Whodunit Book Club meeting March 29, 2016

Whodunit Book Club members were delighted to welcome another new face at this month's meeting. Fifteen members came together on a chilly and windy evening to discuss the thriller "Pretty Girls" by Karin Slaughter. Some attendees thought the author's name was very fitting due to the extreme and graphic violence depicted in the novel.

The description of the novel from the author's website:

More than twenty years ago, Claire and Lydia’s teenage 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.

As is our usual custom we went around the circle and each member in attendance rated the book out of a possible ten points. The views were very diverse. Some loved the book, some just couldn't abide it at all - citing the recurring theme of violence and torture detracted from their having any enjoyment from the novel whatsoever. As a result, the average score was 7/10 with nine members saying they would read another book by this author.

Some adjectives used to describe "Pretty Girls" were: disturbing, graphic, intense, etc.  It was all those things and more.  With a high body count the novel felt like a film script.  The many plot twists, fast pacing, and skillful writing ensured that it was a page-turner. However, the book was not for the squeamish.  Torture, gore, and rape were described in graphic detail... too much detail for some.  Others thought the vivid depictions were necessary to ensure that the reader was fully apprised of the extent of evil of the novel's villain.

Discussion arose as to whether society is now becoming desensitized to the evil that man can perpetrate upon his fellow man...  It was also questioned as to whether people of varying ages would react differently to the graphic nature of the novel.

Some readers enjoyed the psychological study of the damaged family while others couldn't connect with the characters on any level.

Listed on the Globe and Mail's list of 100 best books, "Pretty Girls" is listed in the crime section.  Goodreads rates the book very highly with the average score taken from over thirty-one thousand ratings.
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There will be no Whodunit Book Club meeting in April.
We meet again on May 31st to discuss
  "The Devil you Know" by Elisabeth de Mariaffi.

Lucky winners of the giveaway books this month were:
1. Brian
2. Carolyn
3. Crystal
4. Jane