Triptych by Karin Slaughter. New York: Delacorte Press, 2006. 193 pages, $25 (cloth).

Reviewed by Pam Schmaltz of Bowling Green

As fans of her Grant County series know, Karin Slaughter is not an author for the squeamish. Slaughter writes about rapists, murderers and pedophiles. She takes us places we’d rather not visit in person.

In &#8220Triptych,” Slaughter creates a stand-alone police procedural set in Atlanta, told from several characters’ points of view.

On a cold February evening, Detective Michael Ormewood is called to investigate the rape and murder of a prostitute in an Atlanta housing project. Job-weary, struggling with a handicapped child and a troubled marriage, Ormewood soon finds himself unwillingly teamed with Special Agent Will Trent from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. The mysterious Agent Trent’s involvement in the investigation stems from similarities to other cases, but there are confusing differences as well. Although Ormewood initially seems worthy of our empathy, Slaughter shows the cracks in his facade: his battles with inner demons and his all-too-human lack of self-control.

After the case takes an alarming turn close to home for Ormewood, Slaughter introduces Jonathan Shelley, convicted 20 years ago of the rape and murder of a 15-year-old girl. As we see the world through Shelley’s eyes, we wonder whether Shelley is related to what Trent and Ormewood are investigating now. Was Shelley merely guilty of poor judgment as a teenager, or was he guilty of a much more heinous crime?

Slaughter’s deft character development leads us to empathize with Shelley and his struggles to integrate into society as an ex-convict. Her stark portrayal of prison life through Shelley’s eyes will make most readers squirm.

In &#8220Triptych,” nothing is as it first appears, and Slaughter leaves the reader questioning everything as the novel progresses. What sets &#8220Triptych” apart is Slaughter’s ability to craft complex characters with undesirable, as well as redeeming, qualities.

That, plus some interesting plot twists, keeps the reader glued to its pages. The alternating points of view in the novel may be confusing for some readers, but the beauty of Slaughter’s pacing and character development skills more than compensates.

Fans of the Grant County series will find &#8220Triptych” a worthy addition to Slaughter’s body of work and may even spot a reference to the hostage situation in Slaughter’s previous novel, &#8220Indelible.”