Pretty Girls – Karen Slaughter (Rating A+)

Rating: A+ — Brutal, unflinching, and unforgettable; one of Slaughter’s best and an all-time favorite.

I’ll say it upfront: I’m biased. I’ve devoured every Karin Slaughter book, and Pretty Girls remains one of my absolute favorites of all time. It’s dark, it’s graphic, and it will not be for everyone—one Amazon reviewer even called it “one of the most graphic and disgusting books” they’d ever read. For me, that intensity was part of the draw. The violence is unsettling, yes, but it serves a purpose: it drives home the stakes in a story that is as emotionally devastating as it is unputdownable. I read it in one sitting, heart racing, completely consumed.

Beneath the brutality, there’s an impossibly powerful story. More than two decades after their sister Julia vanished without a trace, estranged sisters Claire and Lydia are forced back together when Claire’s husband is brutally murdered. Their fractured bond becomes the only bridge to uncovering the dark secrets that tore their family apart—secrets twisted, layered, and soaked in grief, deception, and survival. It’s a psychological thriller that doesn’t just entertain—it digs its claws into your gut and refuses to let go.