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Friday, February 24, 2017

The Cephalopod Coffeehouse _ Pretty Girls

http://armchairsquid.blogspot.com/2017/01/the-cephalopod-coffeehouse-february.html

Welcome to another edition of the Cephalopod Coffeehouse. The idea is simple: on the last Friday of each month, post about the best book you've finished over the past month while visiting other bloggers doing the same.  In this way, we'll all have the opportunity to share our thoughts with other enthusiastic readers. 

This month I'm going to tell you about Pretty Girls by Karen Slaughter

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.



I read this in a single sitting for two reasons: I was sick, and it was really good, even though I don't read a lot of books like this, ie thrillers with women in peril. But I grew to like both these sisters quite quickly, especially Lydia, whose sarcastic wit among the soccer moms totally cracked me up, and helped her stay strong later. If you do like thrillers, I highly recommend it. If you can't read about torture (it isn't gratuitous; the author tells you enough to horrify but doesn't drown you in all the details) then you might not enjoy this book.

In other news, 23 days til spring...

25 comments:

  1. Not into torture, but as long as it's not like torture porn films, I'm good.

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    1. No, not like a torture porn film, not that I've ever seen one, or want to. But the author didn't dwell on it overlong, imo.

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  2. I'm not really into the genre, but the tying together of two murders decades apart sounds interesting. As for spring, we've yet to have winter and it's to be 80 today and in a bit (timing my trip on the tides) I'll be out in my kayak paddling to a distant island.

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    1. You must live where I'd like to *sigh*

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  3. I read some books by Karen Slaughter a few years back and enjoyed them but somehow she seems to have slipped off my radar. Now you've reminded me of her work I'll certainly look out for this book.

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    1. I would definitely read another book by her.

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  4. I loved that book, although it was definitely very violent.

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    1. Yes, but I didn't feel that the author dwelt overlong on it, you know, what I mean? At least, that was my take.

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  5. Not really a thrillers or torture fan, but I'll overlook both for a good read.

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  6. Not my kind of book, but it sounds good. I might make an exception.

    Love,
    Janie

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    1. generally not my kind either but every now and then I like to read something out of my usual genres.

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    2. It was an excellent read.

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  7. There are a lot more thrillers on my TBR shelves than their used to be. Currently, they tend toward espionage but that could change. I'll keep this one in mind.

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    1. Good grief... than "there" used to be...

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    2. never let it be said the squid doesn't know their from there, lol.

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  8. Wow! I have a friend who really likes thrillers. I'm going to recommend this to her!
    Thanks for sharing!
    V of V's Reads :)

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  9. This sounds like my cup of tea. Thanks for sharing. I remain immersed in my own fiction, rewriting a novelette series penned a decade aga (!). Time sure flies; I'm just glad to have rediscovered my OC's. Be well!

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    1. You're welcome and good luck with your work!

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  10. I've read a book by her before, good read!

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  11. I've seen this book around and wondered about it. Not into torture, but this doesn't sound too bad. It actually sounds interesting.

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  12. cool! sounds exciting!
    and went through some of your photos - love seeing your beautiful winter pics

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    1. I love the way winter looks, but not so much the way it feels.

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  13. I used to read everything Slaughter wrote but then she killed off a favorite character in her first series and it killed all my interest in the rest of her stories. Totally done for shock value and not to move the story line forward.

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