Friday, October 9, 2015

TLC BOOK TOURS and REVIEW: Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter

Synopsis

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.







Hardcover, 397 pages
Published September 29th 2015 by William Morrow
ISBN 0062429051 (ISBN13: 9780062429056)



About the Author

Karin Slaughter is the #1 internationally bestselling author of more than a dozen novels, including the Will Trent and Grant County series and the instant New York Times bestseller Cop Town. There are more than 30 million copies of her books in print around the world.

Check out the author's website
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My Thoughts
When you first disappeared, your mother warned me that finding out exactly what had happened to you would be worse than never knowing.
There once were three sisters: Julia, Lydia and Claire. They were typical girls, and typical sisters. They pestered one another, stole one another's clothing, fought and loved one another. Then Julia disappeared without a trace at nineteen years of age, and the family was ripped asunder and it never healed. Now decades later, their father is dead, mother heartbroken, and surviving sisters Lydia and Claire haven't spoken with one another in a very long time after an incident involving the man that would become Claire's husband.

Claire's life seems perfect. She should be happy. She lives a life of which most people can only dream. She has a beautiful home, beautiful “things”, can afford to travel the world, spend her day playing tennis or shopping or whatever she wishes to do. So why is she so dissatisfied, cheating on her husband, and assaulting friends?

Lydia was the stereotypical middle child. She was the troublesome rebel as a teenager who became addicted to drugs and wound up running off everyone who ever really cared about her. Now as a middle-aged mother, she has straightened out her life, having fought and scratched out a good life for her and her daughter.

Claire's husband Paul has always been the perfect husband. He provides for Claire, and she can want for nothing. He is thoughtful-- he, in fact, seems to think of everything. Nothing is missed. Everything is organized and planned. He even decorated their house. But after his death, Claire discovers that Paul had secrets of his own, and there is so much that she didn't know about him.

I didn’t care too much for Claire initially. She seemed sad, self-absorbed, hard, cold, and a little whiny. But as time went on, I grew to like her more. However I never really warmed up to her.

Lydia is a different story. I liked her from the beginning, and that never changed. Strong, committed and devoted, I liked her straight-forward personality that suffers no fools.

This was my introduction to the author, and I have been converted to a Slaughter fan! I really enjoyed her writing style. Descriptive, easy to read, well-developed characters, suspenseful writing. Other than graphically disturbing violence and torture, what’s not to like?

I would like to thank TLC Book Tours for including me on this tour. Check out the website for the full tour schedule:

Tuesday, September 29th: Sara’s Organized Chaos
Wednesday, September 30th: Curling Up by the Fire
Thursday, October 1st: For the Love of Words
Friday, October 2nd: Mary’s Cup of Tea
Monday, October 5th: JulzReads
Tuesday, October 6th: The Book Bag
Wednesday, October 7th: A Bookworm’s World
Thursday, October 8th: Why Girls Are Weird
Friday, October 9th: Cerebral Girl in a Redneck World
Monday, October 12th: No More Grumpy Bookseller
Tuesday, October 13th: Kahakai Kitchen
Wednesday, October 14th: Stephany Writes
Thursday, October 15th: I’m Shelf-ish
Thursday, October 15th: Book Hooked Blog
TBD: Imaginary Reads

My final word: As I mentioned before, this book is graphic and filled with disturbing images, but I found it really suspenseful. It kept me on the edge of my seat, wondering what was coming down the pike next. The author is very readable, the characters well-developed, the storyline provocative. I really, really enjoyed this story, and that feels a little "wrong", given how violent the story was, but I just can't help it. The story could get a little preposterous at times and requires some "suspension of disbelief" to get through it, but it is really a great escape if you like mystery and suspense, and you aren't put off by graphic violence of a sexual nature. I'd give two thumbs up, if it weren't for the thumbscrews and shackles!
A particularly beautiful woman is a source of terror.
-- Carl Jung
Buy Now:

Barnes and Noble
Amazon
IndieBound

My Rating:






The Cerebral Girl is a forty-something blogger just digging her way out from under a mountain of books in the deep south of Florida.

I received a copy of this book to review through TLC Book Tours and the publisher, in exchange for my honest opinion. I was not financially compensated in any way, and the opinions expressed are my own and based on my observations while reading this novel.

2 comments:

Heather J @ TLC Book Tours said...

It's hard to say "enjoy" when a book is so dark but there isn't really a better word for it!

Thanks for being a part of the tour!

Susan said...

Hm, I think I'd have a problem with the "graphically disturbing violence and torture." Thanks for the warning. I think I'll steer clear!