Juliet Townsend has always been jealous of Madeleine Bell.
Living in Maddy’s shadow since they were fierce competitors on their high school track team, Juliet now works a dead-end job at a hotel, cleaning rooms. One night, Maddy checks into the Mid-Night Inn, well-dressed and sporting a diamond ring on her left finger. Maddy has it all and Juliet wants it. The next morning, however, Juliet is more than just a jealous best friend – she’s the main suspect in Maddy’s murder.
Juliet gets stuck in a rut for ten years, dealing with low self-esteem and it takes the murder of her friend to force her to decide it is time to take charge and change her life. She takes advantage of her daily running routine to discover secrets of a painful past. So it doesn’t surprise her when the police pursue her as a suspect in the murder of her close friend. After discovering details of events leading to Maddy’s murder, she decides it’s time to find the real killer and clear her good name.
Lori Rader-Day, author of the Anthony Award-winning The Black Hour, teaches mystery writing at Story Studio Chicago. Day takes readers on a tour of crime and mystery in Little Pretty Things. With a well-planned plot, a rollercoaster of emotion, and a twist you won’t soon forget, the mystery is solid, every detail in place. The characters are developed and relatable. But it's the relationships the protagonist has with other women that will resonate for a long time after reading this book, like the little pretty things we tend to overlook.
Little Pretty Things is a summer must read.
The summary of the novel is really well done. Especially in this case since it is a murder mystery. It can be hard to give just enough, but not spoiling too much of the book. I feel like you could of gone more in detail about how it is a well-planned plot, rollercoaster of emotion, etc. but it is a mystery so I an see why you didn’t. Don’t want to spoil too much of the book.
ReplyDeleteI like how you immediately began your review by telling the reader Jealousy is a major theme in this novel. We've all felt jealous before, despite our efforts to refrain from it, so anyone reading this review will most likely feel compelled to not only read the rest of the review, but also read the novel. Refraining from giving away the plot sounds crucial to this novel, and I think you explained the essence of the novel and plot without giving away whether or not Juliet did commit the murder. Well done!
ReplyDeleteWell done. I like the extra background on the author in this review. It not only gives the reader a sense of her writing style but a sense of who she is and how she put that into her book. The image you used was well chosen as well. I like the combination of the author photo and book cover. I do have to say, though, I didn’t like the ending line. It was a bit too clichéd for me. Other than that, great job.
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