Chorley Chronicals: Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter {Audio}

Saturday, April 30, 2016

Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter {Audio}

4:57 PM | Posted by Unknown

Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter
My Rating: 5 of 5 Butterflies

Title: Pretty Girls
Author:  Karin Slaughter
Series:  Stand Alone
Narrator:  Kathleen Early
Length: Unabridged; 19 hours and 59 minutes (Audio)
Publisher:  Blackstone Audio (aka Downpour)
Published: October 6, 2014 (e-Book & Audio)
Source: Publisher via Audiobook Jukebox
Format: Audio
Genres: Fiction; Mystery; Suspense; Thriller
Subjects: Missing Children; Murder Victims' Families; Loss

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.

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

My Review:

I don't have much experience as a Karin Slaughter reader, but if Pretty Girls is any indicator of her writing ability, man, just consider me her newest groupie! I have read a few titles of hers, and not one has left me disappointed!

This was a really tough storyline from beginning to end! When I say tough, I mean the subject content was tough to read and comprehend. But what I really commend is the fact that even though it was going to be controversial and subject to tough criticism, Slaughter wrote it, published it, and totally NAILED IT! This story isn't for the faint of heart, but I feel that the graphicness (if that's a word!) of this story was necessary to get the point across. The twists and turns started early on, and continued throughout the entire story.

I love the strong female characters and even though I struggled through all of the different POV's at first, I quickly found that I was encaptured within each character's story, and found myself being able to then put each character and story together as my reading progressed.

I admire that this book follows the many different feelings and aspects of a missing loved one, including the different ways that different people cope.

This story was very descriptive, however, I feel that it was necessary to depict exactly the kind of monster Slaughter was trying to depict. I think without such gruesome details, the reader might not have understood just how much of a monster the abductor really was.

Pretty Girls elicited many of my different feelings thoughout my reading, but I enjoyed that. I always like a book that can really make me feel my feelings while reading/listening, and this book definitely covers all the bases there.

I love Kathleen Early as a narrator. She is always spot on and a total joy to listen to! I have actually found myself looking for books based on her as a narrator, just because I know she will deliver a solid performance.

Overall, Karin Slaughter has really paved her way in the reading world and other authors better look out because she is on top of her game!