Georgia Bureau of Investigation agent Will Trent is undercover in Macon, hoping to finally corner elusive criminal mastermind Big Whitey. The notorious high-level drug dealer uses the same blueprint in every town he moves in on, infiltrating the local drug scene, injecting plenty of cash, and retaining a retinue of first-rate lawyers. The result? A bunch of low-level thugs are turned into businessmen, and crime goes up while prosecutions go down. Will crosses paths with Detective Lena Adams, whom he had previously investigated for reckless conduct and who has just endured a brutal raid on a dealer’s house that saw multiple gunshot victims on both sides of the law. Meanwhile, Will’s relationship with Sara Linton deepens, although he must face his own intimacy issues, which are the result of years of abuse suffered while in foster care. Slaughter plunges readers into the action from the get-go with her electrifying ability to write suspenseful, riveting confrontations between cops and criminals, all while deepening the backstories of her longtime series leads. Another intense read, on multiple levels, from the ever-reliable Slaughter. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: The eighth entry in Karin Slaughter’s best-selling Will Trent series is backed up by a national advertising campaign, including a tie-in to Save the Libraries events. --Joanne Wilkinson