Pretty Girls

July 6, 2015
Claire Scott, the heroine of this gripping standalone from bestseller Slaughter (Cop Town), thought she knew everything about her architect husband, Paul, but her posh Atlanta life is turned upside down when he’s fatally stabbed in an alley and she uncovers a series of nasty videos on his home computer. Paul’s dark side is what drove a wedge between Claire and her sister Lydia 18 years earlier, when Lydia accused Paul of attempted rape. At the time, Claire sided with Paul, and the sisters stopped speaking. The family was already splintered following the 1991 disappearance of Claire and Lydia’s older sister, 19-year-old Julia, who vanished near her University of Georgia dorm. Paul’s death brings Claire and Lydia back together as they begin peeling back the layers of everything that the meticulously organized Paul kept hidden. Chapters from the girls’ father’s journal, written to the missing Julia, form a poignant counterpoint to the chilling violence of this unsettling tale. Agent: Victoria Sanders, Victoria Sanders & Associates.

August 1, 2015

After Claire Scott's millionaire husband of almost 20 years is killed by a mugger, she's devastated. Paul was her rock, and the happiness she felt with him was unlike anything she'd ever known. When an attempted burglary during the funeral brings cops and an FBI agent to their house, Claire discovers Paul may have been hiding something. As events escalate, she calls on Lydia, her estranged sister (whose life as a struggling single mom is worlds away from Claire's privileged one), for help. Soon they uncover evidence that could solve the mystery of the recent disappearance of a young girl, and may also hold the key to their own sister Julia's disappearance 20 years ago. VERDICT Slaughter's (Cop Town) stand-alone novel 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.--Kristin Centorcelli, Denton, TX

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2015
In her second stand-alone thriller, after Cop Town (2014), which was nominated for an Edgar, veteran crime writer Slaughter shifts her focus from cops to the victims of a crime. Teenage Julia disappeared 20 years ago, and her family has never been the same. Julia's body was never found, preventing her parents and sisters from coming to terms with their loss. Lydia, a single mother struggling to support herself, has long been estranged from her sister, Claire, due to the accusations Lydia leveled against Claire's wealthy husband, Paul. But now Paul has been murdered, the victim of an armed robbery, and Claire has found some very disturbing files on his computer, including snuff films featuring the torture and murder of young girls. She reaches out to her sister, and the two seek to determine just what kind of man Paul was and what, if any, link he might have to the disappearance of their sister. A gritty page-turner about the crimes perpetrated against women and the devastating effect on those who love them. One caveat: Slaughter's many fans know to expect hard-edged scenes, but this novel contains some of the most gruesome she has ever written. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Mega-best-selling Slaughter's previous stand-alone was an instant New York Times best-seller; her second is sure to follow suit.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)