How to read Karin Slaughter's Will Trent books in order

When Will Trent premiered on ABC in early 2023, not much was expected of it. Thankfully, the show took off with its great drive, good storytelling, and the performance of Ramón Rodriguez as the title character. Adapting the Karin Slaughter novels, Will Trent was an orphan raised in foster care and became a top agent of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. 

Known for his slick dress style, wry sense of humor, and eccentric attitude, Will hides the fact that he’s also dyslexic. He uses his unique mind to piece together clues to solve various crimes and tackle conspiracies. 

The series was a huge hit to earn a second season which aired earlier in 2024. Season 3 will premiere in 2025 and should continue its run as Will recovers from having to arrest his on and off again lover Angie (Erika Christensen), an Atlanta cop, for covering up a crime scene. 

The show does have differences from the Slaughter books, the biggest being how the book Trent is described as white and rather muscular, a far cry from Rodriguez. Likewise, his partner Faith and boss Amanda are white in the books, and Ormewood is portrayed as a brutal, corrupt cop rather than the likeable guy on the series. There’s also how the books are far darker and more serious compared to the light-hearted tone of the show. 

Still, fans may want to enjoy the books to get a better feel for the live-action adaptation, so what order to you read the books in? Here's what we know!

The Will Trent books in order

The series began with 2006’s Triptych, although it’s not quite a Will Trent novel. The focus is more on Ormewood and Angie investigating a killer, and it looks like they’d be the stars of the series. Will enters midway through to slowly take over. 

Realizing how popular Will was with readers, Slaughter made him the star of the second book, Fractured, which also introduced Faith. From there, each novel works as a stand-alone story you can enjoy on its own yet have fun seeing Will develop.

The books in publication order:

1. Triptych (2006)
2. Fractured (2008)
3. Undone (2009) - Also known as Genesis
4. Broken (2010)
5. Fallen (2011)
5.5. Snatched (2012) - Novella
6. Criminal (2012)
6.5. Busted (2013) - Novella
7. Unseen (2013)
8. The Kept Woman (2016)
8.5. Cleaning the Gold (2019) - with Lee Child
9. The Last Widow (2019)
10. The Silent Wife (2020)
11. After That Night (2023)
12. This Is Why We Lied (2024)

Book 3, Undone, is interesting as it brings in Sarah Linton, the main heroine of Slaughter’s Grant County series. Sarah ends up becoming Will’s girlfriend and a regular character in the books from then on. As for when, or if, she'll become a part of the TV series, that's still up in the air though the Will Trent show co-showrunners have been discussing Sara. They said as much in an interview with TVLine after the season 2 finale:

"I think that the door is open for someone new to come into his life [in season 3]. We have to talk about it, and we have to talk about it with ABC — like, there’s a logistical question here: Do we want to bring in the endgame now? Or is it interesting to find somebody [else for now]? We have to be careful about that. We have to be careful about what that does to the ecosystem of the show. We need to be thoughtful about that."

- Liz Heldens

"There are two things to consider, one is that Sara Linton is a great character for television, right? So to just have her come into our show in a moment where Will needs a romantic interest, I feel like both [Liz and I] spend time chewing on this idea that maybe there is a bigger role for Sara. But also, we both kind of know that she’s the endgame for Will in the books. At this point in Will’s life, I don’t know if he’s ready for that, and there are so many opportunities for exploration in other directions."

- Daniel Thomsen

Also of note is Cleaning the Gold, a short novella co-written with Lee Child, where Trent ends up working with Child’s own popular character, Jack Ryan (who has his own his own Prime Video series). 

So, for fans of Will Trent, this is a good guide to how to enjoy his original book adventures, and even if they differ from the show, it’s still interesting to read the source material.

Will Trent season 3 premieres in 2025. Stay tuned to Americans Undercover for coverage. Follow us on X and Facebook for more content!