books narrators.

5 of 6 people found this review helpful

Well written, but I'm not a "romance" fan

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

Not much ... I'm just not a fan of the romance genre.

What could Karin Slaughter have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

She writes well. The mystery was intriguing, but the "romance" in the scene between Sara and Trent seemed forced. Characters' traits seemed to be inconsistent.

Would you be willing to try another one of Shannon Cochran’s performances?

Probably --- depending on the author and genre

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Disappointment -- from the storyline I didn't expect it to read like a second-rate romance.

Any additional comments?

I'll try another Slaughter story -- but will borrow one from the library before first spending any more money on this author.

5 of 6 people found this review helpful