If you’re trying to read the Will Trent books in order, I’d stick with publication order. Karin Slaughter usually writes each mystery so you can follow the case on its own, but Will, Angie, Faith, Amanda, and Sara all carry a lot of history from book to book.
That matters even more once the series crosses into Slaughter’s Grant County books. You don’t need to read Grant County first to understand Will Trent, but it does give Sara Linton’s story a lot more weight.
Below is the complete Will Trent reading order, including the novels and the short stories that feature Will. The third book, Undone, is also published as Genesis in some editions.
Jump to:
- Will Trent Books in Order
- Should You Read Grant County Before Will Trent?
- Is There a Will Trent TV Show?
- Where to Start After Watching the Will Trent TV Show
- Who Is Will Trent?
Will Trent Books in Order
The simplest way to read Will Trent is in publication order. The short stories are included directly in the main list, so you can read every Will Trent story in sequence or skip them and stick to the novels.
- Triptych (2006)
- Fractured (2008)
- Undone (2009) (Also titled Genesis)
- Broken (2010)
- Fallen (2011)
- Snatched (2012) (Short Story)
- Criminal (2012)
- Busted (2013) (Short Story)
- Unseen (2013)
- The Kept Woman (2016)
- Cleaning the Gold (2019) (Short Story)
- The Last Widow (2019)
- The Silent Wife (2020)
- After That Night (2023)
- This Is Why We Lied (2024)
The short stories are optional, but they’re worth including if you want the full Will Trent experience. Snatched is connected to Criminal, Busted is connected to Unseen, and Cleaning the Gold is a Will Trent and Jack Reacher crossover written by Karin Slaughter and Lee Child.
Should You Read Grant County Before Will Trent?
You don’t have to read Grant County before Will Trent, but it’s worth considering if you’re reading Karin Slaughter for the first time.
Sara Linton begins in the Grant County series, then becomes an important part of Will Trent starting with Undone. If you start with Triptych, you’ll still understand Will’s story. If you read Grant County first, Sara’s role has more emotional weight.
My advice is simple: read Grant County first if you want the full Karin Slaughter order. Start with Triptych if you came here for Will Trent and don’t want to pause for another series.
You can find the broader order in my Karin Slaughter books in order guide.
Is There a Will Trent TV Show?
Yes. ABC’s Will Trent television series is based on Karin Slaughter’s books and stars Ramón Rodríguez as Will Trent. The cast also includes Erika Christensen as Angie Polaski, Iantha Richardson as Faith Mitchell, Jake McLaughlin as Michael Ormewood, and Sonja Sohn as Amanda Wagner.
The show doesn’t follow the books as a strict book-by-book adaptation. The characters and setup will feel familiar, but the show makes its own choices with cases, timing, and relationships.
Where to Start After Watching the Will Trent TV Show
If you found the books through the TV show, start with Triptych. That’s the first Will Trent novel and the best place to meet the book version of Will.
Just go in expecting differences. The show is inspired by the books, but it isn’t trying to match the novels scene for scene. If you want Sara Linton’s full background before she becomes a major part of Will’s world, read Grant County before Undone.
Who Is Will Trent?
Will Trent is a special agent with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. He’s brilliant at his job, but his childhood in the care system left scars that follow him through the series.
Will can be awkward, guarded, and difficult to read, which is part of what makes him such a strong lead. He notices things other people miss, and he often sees cases from angles no one else would consider.
His relationship with Angie Polaski is one of the most complicated threads in the books. They’ve known each other since childhood, and their connection is messy, painful, and hard to shake. Faith Mitchell, Amanda Wagner, and Sara Linton also become major parts of the series, which is another reason I’d read the Will Trent books in order.
Looking for similar books in order?
If you want more thriller authors and reading-order guides like this one, start with my Thriller Books in Order index.