Pretty Girls: A Novel

4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars | 86,226 ratings

Price: 9.99

Last update: 05-13-2024


About this item

Lee Child says it’s “stunning… certain to be a book of the year.”

 

Kathy Reichs calls it “extraordinary… a major achievement.”

 

Gillian Flynn says of Karin Slaughter: “I’d follow her anywhere.”

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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Pretty Girls The Good Daughter Pieces of Her Girl, Forgotten False Witness
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This is Why We Lied The Kept Woman The Last Widow The Silent Wife After That Night
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Top reviews from the United States

bewilliams101
5.0 out of 5 stars Gripping and Intense Thriller That Will Keep You on the Edge of Your Seat
Reviewed in the United States on April 20, 2024
Karin Slaughter's "Pretty Girls" is a masterpiece of suspense and mystery that captivates from the very first page. This gripping thriller delves deep into the complexities of family, secrets, and the darkness that lurks beneath seemingly normal lives.

The story follows the lives of sisters Claire and Lydia, whose worlds are shattered by a tragic event that resurfaces long-buried secrets and forces them to confront painful truths about their family's past. Slaughter weaves a tale filled with twists and turns, keeping readers guessing and turning pages late into the night.

What sets "Pretty Girls" apart is Slaughter's ability to create multifaceted characters with layers of depth and emotion. Each character, whether major or minor, feels incredibly real and flawed, adding richness to the narrative.

The pacing of the novel is relentless, building tension with each chapter until it reaches a heart-pounding climax that will leave you breathless. Themes of resilience, justice, and the power of sisterhood resonate throughout the story, making it not just a thrilling read but also a thought-provoking one.

Slaughter's writing is sharp, visceral, and unflinching in its portrayal of violence and trauma, yet it never feels gratuitous. She skillfully navigates sensitive subjects while keeping the focus on the characters' journeys and the overarching mystery.

In conclusion, "Pretty Girls" is a must-read for fans of psychological thrillers and suspenseful storytelling. Karin Slaughter proves once again why she is a master of the genre, delivering a riveting and unforgettable experience that will stay with you long after the final page. Highly recommended!
sj
4.0 out of 5 stars IMPORTANT: Read the trigger warnings!!!
Reviewed in the United States on February 19, 2024
I went into this book blind having no idea what I was about to read. If I’m being honest, I wish I’d never read this book. Was it a great story, incredibly written, captivating and intense? Yes. However, there are scenes in this book that I wish I never allowed in my head! I am an avid crime tv watcher. I’ve likely logged tens of thousands of crime scene hours in my brain but none of that prepared me for what was in this book. It’s vile, perverse, terrifying and will likely give me nightmares.

So, (SPOILER ALERT WARNING). Tread lightly while you’re reading. I read this on the KU app, (so page numbers may differ) but Page 61 is the section of the book I should not have read. I was able to handle all other parts of this book l, but NOT this section! What the bad person does with the machete was TOO much!!! I actually stopped reading there, went online to ask my reader friends if there was going to be more like that scene, if so I was going to DNF the book. They told me that was the worst scene in the book. So, I continued reading. Every time I got to a scene where the character was going to visualize that section of the book again I skim read on fast forward so I wouldn’t have to see/read it again.

Even though I wish I’d have never read this book because it was too gory for me the writing was phenomenal. The story itself was incredible and well developed. I can't blame the book just because I’m not the target audience. If you can handle gore and EXTREME and graphic sexual torture I think you’ll enjoy the book. For me personally, I couldn’t handle it. I’m going to have to read lots of sappy hallmark channel books to get these images out of my head!
Pisces51
5.0 out of 5 stars STANDALONE BESTSELLING PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER FROM SLAUGHTER A HOME RUN!!!
Reviewed in the United States on July 7, 2021
PRETTY GIRLS [2015] By Karin Slaughter
My Review Five Stars*****

I was already a fan of Karin Slaughter's novels two decades ago when I was renting books on tape to “read” during the extensive driving that was required by my job at the time. It was more recently (2018) that I decided to read both her GRANT COUNTY and WILL TRENT series in chronological order. A few were re-reads but even those were exceptionally entertaining. Slaughter quickly ascended to the list of my top five authors on the planet Earth. I was “blown away” by the sheer power of Slaughter’s works, and as I commented in a review of her debut novel BLINDSIGHTED [2001] she is the author that set the new gold standard for excellence. I had already read the entire WILL TRENT series before I began the earlier GRANT COUNTY books. She did not stop writing after half a dozen novels, or continue to write but with diminishing returns. We refer to "Early Cornwell", "Early Patterson", "Early Koontz".. and at least in my case "Early Stephen King" for a reason.

The NYT Bestseller PRETTY GIRLS was released six years ago but it was the first standalone novel I’ve read by Karin Slaughter. It was so riveting that I would have stayed up all night to finish it if I hadn’t had commitments. Even so, I finished it in two sittings. I absolutely LOVED it. That was hardly a surprise to me. I have commented in the past that I become so completely mesmerized by her novels that I become almost oblivious to my immediate environment. I think there could be a tornado roaring like a train, a home invasion in progress, or a house fire blazing and I would still be holding my Kindle in a death grip reading her words and turning pages. She has the power to invoke what I like to refer to as “immediacy”. As a reader I feel like I am right there in the moment.

This doesn’t need to be a long or wordy review. Amazon has logged 8642 ratings so heaven only knows how many readers rated this bestseller on Goodreads. I just looked it up and the answer is a whopping 205,017 (to include 18,548 reviews)! Tess Gerritsen, also among my top five favorite writers, commented that Slaughter is “One of the boldest thriller writers working today”. Translated that means that Slaughter does in fact “write with a razor” and her characters and scenes cut to the quick. If a reader doesn’t want to encounter raw realism and brutal reality, then stay away from Slaughter. Her works slice to the bone and deliver a visceral punch to the gut and a precordial thump to the heart that sends our emotions in freefall. Like Gillian Flynn has been quoted so often “I’d follow her anywhere”. I have to read the rest of her standalone works on my Kindle. I intentionally wanted to parse them out to prolong the thrill, but PRETTY GIRLS was so d--- great I’m not sure I can wait.

The most impressive characteristic of Karin Slaughter’s works IMO is that the creative genius she possesses does not seem to give any indication of waning. Her ability to take the reader into the darkest most depraved minds and acts of sadistic predation on women sets her apart from anyone writing today. She doesn’t hesitate to “pull the trigger” on the sickest and most shocking scenes with forensic details that are not for everyone. Slaughter’s peers are writing crime fiction that tackles the same underlying theme of violent crimes against women, and their works include riveting thrillers that knock my socks off. It isn’t that the works of giants like Gerritsen and prolific authors like Hoag cannot deliver the goods on this theme. There is just “something” about Slaughter that goes where no mainstream crime fiction queen has gone before. Gerritsen called it “bold” and I think that’s putting it mildly.

I have to say as I am ready to post my own “two cents worth” that I am surprised by not only the number of negative reviews I see but also by their relevant fervor about the visceral impact and graphic depiction of violence in PRETTY GIRLS. This is a small percentage of readers when you consider the whole of course. In any case, I find it annoying those readers post reviews saying they cannot bear to finish the book…that there ought to be warnings about the content, and so on. Good heavens. If you don’t want your emotions and your sensibilities to be stripped raw then don’t read Karin Slaughter’s works.
caitlin⚡️
3.0 out of 5 stars 3.5⭐️
Reviewed in the United States on April 26, 2024
It feels weird giving such a disturbing book a high rating, but it was a good book. There are several things in here that are just utterly disgusting and hard to read. The sweet note from the dad at the end really makes it sweet. This was a book that i never knew what was happening, there were a lot of characters that also kind of confused me. We also get no backstory to this psycho and I want to know WHY someone could be like this. But i guess thats the point, not everyone who’s bad needs a reason to be bad.

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