Karin Slaughter: Will Trent, Grant County, and How the Two Series Connect

Karin Slaughter is one of the most consistent thriller writers working today. Since 2001 she has built two series set in Georgia — the Grant County books and the Will Trent books — that eventually cross over into a shared world.

Here’s how to read them.

The Two Series

Grant County — Set in the fictional small town of Heartsdale, Georgia. Follows coroner Sara Linton and Police Chief Jeffrey Tolliver. Dark, character-driven, emotionally devastating. Published 2001–2008, 6 novels.

Will Trent — Set in Atlanta, following Georgia Bureau of Investigation agent Will Trent, a dyslexic detective with a difficult past and exceptional instincts. His partner is Faith Mitchell; pathologist Sara Linton crosses over from the Grant County series. Published 2006–present.

The Reading Order Question

You can read the Will Trent series without reading Grant County first. Slaughter designed Will Trent as a standalone series.

However, reading Grant County first changes the Will Trent experience significantly. Sara Linton is a central character in both series, and her emotional state in the Will Trent books is directly shaped by what happens in the Grant County novels. Going straight to Will Trent, you’d miss why Sara is the way she is.

Recommended Approach for New Readers

Option A — Most Rewarding:

1. Read all 6 Grant County novels in order
2. Begin Will Trent from Book 1

Option B — Will Trent First:

1. Read Will Trent from Book 1
2. Read Grant County if you want Sara’s backstory

Option C — Combined chronological order: Slaughter has suggested a combined reading order on her website that interleaves the two series by publication date. This works particularly well from Book 3 of Will Trent onwards.

Grant County Reading Order

1. Blindsighted (2001)

2. Kisscut (2002)
3. A Faint Cold Fear (2003)
4. Indelible (2004)
5. Faithless (2005)
6. Beyond Reach (2007)

Start with Blindsighted. It introduces Sara and Jeffrey, establishes Heartsdale, and contains one of the most viscerally effective opening sequences in crime fiction. It is also very dark — Slaughter doesn’t soften what happens.

Will Trent Reading Order

The complete Will Trent series starts with Triptych (2006). Will Trent himself appears fully formed: private, damaged, brilliant. Faith Mitchell arrives in Book 2 as his partner.

The Will Trent Amazon Prime series (2023–) has introduced the character to a new audience. The show is lighter in tone than the books and changes some backstory details, but captures Will’s essential character well.

The TV Adaptation

Amazon’s Will Trent (2023–) has become one of the more successful crime adaptations in recent years. Significant differences from the books:

• Will’s dyslexia is handled differently on screen vs the novels
• The tone is warmer and funnier than Slaughter’s writing
• Sara Linton appears in a modified form
• Some character relationships are restructured

If you came to the books via the show, the Grant County series in particular will surprise you — it’s significantly darker and more unsparing than anything on screen.

A Word on the Darkness

Slaughter is not for every reader. Her crime novels deal with violence against women with an unflinching directness that some readers find powerful and others find too much. She’s made a deliberate authorial choice to not look away from the reality of what her plots involve. Be aware of this before you start Blindsighted specifically.