What Are All the ‘Will Trent’ Books in Order? Inside the Novels That Inspired the Show

Some of the best and most crowd-pleasing movies and television shows come from published works, and ABC’s hit detective drama series Will Trent follows right along the same lines.

Will Trent centers on a Georgia Bureau of Investigations special agent with dyslexia who was abandoned in the foster care system. His unique methods of solving cases set him apart from his colleagues.

The Will Trent book series was created by author Karin Slaughter beginning in 2006 with the first book in the series, Triptych. The second book in the series followed in 2008 with Fractured and a year later Undone in 2009.

In 2010, the series continued with Broken. Then Fallen in 2011, Criminal in 2012, and Unseen in 2013. The character has also appeared in Karin’s other novels, The Kept Woman, The Last Widow, The Silent Wife, After That Night, and This Is Why We Lied, as well as two short stories, "Busted" and "Snatched."

In an interview with FIRST For Women, Karin shared how much she is involved with the ABC series. “I’m an executive producer, so I get to read the scripts — they’re so generous. They invite me to the set all the time,” she said.

“I met the actors and had dinner with them and Liz, the executive producer. She’s amazing. She loves storytelling. She worked on ‘Friday Night Lights.’ She’s done some really great shows since then, and she is a real character fan. So I think with her at the helm, she was very invested in making sure the characters were true to themselves,” Karin continued.

“And Dan Thompson, who’s the showrunner, he’s really into the books and he’s a great guy. So I feel like it’s been a really fairytale situation. I know sometimes authors like to complain, but I think they’re doing a terrific job,” she added.

Speaking with HOLA!, Ramón explained the complexities of the character. “With someone like Will, who had such a tough childhood—growing up in foster care and being dyslexic — it’s fascinating to understand why he presents himself the way he does, like why he wears the suit and creates a specific perception,” he told the outlet.

“At the end of the day, he’s very insecure, and there are things about him that make him really vulnerable. It’s great to show all of that, to get under the hood of Will and reveal his trauma, but also his sense of humor and his heart. He’s such a layered character, which makes him exciting to play as an actor,” Ramón said.

“He’s compulsive. He really likes to have control over everything. I like my things in order, but I won’t freak out the way he does if something’s not. But I feel like that’s an interesting character trait — how he tries to maintain order and control because he’s someone who didn’t have a lot of that growing up,” he added.