Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter

I am a huge fan of suspenseful books.  I love to be on the edge of my seat and I always appreciate a book that keeps me guessing until the end.  Earlier this year I read a book that terrified me, surprised me and sealed the deal of Karin Slaughter's books into my "favorites" list.  Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter is a must read for everyone who loves a good thriller.  Here is the scoop...

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.

My Thoughts:  Wow.  This book really left me reeling.  I have read Karin Slaughter before so I am familiar with the masterful way she weaves a tale but I think she outdid herself this time.  Claire and Lydia couldn't be any more different but Slaughter found a way to develop them each in a way that endeared them to me.   The story is told from the points of view of both Claire and Lydia as well as diary entries from their father, Sam.  I really enjoyed the different points of view because it really allowed Slaughter to round out the story line.

This book begins with the death of Claire's seemingly perfect husband.  It turns out there was a lot more to Paul than met they eye and it was not pretty.  Claire and Lydia, estranged sisters, work together to get to the bottom of who Paul really was and what he was involved in.  Pretty Girls is wonderfully written and had my heart pounding.  It was truly terrifying in way that most psychological thrillers aspire to be but never quite reach.  This book is the real deal for people who enjoy a mystery with will keep you awake at night.

I do want to mention that Pretty Girls gets graphic in some of the violent parts and at times those bits were hard to read.  I think because the crimes described in the book were meant to be known as truly horrific Slaughter had to go into detail in this way.  However, if you are very sensitive to this, you may want to steer clear of gloss over certain paragraphs.

Pretty Girls is an excellent choice for those who loved Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train.  After you are done get ready to binge read Karin Slaughter's other books like I did.  It is that good!  You can pick up your copy today by clicking HERE.

I am so excited to tell you that the publisher is giving one lucky Reviewed by Mom reader a copy of Pretty Girls!  Thanks so much to the sponsor and good luck!

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