Pretty Girls
HarperCollins Publishers
September 29, 2015
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.
Pretty Girls is not for the faint-hearted. That said, this was a gripping thriller!
Karin Slaughter knows her way around a plot twist. This book was expertly written to keep you turning the pages all night long. When you finish, you’ll have a little trouble getting to sleep.
Julia, the older sister of Claire and Lydia disappears on her walk home to her college campus at night. Without indication of foul-play, local officers assume she joined up with a hippie group to live off the grid. Her family knew something was wrong, but without proof the mystery of Julia’s disappearance slowly destroyed their family. While their mother closed in within herself, their father wouldn’t let any lead go unchecked and became obsessed with solving the case and finding Julia himself.
Claire and Lydia cope with the loss of Julia in two very different ways.
Lydia avoids the pain of loss by taking the dark road of parties and drugs, Claire turns inside and keeps quiet. She is the good and quiet student, slipping by unnoticed. Soon enough, the sisters are met with an unexpected test of their relationship causing them to break contact and not speak to each other for twenty years.
Over 20 Years Later, murder brings the sisters back together.
Lydia and Claire take a turbulent truce when a middle-aged man is murdered in an alley. Seemingly unrelated, Claire doesn’t see how it connects to the disappearance of her sister. Yet, within days of the murder, there is one surprise after another that keeps Claire, and the readers guessing. Lydia tags along to help and protect Claire from the new mess she’s found herself thrown into. Neither of them were prepared for what they would find. Readers will be very shocked as well.
Kristin lives in the PNW with her husband, and three kids. She loves to read YA fiction, fantasy, and romance. She enjoys a few side-hustles, including creating bookreels/booktoks for authors. The only shows she watches are re-runs, and if she’s not reading a book, she’s listening to one.
