Pretty Girls

By: Karin Slaughter

Narrated by: Kathleen Early

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

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

Jeffery Deaver says that “fiction doesn’t get any better than this.”

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

See for yourself what these #1 New York Times-bestselling authors are talking about.

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.

Included with this gripping thriller is Karin Slaughter’s chilling short story “Blonde Hair, Blue Eyes.”

©2015 Blackstone Audio, Inc. (P)2015 Blackstone Audiobooks

Definitely needed the trigger warning, but..

Pretty Girls kept popping up as a recommendation but I guess I kept skipping it because so many of the reviews mention disgusting scenes of violent rape. It doesn't take much for me to squirm and that is definitely not a topic that I can think of lightly.
Despite all that, the story itself sounded good to me and I felt like I hadn't heard a truly suspenseful thriller in a long time, so I decided to finally give it a shot.
First things first, the reviews are absolutely true. You're made to immediately like characters that find their way into a violent killing. Then further down the line it gets worse. If you plan on reading this book, do prepare yourself for some seriously, seriously messed up stuff. Ive never had to take so many breaks from a book.
The reason I didn't stop listening, though, is that he story felt like it had a lot of unfolding to do and I wanted to know where all this was going.
The gruesome details are really spread throughout the book, so there isn't any avoiding them, but the story has lots of twists and was incredibly suspenseful during multiple chapters. It really kept me on my toes.
All in all, I did enjoy the thrilling story, but I can't "unsee" the disturbing images painted in my head. That definitely doesn't sound like a recommendation does it?
Narrator was excellent

Terrible but Terrific

Would you listen to Pretty Girls again? Why?

Yes, I would, but I would wait a year, or two or three. It's not the sort of subject matter you want to digest frequently, but was well written and fast moving with enough twists and turns to keep my attention and enjoyment simmering.

What did you like best about this story?

The relationship between the sisters and their parents whose characters were well drawn.

What about Kathleen Early’s performance did you like?

Everything, she is an extremely good performer and I will be looking out for her books from now on.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Extremely "X" rated - Mature Adults ONLY - no exceptions !!

Any additional comments?

If you get squirmish and don't enjoy extreme violence, then don't read this book! If you, on the other hand have a strong stomach and enjoy a well written and fast paced thriller then this is the book for you.

Get over it, this book was phenomenal.

“Wah wah wah. It was graphic.” Sorry, Fifty Shades of Grey can be found in the Romance section since crime related torture is harder to hear than S&M. I specifically read it because of people crying about it being gruesome. Bring. It. On.

This book held my attention. While I thought I had it figured out, which in a way I did, I STILL found myself surprised in many ways. Being someone who went to school for criminology, I get that I may not be as sensitive as those who rated this poorly. While I can’t say this book is rainbows and butterflies, I can say I liked it. This story is raw, uncomfortable and it could be real which is why I chose to listen. Leave the sugar coat for someone who needs their world blinders. This is not meant to be a story to read to your kids for bedtime. It is meant to open your eyes to a dark side.

The characters may not be 100% relatable but you don’t hate them or could maybe see something in them comparable to someone you already know. You feel bad, uneasy, curious and randomly get a laugh at the more “human” parts.

It’s a story of survival. If you focus on the crime itself than you are missing the story. The story of these sisters starts with their older sister going missing which ruined their family. It led them both down different roads where their lives unravel in different ways but still are intertwined enough to bring them back. A similar tragedy in their town brings them together where the missing piece to their story, that would have kept their lives bound as they grew up, is now becoming a breadcrumb trail to what really happened to their sister.


Trigger warning, sure. Better description, maybe. In the end, we all read the reviews before we purchase and you shouldn’t let those who still can’t walk across the street without someone holding their hand prevent you from reading something worth every chapter.

Agree with everyone re: warning and a bit too much

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

The book has a strong voice. Most of the characters are intriguing. I felt that I should voice my opinion about the graphic violence. I am by no means a prude, but this book seems to caught up in it's own depiction of rape and murder to make the story move forward. Every time you think you've gotten to the worst of it, there are new degrees it's willing to digress. I found it off-putting and distracting from the overall performance and pace of the book.

Insanely good!!

I really don'r know where to begin. The reader was fantastic. the story line incredible. this was one of Karen's best work to date. worth buying even without a credit!

Are we there yet?

Get an abridged version. After awhile - long drive and long listening - the characters get to be tedious. It's a good story premise (but be
prepared for horrible torture descriptions) with complex discoveries about relationships and intentions and... everyone needs a lot of therapy and story needs some good cops.

Magnificent!

I do agree that the summary should include that there is quite a bit of violence in this novel, as it would probably have saved those who find it to be too much some time, and they could have listened to something else. I will quote 'boys mom' review, "the writer only included enough to make you realize how bad the perpetrator was. Without it you would never have known or gotten the full effect of the story." I wholeheartedly agree. I've listened to much more dark, and disturbing books. This was not nearly as bad as some of these other reviews make it seem. BUT if you are triggered by violence, rape, torture etc. - this won't be for you.

Now, with that out of the way - I LOVED THIS BOOK. It had me feeling so may different emotions. I related to both sisters for different reasons. The character development and descriptions were superb. Karin Slaughter is a very talented author. The imagery that was created with their words left me in awe. I love how the story went back and forth with present and past. It was done very well. I got to the last 4 hours and could not stop.

I loved the ending. Everything wrapped up so well. It keeps you on the edge of your seat. I wish there were more! The narrator is wonderful as well. This book gets 5 stars across the board!! Definitely worth the read!

Not for the faint of heart!

One of Karin Slaughter's creepiest and evil characters yet! I love Karin Slaughter and if you love creepy and evil I highly recommend her stories...start from the beginning, she has recurring characters and stand alone stories and they are all great! Kathleen Early is great narrating these Georgia natives. Karin keep them coming!

terrifying. Might just give me nightmares.

Would you try another book from Karin Slaughter and/or Kathleen Early?

not sure.

Would you be willing to try another book from Karin Slaughter? Why or why not?

this one was so graphic, I wish I read more of these reviews before I bought it.

Did Pretty Girls inspire you to do anything?

not read it again.

Any additional comments?

I don't think this needed to be as graphic as it was.

I fell like my own imagination wasn't worth anything...

The plot was fine and maybe I'd feel better about the performance if the story was better. I mean...19 hours? I figured there must be something really twisty and from the rave reviews...I was sold. The story could have been told in 8 or 9 hours...the details...egads the details...way too many, unnecessary details. As the author would begin to describe something, my own imagination would only get a jumpstart to fall flat because she took it away as if saying, "this is MY STORY, your imagination isn't allowed". Harsh, I know, but that's how I felt throughout the entire book. Also, I knew who it was by the middle and figured out how twisted he was...so no surprises there.