You couldn’t turn on the TV without hearing about the missing teenage girl. Sixteen years old. White. Middle class. Very pretty. No one ever seemed quite as outraged when an ugly woman went missing.” From beginning to end, this book was full of twist and turns. Everyone was a suspect at some point and you never knew who you could trust. As Claire partnered up with her estranged sister, Lydia, to try and sort through the clues her husband inadvertently left behind, the truth seems to become less and less clear. Blonde Hair, Blue Eyes by Karin Slaughter is a 2015 Cornerstone Digital publication. I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher and Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. You haven’t talked to each other in twenty years and now you’re suddenly worried about her daughter?" -- “Lydia is my sister. Even when I hated her, I still loved her.” A stunning family tragedy and a hold-your-breath pedal-to-the-metal thriller...certain to be a book of the year."

The story is atmospheric from the beginning with a palpable sense of foreboding, and by the end of this short story, I was very, very uneasy and disturbed.Karin Slaughter is the author of more than twenty instant NEW YORK TIMES bestselling novels, including the Edgar–nominated COP TOWN and standalone novels THE GOOD DAUGHTER, PRETTY GIRLS, and GIRL, FORGOTTEN. She is published in 120 countries with more than 40 million copies sold across the globe. PIECES OF HER is a #1 Netflix original series starring Toni Collette. The Will Trent Series is on ABC (and streaming on Hulu in the U.S and Disney+ internationally). THE GOOD DAUGHTER and FALSE WITNESS are in development for film/tv. Slaughter is the founder of the Save the Libraries project—a nonprofit organization established to support libraries and library programming. A native of Georgia, she lives in Atlanta. Karin Slaughter truly has some of the strongest writing I've read. Like seriously. It doesn't matter if you end up loving or hating the story, it doesn't change the fact that the writing itself is top notch. The reason I rare read other genres is that they're rarely able to hold my attention -- I crave the emotional connection in romances -- so it's a real testament to how good this writing was that I was that into this story.

Overall, this story accomplishes what it set out to do, which is to entice readers to read the full length novel. Scientifically Proven Reasons Life Is Better If You're Beautiful – by Dina Spector in Business Insider

When will my order arrive?

I’ve read two of Slaughter’s books and I’m pretty sure I’m scared of her. Actually, when I looked up the meaning of the word graphic, her picture popped up. One thing is for sure, Slaughter knows how to grab a reader’s attention. This is quite detailed to the point of discomfort, but it still didn’t deter me from finishing this book to the end. Julia had a happy family life – she was the eldest of the siblings and in part felt responsible for her sisters’ wellbeing. But living at the college dormitory gave her a sense of independence – she and her roommate had been best friends for a long time. Was Julia about to put herself in danger with her relentless and paranoid pursuit into the unsolved cases? Which is too bad, because the book started strong. 24 years ago, Julia Carroll disappeared. The disappearance shattered her family. Her father killed himself (his letters to his missing daughter are the closest thing to a heart this book has). Her mother retreated inward; she stopped talking about Julia, but she kept her bedroom exactly the way the 19-year-old left it. Sisters Lydia Delgado, a single mother, owner of a pet grooming business and recovering addict, and Claire Scott, the pampered wife of a successful architect haven’t spoken for 20 years. The estrangement wasn’t because of Julia-it happened after Lydia accused Claire’s husband of something awful.

Because it certainly wasn't the torture porn and the third act that ratchets up everything to a lunatic finish. I can’t just walk away from this. I have to know. There isn’t anything left in my life except finding out the truth.” <--- my sentiments exactly! *keeps reading* Pretty Girls is the story of two sisters, one whom has just found herself widowed and the other a single mother of a teenaged daughter. They've long been estranged but have recently found themselves in communication again. Little do they know that uncovering their past will uncover way more than they ever could have expected - including some new clues regarding the 20 years ago disappearance of their oldest sister.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. This book was so damn freaking spectacular that I don't even know where to start. This has climbed to the top of my list as my favorite psychological thriller ever. This tops Dark Places and That Night and I never thought that would happen! For any book to triumph over those is a win for me :) although they are still right behind this book. And then the first big thing happens and then almost immediately a second. Me? I felt my heart sink. Because anyone who's seen a 90s thriller, Lifetime movie or not, should be able to rattle off the next few major plot points in easy succession. The two sisters join forces to continue searching for the truth about Julia’s disappearance, and must face the consequences of Claire learning some very disturbing secrets about her husband. And next, I'm going to actually show you guys all my status updates now (NO SPOILERS) so you can sort of see what I went through while reading it... (haha, sorry, I can get a bit sweary sometimes)

The bottom line here is that you will be ripping through this book, dying (well, almost) to see how things turn out. Pretty Girls is an outstanding thriller, a very engaging, entertaining, and disturbing read, and that is a beautiful thing.

I love this author. I fangirl so hard over her Grant County/Will Trent books so much that if I go anywhere that has them I must be restrained from recommending that people read them. Yes, Library ladies I will try and behave.