Book Review: Pretty Girls

Author: Karin Slaughter
Publication Date: September 29, 2015
Publisher: William Morrow

The compelling new standalone novel from the Sunday Times No. 1 bestselling author of Unseen and Cop Town.

With a missing girl in the news, Claire Scott can’t help but be reminded of her sister, who disappeared twenty years ago in a mystery that was never solved.

But when Claire begins to learn the truth about her sister, nothing will ever be the same.

“People did not change their basic, core personalities.”

“Your mother and I had always been secretly pleased that you were so headstrong and passionate about your causes. Once you were gone, we understood that these were the qualities that painted young men as smart and ambitious and young women as trouble.”

“Lydia supposed his headstone had been ordered. Something large and garish made of the finest marble and phallic shaped because being dead didn't stop you from being a dick.”

“You couldn't turn on the TV without hearing about the missing teenage girl. Sixteen years old. White. Middle class. Very pretty. No one ever seemed quite as outraged when an ugly woman went missing.”

This was my first Karin Slaughter novel, and I will say that she kept me intrigued and entertained about 70% of the time. I have just recently gotten into the thriller genre and am still new to all the authors that are out there. I loved the premise behind this book, but at times felt that it was too graphic and too much for me. Some of the characters in this book are into some pretty horrible things, and I was shocked by some of the things I read. I will say that Slaughter can make readers feel sorry for her protagonists so easily. I found myself lying awake at night wondering and worrying about so many people in the world who have faced the things that Claire, Sam, and Lydia faced. The villain in this book is the character that I had the most problem with. I rated this book a 3 out of 5 because of him. He was the most predictable character that I have read in all of 2015.

Not all of this book was disappointing to me, however. I absolutely loved how the story was told. Claire, Lydia, and their dad, Sam, alternate telling their sides of the story. Sam’s entries date back to the disappearance of his daughter, Julia, who is also the older sister to Claire and Lydia. His entries were so believable as they were filled with grief and torment. He seemed like such a real character; he said and did all the things that you would expect any parent to do in a situation like his. His parts were sad and depressing, but they were completely necessary to the story. Claire and Lydia were so very different from each other, but it was nice to see how each sister dealt with their sister’s disappearance. I enjoyed those parts. I hated the villain, as I suppose was Slaughter’s goal, but he was just too predictable and downright disgusting. Needless to say, I will try another Karin Slaughter novel soon!

***A free copy of this book was provided to me by the publishers at William Morrow in exchange for my honest review***