Best-selling author Karin Slaughter has written many crime thrillers, but Will Trent and Sara Linton are the two main protagonists from her Will Trent book series.
ABC has done a splendid job adapting the books into the television series.
They’ve fleshed out the character arcs, strengthened relationships, and made one-note characters like Michael Ormewood and Angie Polaski more likable and relatable.
However, diehard book fans complain about the lack of Sara Linton, who ended up being Will’s love interest.
How would Sara work with the current canvas with a cast that’s been tight since the beginning and the fact that Will and Angie just reunited again?
Who is Sara Linton?
Sara Linton first appeared in Slaughter’s Grant County series, beginning with the 2001 book, “Blindsighted.”
She worked as a coroner and pediatrician and helped solve gruesome crimes with her ex-husband Jeffrey and his partner Lena.
When the Grant Country series ended, Sara transitioned to the Will Trent series in the 2009 novel Undone.
She meets Will and Faith, and their worlds collide as they collaborate on the case where young women are being kept in a torture chamber.
The ABC series adapted that case on Will Trent Season 1 Episode 4, but they changed it to involve bad fathers being kept in the torture chamber. Sara excels at these types of cases.
Sara also becomes close friends with Faith Mitchell and is romantically involved with Will in the novels, so she is an essential character.
Reasons for Adding Sara to Season 3
Bringing in Sara during Season 3 could be ideal, with Will Trent Season 3 not returning until January 2025.
While we hate the long wait, this would give the writers and producers lots of time to craft a meaningful story for her.
Since Sara has appeared in every novel since the third one, “Undone,” there are many cases the GBI team could use another coroner’s opinion on, especially complex serial killers or serial sexual assault cases.
Those are horrific and violent crimes, and it often helps to have a second pair of eyes.
Many fans want Sara cast because she is Will’s love interest, but Sara is also a badass in the field.
Rumors have circulated about casting Sara since Will Ttrent Season 1 ended.
The series knows that Sara Linton is a hot topic and that casting her will cause even more chatter.
Why Sara Won’t Work With the Current Canvas
The current cast has worked together since the beginning, so adding a pivotal character this late in the game is often challenging.
Timing is everything.
The GBI and APD work well together on cases, and exploring their characters has increased the ratings. However, there is so much to consider, like whether they want to alter what’s working.
Most of all, only part of Will Trent’s fanbase has read the novels and knows and cares about Sara Linton.
But the diehard book fans think Sara is integral to the future cast.
The executive producers have hinted that they’ve discussed it but need to be cautious about it.
That’s mainly because Angie is so different than the book version.
In the books after the first few books, Angie and Will’s relationship becomes dysfunctional, and Angie is a mean, angry addict.
Their relationship was sometimes co-dependent, making it difficult for Will to move on with Sara, but Will’s relationship with Sara eventually thrived.
However, Erika Christensen gives the TV version of Angie layers, and they’ve explored the backstories of Will and Angie so thoroughly that putting in an interloper for them now seems cruel.
Sara was more than Will’s girlfriend; she was a skilled doctor and coroner.
At times, it seemed like they were appendages of each other.
Sometimes, it seems like the TV version of Angie combines the book versions of Angie and Sara.
She has Angie’s wit and sarcasm and Sara’s sweetness and helpfulness.
That’s why I fear if they cast Sara, they would get rid of Erika Christensen’s Angie. I’m unsure if the cast needs both of them.
Would a Grant County Spin-off be the Solution?
Sara would be allowed to shine more if she had her own show, a Grant County spin-off, or a prequel to Will Trent.
Sara Linton, who’s both the town pediatrician and medical examiner, solves cases with her ex-husband, Jeffrey Tolliver, and his detective, Lena Adams.
The books include thought-provoking and violent crimes that the trio must solve, but an underlying tension between them sells the drama.
Sara and Jeffrey have unresolved issues and resentments from their marriage that sometimes make working together challenging, but they have to put those differences aside to help the victims.
Sara also had tension with Lena since she disliked how Jeffrey would run to her rescue, even when he and Sara were working on their relationship.
With the right casting, this could be an entertaining spin-off, and perhaps, when the time is right, she could make an appearance on Will Trent.
What do you think, Will Trent Fanatics?
Do you want to see Sara Linton star in Will Trent?
Would you prefer seeing her on her own spinoff versus the main show?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Will Trent airs at 8/7c on Tuesdays on ABC and streams the next day on Hulu.
Laura Nowak is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on X.