Karin Slaughter | Faithless (Grant County #5)

Book spoilers ahead–if you haven’t yet read Faithless, I suggest you turn back now.

The dead girl in the woods was Abby Ward, whose family owned a farm and a church whose practices bordered cultish. She was found in a box with a small pipe for air, and had died from cyanide poisoning.

Cole Connelly, the crazy old man from the religious farm, had put the girls in the boxes. It was to “give them some time out so that they could be born again” when he felt they were being led astray. He said the lord was telling him to do it. He swore he didn’t mean to kill her and that none of the other had ever died. While Jeffrey was questioning him, he died of cyanide poisoning right in front of Jeffrey. His coffee was poisoned, and Jeffrey got the impression that Cole knew who had done it as he died.

Cole had implied that Abby’s baby was Chip’s. When Jeffrey and Lena searched Cole’s house, they found baggies of drugs labeled with the names of people from the farm.

Sara went to Brock’s to drop off Abby’s funeral paperwork, and Brock told her that nine people had died on the farm in the last two years. The church paid for all their cremations, and Paul Ward collected all their death certificates–he was collecting on their life insurance.

The Reveal:

Terry Stanley was related to the Wards. She and her husband Dale lived next door to the Wards, and he was abusing Terry. When Jeffery and Lena questioned Terry, they found out that Paul had been in town the night Abby died, and that he had often been in Dale’s garage alone. Dale had cyanide from something to do with the cars he worked on (plating metal?).

Rebecca Bennett was hiding in a boarded up room in Terry’s house. Abby had left her evidence she found of Paul cashing out the insurance policies. Paul had been telling Cole to punish the girls and letting him do the dirty work.

Terry mentioned that Cole was Abby’s baby’s father.

Jeffrey left Terry’s house to question Lev, but Lena stayed. Paul showed up, assuming that Terry was hiding Rebecca. Paul tried to take Terry’s son Tim as a hostage, but Terry grabbed onto him and wouldn’t let go. Paul accidentally shot Terry in the face as he was trying to get away. Terry was just barely alive, but she said “I did it” and “I got away” before she died.

Everyone knew that Paul was behind the deaths, but he was very good at keeping his hands clean so that nothing could be pinned on him. It was left inconclusive, but the hope was that his family would testify against him to make the charges stick.

The Ending:

Sara decided to marry Jeffrey again. Lena planted Nan’s gun on Ethan in hopes of getting him arrested so that she’d be free of him.

The Title:

This is likely an obvious reference to the religious cult.

Questions:

What the heck is up with all these suspects/victims dying right in front of the main characters? It happens almost every book!

Blindsighted: Julia Matthews shot herself in front of Lena
Kisscut: Jeffrey killed Jenny Proctor, and then Mark Patterson tried to hang himself while in Lena’s custody.
A Faint Cold Fear: Lena presumably killed Chuck, and Frank shot Richard while he was attacking Lena.
Indelible: Hoss shot himself in the head right after Jeffrey figured out what he’d done.
Faithless: Cole Connelly died of cyanide poisoning while Jeffrey was questioning him. Terry was shot in the face in front of Jeffrey and Lena.