Lee Child says it’s “stunning… certain to be a book of the year.”
Kathy Reichs calls it “extraordinary… a major achievement.”
Jeffery Deaver says that “fiction doesn’t get any better than this.”
Gillian Flynn says of Karin Slaughter: “I’d follow her anywhere.”
See for yourself what these #1 New York Times-bestselling authors are talking about.
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.
Included with this gripping thriller is Karin Slaughter’s chilling short story “Blonde Hair, Blue Eyes.”
Download and start listening now!
"I thought the story line was pretty riveting and kept me interested throughout. Lots of twists and turns that were unexpected. I did find some of the scenes to be a little graphic when they were described. It was a bit disturbing and if you are not one for vivid imagery, I would not recommend this. I very much enjoy crime drama but prefer to leave the gruesome moments to the back of my imagination rather than have them brought to the surface with very specific torture details. Again, I enjoyed the story line and would recommend to anyone who can tolerate the very detailed human suffering. As far as the narration, I was pleased with the pace and voice. "
— julie (4 out of 5 stars)
“A hold-your-breath pedal-to-the-metal thriller.”
— Lee Child, #1 New York Times bestselling author“A hell-raising thriller…A genuinely exciting narrative driven by strong-willed female characters.”
— New York Times Book Review“Scary enough to have you checking over your shoulder while you read late into the night, unable to put it down.”
— Amazon.com“Narrator Kathleen Early…uses a hyper-edgy tone, keeping the ghastly descriptions understated, allowing the real horror to emerge. With stunning twists and unpredictable turns, Early’s performance of Slaughter’s chilling novel invents a new word for the OED: ‘unputdownable.’ Winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award.”
— AudioFile“Packs a heck of a wallop, and while it’s a powerful thriller, it’s also a deft look into a family forced to confront horrific tragedy. Slaughter’s longtime fans will be thrilled. New readers will be hooked on this twisted tale from page one.”
— Library Journal (starred review)“Slaughter shreds your own nerves along with those of the sisters…Slaughter is so uncompromising in following her blood trails to the darkest places imaginable that she makes most of her high-wire competition look pallid, formulaic, or just plain fake.”
— Kirkus Reviews (starred review)“This is a complex story that one does not soon forget…It is certainly not for the feint of heart…The reader, Kathleen Early, gives a bravura performance, which greatly adds to the power of the novel.”
— Deadly Pleasures“The fast pace, peppered liberally with shocks and revelations, pulls you in and doesn’t let go. This dark and twisted tale of one family’s devastation is not for the faint of heart, but readers who can take the violence are in for a super thrill ride. This may be the best Slaughter book yet.”
— RT Book Reviews (4½ stars, Top Pick!)“Pretty Girls…is a powerful examination of grief, and thriller fans will get more than their money’s worth.”
— Shelf Awareness" Definitely enjoyed this thriller. It definitely keeps your attention. "
— CPO61, 2/17/2024" Very disappointed in this author. I had high hopes after all the books that were advertised. Could barely finish it. Gross and gory. "
— Lovestheoutdoors, 6/29/2023" Easy to listen to...drug at certain times but not enough to give up listening...overall I would recommend it! "
— Principal, 3/21/2023" Twenty years ago, Claire's older sister Julia went missing. No one had any idea where she went as there was no note, no body and no ideas. It was a mystery that was never solved and her family fell apart. Now that another young girl has disappeared, it seems like the two disappearances might be related. As the story unfolds and Claire begins to learn the truth about her sister, she makes a shocking discovery. Nothing about her life will ever be the same. This story was bizarre and I just didn't connect with it. Though I did finish the book, I feel like my time would've been better spent doing something else. "
— Julie, 10/20/2021" Too slow, and too many details…. I was a little disappointed, I have read almost all of the series and stand alone novels. I will "
— Blanca, 8/29/2021" Great book, great story, very suspenseful, many twist and turns! Could not put it down... I will listen to it again soon. "
— Andrea, 3/2/2020" This book kept me going! Not a fast start but before you know it, you’ll be comply submerged. "
— Anne, 10/4/2018" Well done even though I figured it out early on. Still very suspenseful. "
— Florence, 7/2/2018" I had previously listened to The Good Daughter so I was excited to start this one. I won't lie, there are some very difficult passages to listen to. The subject matter deals with a lot of violence towards women. I actually appreciate that Mrs. Slaughter did not shy away from describing these acts. She did not let social constaints stop her or soften her approach. Well done "
— Shannon Petrosky, 2/8/2018" The narrator did an excellent job and had me hooked from the very beginning. I quickly had high hopes for this audio book. As the story progressed however, the gruesome details and subject matter was more than I could tolerate. I ended up having to jump to the end to avoid walking around with the yuckiness and negativity that this novel was leaving me with. I could not recommend this well written book because of this reason. "
— Tammy, 10/22/2017" The narration was captivating and from the beginning I was hooked. As the story progressed however, the subject matter and gory details were more than I could handle. I ended up skipping to the end simply because it was too intense. "
— tammy, 10/21/2017" An interesting story line, somewhat confronting. Kathleen Early is a very good narrator. "
— zena, 8/9/2017" Listened to this with my Husband over the course of a few long car rides. Kept our attention the whole time. We still talk about this book. "
— Mason, 7/25/2017" this is a great read, but not for the faint of heart. a little graphic and disturbing. "
— craig, 5/21/2017" This was a very suspenseful novel. I enjoyed every minute of it!! The ready did very well with emotion and suspense building in reading the text. I recommend listening to it! "
— Tania, 3/4/2017" I won't lie, this book has very hard passages, in a sense of the descriptions of the violence to the women. Nothing fantastical about it though, as people like this do exist, which I guess makes it tough to read. GREAT story though, kept me hooked from the first sentence. Her characters are vivid and totally believable. "
— Marie, 2/14/2017" Great book! This book is very suspenseful. I listen to audio books on my car rides to and from work and this book definitely kept my attention and made me look forward to my commutes. This story is brilliantly written. It caught my interest right off the start and i was never bored. "
— Charla, 10/21/2016" the person reading did sound like she was spitting while reading. Not good. "
— Danna Rae, 10/17/2016" edge of your seat plot. great thriller. will listen to again "
— tumblingspirit, 4/10/2016Karin Slaughter is one of the world's most popular storytellers. She is the author of more than twenty instant Sunday Times bestselling novels, including the Edgar-nominated Cop Town. She is an international bestseller, with her novels published in 120 countries with more than forty million copies sold across the globe. Pieces of Her is now a #1 Netflix original series starring Toni Collette, Will Trent is now a television series starring Ramon Rodríguez on ABC, and further projects are in development for television. She is the founder of the Save the Libraries project, a nonprofit organization established to support libraries and library programming.
Kathleen Early, a five-time winner of the Earphones Award for audiobook narration, is also a television, film, and stage actress. She studied at the University of Oklahoma, the Oxford School of Drama, and the Actors Theatre of Louisville before moving to New York City, where she understudied on Broadway and toured nationally. Her television credits include recurring roles on Miami Medical and Grey’s Anatomy.