Debra 's Reviews > Pretty Girls

WOWZA! I thought this book was terrific. I worked for years in forensics working with serial killers, serial rapists, child molesters, etc. so I was not as "horrified" by the subject matter as some might be when they read this. Slaughter certainly did her research. I thought her deception of "bad guy" to be very realistic and spot on.

This book is gripping and I wanted to keep writing to find out what would happen next. This is a hard book to review because I do not want to give anything away that will ruin the story for anyone. I liked the dialogue of the characters they talked as "real" people talk to each other. I found that I liked most of the characters and shook my head when some did not always act in their own best interest i.e. mouthing off or being sarcastic.

Twenty years ago, Julia went missing and has not been seen since. The book shows how her disappearance affected her family. Her father never stopped searching and wrote her letters. Her mother suffered depression and drank before pulling herself up by her boot straps and tried to have a life. Claire, married Paul and lived a very affluent lifestyle, while Lydia has been sober for years after a long drug addiction. She is a single mother in a relationship with a man who is also in recovery. The book lets us know that a young girl has gone missing. Her disappearance triggers feelings in both sisters and remind them of their owns sister's disappearance.

Clair and Lydia have been estranged for years but begin speaking again after a family tragedy brings them together. Both women need to depend on and trust each other in order to survive. There is a twist reveal that may not be too much of a shock for some people.

Not everyone will like the subject matter. Unfortunately things like this can and do happen each and every day.

Karin Slaughter is at the top of her game with this book. She continues to have great character development, characters you root for, characters you despise and those that are right in the middle. She does her research and her plots are multilayered and engaging. I could not put this one down!

See more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com