Karin Slaughter best novel

Karin Slaughter is one of my favorite writers. I'm a fan Grant County series and Will Trent series as well as her stand alone novels. Pretty Girls, a well written psychological thriller, may be her best work yet. It is easily the best of the 50 or so novels I have read or listened to this year. Read other reviews here and at amazon.com to learn more about the book. My intent in writing this short review is to say (1) you need to read this excellent novel and (2) the audiobook version narration is exceptionally good.

I'm glad I decided to buy the audiobook rather than the Kindle version. Jennifer Woodward does a fine job as primary narrator, but Robert Slade's reading of her father's letters to the long dead Julia Scott is haunting and wonderful; Slade's tone is pitch perfect.

4 people found this helpful

Riveting. Can't Put down. Love Karin Slaughter

If you could sum up Pretty Girls in three words, what would they be?

Pretty Girls is the thriller version of the 2014 books of the year--the ones that slowly unravel the complexities of individuals. so slowly that it drains the reader .The difference with Pretty Girls is that there is NO fluff, no psychological babble--EVERY word written has significance and is gripping. Pretty Girls is about 3 sisters, one murdered long ago, and their parents vert different way of dealing with the pain. The 2 living sisters are estranged and living very different lives, but come together in a can't put down story where EVERYTHING is linked.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Pretty Girls?

It's all memorable. Please stop reading this review and buy the book. If you love psychological thrillers, this book is for you. Karin Slaughter can be a gory writer, but this book is not like that, although it is graphic in nature.

Which character – as performed by Jennifer Woodward and Robert G Slade – was your favorite?

The narrators did an amazing job of voicing the characters. I can't put a finger on a favorite character. I would have to say Lydia, the tough and resilient sister. I loved her most because I loved her boyfriend.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Extreme reaction--LOVED this book. It's in my top 10 of 1000's. I read everything of Karin Slaughter. She's in my top 5 of favorite authors.

Any additional comments?

Why are you still reading this? Go get the book!

3 people found this helpful

Can't believe I'm saying this....better than the Will and Sara series...oh my!!

I usually rate books but never leave comments...this time however I am completely blown away by this story!! I became a huge fan of Karin Slaughters after reading Lisa Gardner and was hooked from book 1...I was devastated when I completed the last in the will and Sara and had to wait. Honestly Pretty Girls is interesting, disturbing, funny and dark just the way I like em!! I laughed, cried and everything between! The narrator was also phenomenal and picked up on every nuance...great job to Karin and the entire audio production crew...wish I could listen all over again!!!

1 person found this helpful

Gripping

A gripping story of a family that has gone through various struggles. It was action packed and full of twists, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Read twice - enjoyed each time.

I’ve read it twice now, with a space of few years. Each time I enjoyed the story, believable characters and narration. Will listen to it again in the future, I’m sure.

Nice start, not enjoyable second half

I liked first half of the book. But then at a certain point it just turned into torture porn. Yeah, I know, it's Karin Slaughter book, I should have seen it coming ... But honestly, I am not enough into that genre to enjoy reading pages after pages about piss-waterboarding and similar activities.
Performance is very good.

Great Story

I usually read non-fiction so this thriller was a nice change. Good story but it could have been a bit more gripping if it was a bit shorter. But that could be my impatience from listening to fiction. Really enjoyed it in spite of it being a bit dragged out

Excellent...kept me listening.

Really enjoyed this book. Well narrated and the characters are real....mostly.
The ending was good ..but seemed a little rushed. . some of the loose ends could have been covered better.
Thoroughly enjoyable and excellent narration.

Painting with word.

Karen Slaughter writes very vivid pictures in her book. Can't turn pages fast enough. Thanks

Gripping thriller from start to finish!

Would you consider the audio edition of Pretty Girls to be better than the print version?

I have not read the print version but the audio version was extremely well done. Excellent performances! Brilliant story and unpredictable plot.

What other book might you compare Pretty Girls to and why?

Similar to Karin Slaughter's Grant County thrillers, this story is well constructed with believable characters. The villain is a complex character but his/her acts are pure evil! The protagonist tends to receive help from an unexpected source and there are twists and turns the whole way through the book.

Which scene was your favorite?

I enjoyed the end scene. After reading a very thrilling book where the protagonists encountered one setback after the next, and it seemed all hope was lost, it was wonderful to see them take back their power in the end. I won't say more and spoil the ending for you - but this was a really powerful scene.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I was very disturbed at times when the story became too violent. The villain is particularly wicked and his abuse of women is diabolical. These scenes are quite graphic and fortunately, not that long or frequent.

Any additional comments?

Karin is a master storyteller and this is one of the best I've read so far. Highly recommended!