Pretty Girls - Karin Slaughter

Summary:

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.

Summary from goodreads.com

My Review:

Pretty Girls was my very first Karin Slaughter read. I have devoured countless James Patterson novels, a few by Tess Gerritsen, and a couple of Lisa Gardner specials. Karin Slaughter is now definitely, one of my most favorite. I absolutely loved the book from beginning to end. She provides just enough description of detail to provide an accurate story background and enough character building to make sure you care about them. This is pretty important to me, I have discovered. While I might know a bit about the characters, it takes me a while to care whether they live or die. I know, I know. No, I’m not a complete psychopath. I’ve just read so many thrillers and mysteries that I have become a bit jaded.

The first few chapters, Slaughter makes certain that we see the drastic differences in the lives of sisters Claire and Lydia Carroll. Although raised in the same household, they did not experience the same parents. After their older sister disappears, they each take their separate, post traumatic life paths. While Lydia suppresses her grief with sex, drugs, and rock & roll, baby sister Claire just lets life happen to her. The least amount of decision-making, the better.

Soon though, their lives come full circle. They are reunited by the same force that tore them apart in the first place. Together they discover that their big sister did not simply disappear, she was tortured and murdered by the very people that should have protected her.

What I loved most about Slaughter’s story telling is that even when we thought we knew who was involved, we really didn’t! When I thought I knew what was about to happen, I was pleasantly surprised. I couldn’t put the book down. Just the anticipation of what would be discovered next had me HOOKED. Five stars for Karin Slaughter, Pretty Girls. Now time to find all of the Karin Slaughter amazingness that I have missed out on!