Pretty Girls

By Karin Slaughter

Sometimes, letting your imagination run wild is more dangerous than knowing the truth. Other times, learning the truth is much more perilous.

I found it interesting that many of the reviews for this book are of the extreme.  Some readers loved the book and couldn't get enough while others just couldn't stomach it because of the horrific crimes against the women in the story.  To me, it read like some perverse headline that we've see on the news. One of those headlines where until that moment, one would have thought, something like "that" could never happen in real life.  Think about the first time you heard the name Jeffrey Dahmer or John Wayne Gacy.  Until those moments, who would have thought one human being could do such torturous things to another.  Unfortunately, like the saying goes, truth is stranger than fiction; but fortunately, for Julia and her sisters, their story is fiction. 

Over 20 years have passed since the disappearance of Julia- at the time, a vibrant teen full of life.  Since then her estranged sisters, Claire and Lydia, have gone on with their very different and separate lives.  When Claire's husband is suddenly murdered, Lydia feels compelled to show up at the cemetery.  This is the beginning of a journey neither Claire nor Lydia ever expected. They set out to find the truth and get revenge. On their way, they learn about justice, forgiveness, and family. 

Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter is a novel filled with interesting characters, chilling details, and  twists and turns that kept me turning the pages.