Lee Child says it’s “stunning… certain to be a book of the year.” Kathy Reichs calls it “extraordinary… a major achievement.”Jeffery Deaver says that “fiction doesn’t get any better than this.” Gillian Flynn says of Karin Slaughter: “I’d follow her anywhere.” See for yourself what these #1 New York Times-bestselling authors are talking about. Sisters. Strangers. Survivors. More than twenty years … Times-bestselling authors are talking about.
Sisters. Strangers. Survivors.
More than twenty years ago, Claire and Lydia’s teenaged sister Julia vanished without a trace. The two women have not spoken since, and now their lives could not be more different. Claire is the glamorous trophy wife of an Atlanta millionaire. Lydia, a single mother, dates an ex-con and struggles to make ends meet. But neither has recovered from the horror and heartbreak of their shared loss—a devastating wound that’s cruelly ripped open when Claire’s husband is killed.
The disappearance of a teenage girl and the murder of a middle-aged man, almost a quarter-century apart: what could connect them? Forming a wary truce, the surviving sisters look to the past to find the truth, unearthing the secrets that destroyed their family all those years ago . . . and uncovering the possibility of redemption, and revenge, where they least expect it.
Powerful, poignant, and utterly gripping, packed with indelible characters and unforgettable twists, Pretty Girls is a masterful novel from one of the finest writers working today.
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I couldn’t put the book down. This is a great story, a bit disturbing in spots, but nothing that you can’t skip if your not a fan of it.
Karin Slaughter is one of my very favorite authors. I’ve read 19 of her books . This one is good but “dark”.
Pretty Girls had a few surprises to the plot. It maintained my attention and kept me wondering about some of those minor characters and how they were essential to the plot. I liked the way the author used the girls’ deceased father’s journal entries to assist the reader with background/clues in uncovering the murderer.
5 disturbing stars!!
Wow this is my first book by this author and it definitely won’t be my last. Going into this I was a little worried. Everyone said it was very graphic and etc. it did have dark and twisted moments but I have read wayyy worse and not squirmed. I, also, want to point out that this book is disturbing and with the world uncovering so much disgustingly sad news this could be a real story to someone. So reading this was very emotional for me.
This book is a story of a missing sister and a family who then lost their way. It is a story of kidnapping, rape, torture, murder, lies, corruption, secrets, and so much more. This book was definitely entertaining.
I didn’t not veer from this book once. It kept my focus from the very first page. The characters are raw and real. I really enjoyed this authors writing style and I can’t wait to read more from her.
This was such a good read !
This book had me on the edge of my seat! Great read.
First, I gotta give kudos to Karin Slaughter for giving her own book a 5-star rating. Aside from the fact I am my own worst critic, I only possess that degree of hutzpah when immersed in my own storytelling. There Slaughter also exemplifies fearlessness. You won’t find her pussyfooting around a horrific scene description or avoiding the level of explicit language our male counterparts often choose to exclude.
In Pretty Girls, Slaughter introduces the Carrolls, a family ripped apart when the eldest daughter Julia disappears, leaving father Sam, mother Helen, and sisters Lydia and Claire suspended in a painful time warp from which there’s no escape. Helen checks out emotionally, and when Sam’s obsession to find Julia becomes overwhelming, she files for divorce and remarries.
Two decades later, Lydia has kicked a drug habit—which she’d supported largely through prostitution—and birthed a daughter of her own. While Claire has married a man, despite her family’s disproval, whom she’s never loved . . . or thought she didn’t until someone brutally murders him in an alley as he and Claire are engaged in vigorous and atypical foreplay. And what has become of Sam? His obsession to find Julia has killed him just as Helen predicted. (Slaughter’s inclusion of the grieving father’s letters to Julia over her missing years are tissue-worthy.)
When FBI agent Fred Nolan starts sniffing around, pampered, naïve, self-absorbed Claire initially assumes his interest in her partly professional, predominantly carnal. Soon after, having aroused only her curiosity, she suspects something amiss and begins to tear down a wall constructed of dark family secrets, with the assistance of her estranged sister Lydia.
Total disclosure? At times, I found both Claire’s and Lydia’s introspection redundant. Nevertheless, Pretty Girls is a gripping story of courage, familial bond, and determination, and Slaughter has included all the right ingredients for a very satisfying tale.
Dark and twisted. If you like confronting your worst nightmare, this book is for you. it’s not scary but rather haunting and the kind of book that gives you goosebumps for years to come.
I enjoyed the book with the exception of how stupid one of the characters acted. Being in denial is one thing, being wilfully ignorant is another.
Julia went missing at the age of nineteen. Her parents held search parties and hung signs everywhere. They never stopped looking. It took a toll on their marriage and eventually they filed for divorce. Claire, Julia, and Lydia were sisters. Claire married and became the wealthier sister. Lydia was married then divorced and was the poorer sister. After years of disappointment in their search for answers the family split up. Claire and Lydia went their separate ways.
Twenty years later the sisters were reminded of Julia’s loss when the reports of a young beautiful missing girl continued to taunt them.
After twenty years of living with the loss of Julia, Claire suffered an unexpected fate of her own when her husband died. Claire watched her husband get stabbed in an alley.
The story was ladled with potential suspects. Highlighting and making notes had become my focus. I became a detective trying to unlock the puzzle of who was taking pretty girls. An illusion of the truth was hidden in lies. The lies and secrets unraveled in the tidy world that Claire blindly lived in.
Paul, Claire’s husband was a neat freak and a control freak. He functioned best when everything was labelled and organized. Paul hid his life in plain sight.
It was hard to identify who was the good guy and who was the bad guy. I was on pins and needles eagerly awaiting Claire and Lydia’s investigative work to have a moment of clarity. They continued to find more clues but it led to more questions. They did not know who to trust. It was exciting and sad all at the same time.
Claire detailed every speculation and worked through every angle she could think of. Lydia played devils advocate to more than one of Claire’s ideas. The mystery and list of potential monsters became long.
Chapters with Roman numerals were journal entries written by Sam for his daughter Julia.
It’s a smart story. Written well. Well thought out. The characters were complex and fully developed. The main characters growth exceeded my expectations. Many surprises encompassed the story. The story was graphic and violent. It was a murder mystery. The story was high energy. It was exciting and thrilling. It was good but when I finished I felt I still needed answers. Some stuff was not plausible like how long this had been happening. I wanted to understand why this began or how it came about. I wanted to understand how the girls were chosen.
Claire gave you hope when everything else seemed dire. Helen was calm and smart. Family pulled together in a time of crisis. What a tragic situation to endure.
Favorite book of all time!
One can get the feel of how a missing person affects a family and for the lasting effect. I enjoyed the book but I was left with a haunted feeling. Not a good read for anyone who has someone missing, I think.
Karen Slaughter is such an excellent author, she handled the tragic plot very well.
My Rating: 1/2
Type: Standalone
Genre: Mystery, Crime Thriller
Narration: Limited Third Person
I had heard some great reviews about this book. I had been postponing to pick this up. Finally, I made up mind to pick it up and check this out for myself. I was cursing myself for not picking it up sooner. It’s wonderful and highly engrossing read.
Pretty Girls is the story of two sisters. One is recently widowed and another is a mother of teenage daughter. They were estranged few years ago and get in touch with each other in a dramatic manner. When one sister stumble upon an unexpected thing, it will arise lot of questions. In uncovering that, they find some new clues on their missing elder sister’s disappearance 20 years ago.
This book has some wonderful twist and unexpected moments. It has some psychological twists, enough to keep to wondering, guessing and wanting more. The way characters discover their strength and bring out inspiration from other is wonderfully described. Bond with the sisters is what really propelled this story forward for me and I was completely invested in the outcome.
This book has some graphic detail that might be disturbing for some. Even though Climax is thrilling and engrossing, I would have loved some more detailed explanation. Plot moved in fast pace. Narration is simple with clean and crisp writing.
Fair warning, this book is very much a thriller and contains graphic moments of sexual content and violence. However, that’s part of what makes it so enthralling within its genre. It’s an intense, quick, disturbing fast-paced thriller and an addictive page-turner with a very satisfying ending.
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So traumatic and upsetting. I didn’t sleep for a week!
I’m a big fan of everything by Karin Slaughter
Page turner for me! Crime writing at its best! I’m awful to give too much away so will just say it sickens me this happens in true life!
I could not stop reading no matter how graphic it got. It was good but definitely triggers PTSD and anxiety.
Twisted suspense at its best! An ending I didn’t see coming.
very engrossing page turner violent not for the faint of heart
Greatbook, very suspenseful and didn’t want to put it down. One of my favourite authors.