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Book adaptations became a regular part of the Hollywood narrative in the 2000s, and the craze doesn’t appear to be fading anytime soon. ABC has even jumped on board with their latest television drama, Will Trent, based on a book series by Karin Slaughter. But adaptations always come with loyal fanbases who just want to see their favorite books translated well onscreen. And sometimes, they are very unhappy with the finished product.

Ramón Rodríguez, in character as Will Trent in the new series 'Will Trent' on ABC, wears a blue shirt while sitting in bed with his chihuahua Betty on his lap.
Ramón Rodríguez as Will Trent | ABC/Danny Delgado

ABC adapted the ‘Will Trent’ book series into a television show

Will Trent, the ABC show, premiered in January 2023 and revolves around Will Trent, played by Ramón Rodríguez. Will is a Georgia Bureau of Investigation agent with the highest clearance rate, but he also has a troubled past.

The network adapted Karin Slaughter’s Will Trent book series for television, and they have a lot of source material to work with.

The series includes 10 novels and two ebook novellas. The titles are:

  • Triptych (2006)
  • Fractured (2008)
  • Undone (2009)
  • Broken (2010)
  • Fallen (2011)
  • Snatched (2012, ebook novella)
  • Criminal (2012)
  • Busted (2013, ebook novella)
  • Unseen (2013)
  • The Kept Woman (2016)
  • The Last Widow (2019)
  • The Silent Wife (2020)

Plus, Slaughter has another Will Trent book coming out in August 2023 called After That Night.

Fans of the books aren’t happy with the show

After watching the Will Trent series premiere, fans jumped on Reddit to discuss the show’s similarities and differences to the books. And overall, it sounds like the show and books are more different than they are alike.

“It’s not really like the books,” a Reddit user wrote. “Will is a little too confident. Will and Angie are a little too happy together. Amanda isn’t condescending enough, and Will is figuring out clues too quickly. BUT it’s still an enjoyable show with a pretty good cast. Worth checking out.”

One fan commented, “I’m kinda annoyed by the way they portray Will. Will is insecure because of his childhood and the dyslexia. Way overconfident in the show. He didn’t know he had dyslexia until someone in the books (won’t say who in case of spoilers) tells him why he has problems reading. Angie is a horrible person and treats Will like crap and uses his insecurities to her advantage.”

“Not at all like the books,” someone else added. “More like Will Trent in an alternate universe. Very disappointing. I wish this had been picked up by HBO or Showtime. I think they would have stuck closer to the books.”

Another fan said, “I’m trying to be optimistic. There is a ton of departure from the books, but that just may be a necessity of adapting for prime-time TV … I think they’re missing a huge opportunity with how they’ve softened Angie. She was a huge obstacle in the books. Now she’s too nice, not all that damaged, I don’t know. Will seems to have some of the mannerisms and quirks of the book Trent, so we’ll see.”

Perhaps as the series continues, Will Trent fans will start seeing more similarities between it and the books.

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Karin Slaughter defends the ‘Will Trent’ television series

During an interview with CinemaBlend, Karin Slaughter discussed how the Will Trent cast differs from the book series characters.

“I’m gonna be super honest. I was a little nervous because I had pictured [the characters] in my head, and I was worried that my readers would have problems,” the author shared. “But for the most part, they’re as happy as I am. I always remind myself that my Dutch readers think Will rides a bike to work, and my Brazilian readers think he speaks Portuguese. So everybody has a different idea of what they look like.”

Slaughter continued, “At the end of the day, you have to cast an actual person, and I would much rather have someone who understands the character, really gets where he’s coming from, and knows the kind of man he is than somebody who might not get all those things but might be more Scandinavian-looking if that makes sense.”

Will Trent airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET on ABC.

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