Triptych by Karin Slaughter

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⭐ Book Review: Triptych by Karin Slaughter (5/5 Stars!)

👉 Grab your copy of Triptych on Amazon 📚

🚨 Trigger Warnings

This book includes:

  • Graphic murder & violence

  • Sexual assault (including in prison)

  • Child sexual abuse references

  • Domestic violence

  • Strong language & disturbing imagery

If any of these are sensitive topics for you, go in with caution!

My Take 📝

What an exciting detective novel! Set in my very own stomping grounds (Atlanta, Georgia 🍑🏙️), Triptych sucked me in from page one and didn’t let go. Karin Slaughter does what she does best: twisty crimes, gritty characters, and just enough Southern grit to keep you sweating.

I loved the characters here, especially Will Trent and Angie Polaski. They’re quirky, complicated, and endlessly entertaining. Watching their messy, trauma-bonded relationship play out was like seeing two magnets keep clanking together and then pushing apart again. 🔄

Fun fact: I’d watched the first couple of episodes of the Will Trent TV show before reading this — and let me just say, the book blows the show out of the water. No contest. Sorry, Hollywood. 🎬🚫

5 out of 5 stars, no hesitation. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

📖 Spoiler-Filled Plot Summary

(Skip this if you don’t want the juicy details — but let’s be real, you came here for the spoilers 😏)

The novel kicks off with a 1985 newspaper clipping about the murder of 15-year-old Mary Alice Feeney. Her friend John Shelley was convicted and spent 20 years in prison, but things are never as simple as they look…

Fast forward to 2006:

  • Detective Michael Ormewood (a Gulf War vet with major baggage) investigates the brutal murder of Aleesha Monroe, a sex worker in Atlanta. Her tongue has been bitten off. Gross.

  • Enter Will Trent, GBI agent, quiet and mysterious, and not exactly Michael’s favorite partner. He suspects a serial predator at work.

  • We meet Angie Polaski, Will’s complicated, on-again-off-again foster-care flame who ALSO has history with Michael. Messy doesn’t even begin to cover it. 💔

Meanwhile, John Shelley is finally out of prison. He’s trying to start fresh but quickly realizes his cousin Woody (who now goes by Michael 👀) has stolen his identity and is committing horrific crimes under his name.

Things unravel FAST:

  • Michael/“Woody” is revealed to be a violent pedophile, rapist, and murderer.

  • He manipulates everyone, abuses his wife Gina, and preys on underage girls like neighbor Cynthia (who tragically dies after a fall… and then Michael frames John by planting evidence).

  • Angie, undercover as a sex worker named Robin, gets entangled with John while investigating.

  • Will and Angie piece together Michael’s depravity just as he kidnaps Angie and a young girl named Jasmine and takes them to his creepy Tennessee cabin.

The final showdown is brutal:

  • Angie and Jasmine are trapped in a cellar lined with glass (because Michael is sadistic like that).

  • Angie manages to fight back, stabbing Michael during an attack.

  • Will and John arrive just in time to save Jasmine (with John literally doing CPR to bring her back).

  • Michael dies (good riddance 🪦).

In the aftermath:

  • John confronts his aunt Lydia, who had knowingly protected Woody and let John rot in prison. She’s still in denial. 🙄

  • Will and Angie circle back to their complicated relationship — equal parts love, trauma, and chaos.

  • And Will adopts a little chihuahua 🐶 (yes, the hardened detective gets a tiny dog, and it’s adorable).

Why You Should Read Triptych

If you like:
✔️ Dark, gritty thrillers
✔️ Flawed but lovable detectives
✔️ Twists that keep you guessing
✔️ A side of Southern noir vibes

…then this book is absolutely worth your time. Karin Slaughter doesn’t hold back, and honestly? That’s why I’ll keep going with the Will Trent series.

Similar Books You Might Enjoy 📚

If you loved Triptych, check out these too:

👉 Find Triptych on Amazon here

💬 So — are you Team Will Trent TV show or Team Book is Better? (Spoiler: I’m Team Book 100%). Drop your thoughts below!

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