So it seems that I oftentimes avoid reading stand alone books written by authors whose series are among my favorites. This was the case with Karin Slaughter’s stand alone novel Pretty Girls, which was released in September of 2015.
However, when I saw that the Kindle Edition was on sale for $3.99 the other day, I thought now is the time! All I can say is Wow! What a fool I am!! And bring on William Kent Krueger‘s Ordinary Grace!
I guess one of the reasons that I avoid stand alone novels is that I’m afraid that they won’t measure up to the series that I love! In the case of Karin Slaughter that series is the Grant County/ Will Trent Atlanta series. Hmm, let’s see Pretty Girls not only measured up it may be the best book that Karin Slaughter has written, and at least one of my top favorites of her books.
The Story
The story revolves around two events. One the 1991 disappearance of the teen-aged Julia Carroll and the second is the murder of millionaire Paul the husband of Claire Carroll Juila’s sister. When Julia disappeared the Carroll family was torn apart Claire’s sister Lydia turned to drugs to ease the pain, While their parents marriage fell apart and their father eventually committed suicide. Claire forced Lydia out of her life after Lydia accused Paul of attempting to rape her!
After Paul’s death Claire discovers that her husband had a secret life that involved rape, snuff films and stalking women including her sister Lydia. Soon Claire asks Lydia to help her unravel all of Paul’s mysteries and the sisters are pulled into a very dark and dangerous world that may provide closure to their sister’s disappearance, but it may also cost them their lives!!
Praise for Pretty Girls
“Searing, searching, soulful: a major achievement…Every Karin Slaughter novel is a cause for celebration — but simply put, Pretty Girls is the finest novel of her career.” (Kathy Reichs, #1 New York Times-bestselling author of Speaking in Bones)
“Unique in voice, brilliantly plotted…an uncompromising depiction of pure evil…Slaughter has managed the most difficult of feats–to tell a gripping, page turning
crime story…. Fiction doesn’t get any better than this.” (Jeffery Deaver, New York Times-bestselling author of Solitude Creek and The Skin Collector)
Final Thoughts
Read this Book!! Like the above authors said – it doesn’t get much better than Pretty Girls. I think that I read this book about as quickly as any book I have ever read! I literally couldn’t put it down or turn the pages fast enough!! Five Stars for Book 10 of 2016, which should have been read back in 2015!
About Karin Slaughter
Karin Slaughter (born January 6, 1971) is an American crime writer. She has written 25 novels, which have sold more than 40 million copies and have been published in 120 countries. Her first novel, Blindsighted (2001), was published in 27 language and made the Crime Writers’ Association’s Dagger Award shortlist for “Best Thriller Debut” of 2001. Wikipedia
