From a USA Today Bestselling author, a timely and intense new mystery.Until you know who to trust, trust no one.The disappearance of a prep school girl from an affluent family leads to a hidden world of shocking secrets. FBI Agent Victoria Heslin investigates alongside local police, but the mysteries only get deeper. Why are the girl’s parents so uncooperative? And why are the local authorities … girl’s parents so uncooperative? And why are the local authorities resisting her help?
When her efforts uncover a sex trafficking operation, Heslin enlists friend and fellow Agent Dante Rivera to go rogue and try to save the girls, before it’s too late.
Pretty Little Girls is the second book in the Agent Victoria Heslin Series by USA Today Bestselling Author Jenifer Ruff. It can be read as a standalone.
Praise from Amazon and Goodreads Reviewers:
“Captivating, relevant, impactful.”
“Eye-opening!”
“An important topic handled with taste and empathy.”
“Timely and scary!”
“Once you start you won’t be able to breathe until the end.”
“Could not put this down!”
“Timely and realistic. It hits a nerve and gets the blood boiling. Jenifer Ruff has the ability to bring you INTO the story instead of just observing it.”
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Once again Ms. Ruff pulled me directly into the story. I didn’t want to put the book down! The main focus of this book is sex trafficking young Eastern European girls, a serious, and important topic. I’ve heard of real stories similar to what happened with the girls, and like it did with the news, my heart broke for the characters in the book. It is something we don’t pay enough attention to, how often do you think of sex trafficking when you don’t see those fliers in the bathrooms? It’s a huge business, using not only girls brought in from other countries, but also girls (and boys) from the United States. There should be more awareness, instead of being reminded by a great story.
Agent Victoria Heslin is called in to consult on a missing person’s case in Charlotte by her boss, Larry Murphy. Though missing less than 24 hours, a friend of his wife’s asked for help in finding her daughter. Without meeting the family in question, we already know from the conversation between Larry and Victoria that the family is affluent and privileged, giving them access to early help from the FBI. However, the family is uncooperative, and almost hostile towards Victoria, even though they requested the FBI’s assistance. This is theme one, and makes more sense throughout the book, though how it ties in is a huge suprise. In the course of her investigation, she comes across a large sex trafficking ring, theme two and the parallel main theme that runs the course along with the kidnapping. Again are the minor, “just reminding you”, in the back of your mind, themes of Victoria’s background and romance.
As I thought it did from the first book, the slow moving, in the background romance adds to Victoria’s character development. Unlike with her work, in the realm of romantic relationships she’s uncertain, uncomfortable AND giddy with her feelings, and confused at times. So we continue to see her softer side develop in this book, and how it blends with her work persona. The candidness familiar in her position as a female agent is still apparent in her personal life, which can make for some awkward moments, but relatable. Her protective side is out in full force even before the sex trafficking ring is unveiled, giving a nod to her mother’s kidnapping. The mention of both themes points to their continued development in further books.
While Ned was a focus (sort of) in the first part of the book, Rivera took over in the second half. Ms. Ruff let us sit with some of Ned’s behaviors, while putting the attention on the agent’s progression. His feelings for Victoria are fleshed out and presented to the readers in a more open fashion. This is not the only way we see growth in the character. Throughout we are given repeated flashes of his bravery, his rage and disgust for the sex traffickers, and his empathy, fear, and concern for the girls caught in the ring. To be honest, Ned felt like a secondary character in light of Rivera’s presence.
I did feel that some of the tertiary characters were a little flat, for as often as they were used. There was very little backstory for any of them (which doesn’t normally matter, as they aren’t very involved in the story). For the secondary characters, we were given a slightly better understanding of, but some I couldn’t decide if they were secondary or tertiary. It led to story lines that were left dangling.
I am very much anticipating the next book! This series has definitely been added to my favorites!
I was given an ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.
Pretty Little Girls by Jenifer Ruff
An Outstanding mystery thriller! The story is tastefully written about the all too real epidemic of sex trafficking. This stunningly captivating tale has an edgy storyline that is exciting and full of suspense that takes you down an emotional tale of crime, kidnapping, murder, desperation, and the longing to be free. The story flowed effortlessly keeping me rooted until the end! I recommend this book to anyone who wants to read a great and exciting thriller.
I wanted to note that although this book is about sex trafficking and other dark content, the author’s writing is very tastefully done without being overly descriptive or crewed.
I received a digital copy of Pretty Little Girls from the author, Jenifer Ruff and I am voluntarily leaving a review. This book was fabulous, all except for the subject matter. Jenifer has written about something none of us want to think about – human trafficking. This is an epidemic in this country and Jenifer appropriately wrote about it in a wonderful novel with great character and vivid understanding of the subject matter. Enjoy!
Pretty Little Girls
I received this book as an ACR reader. Thank you, Jenifer!
This is the second in the Agent Victoria Heslin series. She is a wonderful character to follow, and I’m already looking forward to her next case. The subject of this book is sex trafficking. While the premise of the case is a heartbreaking one, the heroine shines through as an FBI agent working under difficult conditions to bring home a kidnapped girl. This subject is difficult to read, but one we should all learn more about. If the actions of Agent Heslin are similar to real FBI work, then young victims are in good hands with hope. We should all be aware of what’s going on in our world and possible solutions. This topic is worthy of a reader’s time, and hopefully support.
This story gives a gritty, no-holds-barred inside look at the sex-trafficking industry. Good story, and excellent insight into the characters – both good and evil. Loved it! I received an ARC of this book.
Wow and Wow! Such a good book! This is a very intense story of sex trafficking. Complex and interesting characters fill this story and lots of twists and turns. FBI agent Victoria Heslin is asked by her commander to go help on a case of a missing girl whose mother is a friend of his. She discovers a serious situation with police corruption and goes rogue with an agent friend Dante Rivera, to get to the bottom of the situation. I could not put this book down! So much detail and emotion was put into this story. I felt I was right there with the agents. I was in suspense right up until the end! This is the second book in the series, and I had the pleasure of reading both. I cannot wait for the next book in this series!
I read “The Numbers KIller” in one sitting, didn’t need the sleep, and thought Jenifer couldn’t write anything better. Boy was I wrong! “Pretty Little Girls” continues with the characters of FBI Agent Victoria Heslin, her hunk of a dog sitter, Ned and a kidnapper who, likes pretty young girls. It kept me reading for the entire day! Jenifer Ruff is now my favorite seat of your pants mystery/suspense writer.
I received this book as an ARC from the author.
First off let me start off by saying that I would highly recommend Pretty Little Girls to anyone that is looking for a realistic, suspenseful and extremely well-written story!
I’m a thriller/suspense book lover and honesty Jenifer Ruff has become a instant favorite of mine!
I just wish I found her sooner!
And let me just say you can tell that Jenifer Ruff puts so much into her characters. They were very realistic, it was like you could feel what they were feeling throughout the whole book. FBI Agent Victoria Heslin was so well-written. I’m looking forward to reading more about her in future books!
I cant wait to see what Jenifer Ruff cooks up next!!
I received this as an ARC. Jenifer Ruff is an excellent author. She writes action packed books that keep you engaged in the story. Pretty Little Girls is a realistic story about sex trafficking, other than it takes much longer to investigate the real deal.
I am anxious to read the next book so I can see who Victoria chooses and how their romance develops.