WINNER of the 2016 Mary Higgins Clark Award!
Anthony Award for Best Paperback Original finalist!
One of the “most arresting crime novels of 2015” according to Kirkus Reviews!
Little Pretty Things Reviews
“Rader-Day again proves herself (after The Black Hour, 2014) a deft manipulator of dark atmosphere, witty dialogue, and complex, charismatic characters. Highly recommended for psychological thriller groupies, especially those who walk on the literary side of the genre and favor books like Tana French’s Faithful Place (2010) and Cornelia Read’s Madeline Dare series.” —Booklist STARRED REVIEW
“Once again, Chicago author Rader-Day delivers a breathless psychological thriller with a killer first line, an irresistible mystery, and lean chapters soaked with suspense. Comparisons to Tana French (A Secret Place) and Paula Hawkins (The Girl on the Train) have become all-too-common in the mystery genre, but with two consistently great novels now under her belt, Rader-Day has proved their equal in crafting taut, literary mysteries with fascinating heroines.” —BookPage
Little Pretty Things reads rather like a combination of Grosse Pointe Blank and The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner. Or like a re-write of Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion where Romy gets murdered in the first five minutes and Michele forgets all about blue binder guy and spends the whole movie solving Romy’s murder while reexamining every facet of her and Romy’s life. Readers of Megan Abbott, Tana French, Mette Ivie Harrison, and Jamie Mason should get plenty of enjoyment out of Lori Rader-Day’s work, but there’s a limit to any exact comparison – Lori Rader-Day’s got a style and sensibility all her own. But don’t take my word for it – thanks to Seventh Street Books and their affordable paperback releases, you can find out for yourself. —Molly, bookseller at Book People, in Austin, TX
“The writing style allows the mystery to unfold slowly, giving readers time to swallow everything they’ve learned, making the surprising end and reveal of the culprit more shocking and full of impact. It’s a great read for the mystery lover who prefers to leave the suspense for the final pages. Compelling. – Page-Turner.” —RT Book Reviews
“Pack this one in your beach bag and get your book clubs ready—I think we’ve found this year’s hottest summer title!” —Rachel Kray, Overdrive Book Bytes
“Lori Rader-Day’s Little Pretty Things will wrap its fingers around your throat. You will know that you’re in the clutches of a master storyteller. Little Pretty Things is that rare curio: a book you wish you had written yourself. A book you’d like to steal with an obsessive, itchy hand.”—James Ziskin, author of Cold Stone Dead
“Absorbing…Rader-Day weaves a suspenseful tale with sparks of humor and gems of thought-provoking wisdom. Little Pretty Things will not only leave you rooting for Juliet Townsend’s metamorphosis, but for the redemption of gloomy, hometown America.” —Heather Webb, author of Rodin’s Lover
About Little Pretty Things
OLD RIVALRIES NEVER DIE. BUT SOME RIVALS DO.
Juliet Townsend is used to losing. Back in high school, she lost every track team race to her best friend, Madeleine Bell. Ten years later, she’s still running behind, stuck in a dead-end job cleaning rooms at the Mid-Night Inn, a one-star motel that attracts only the cheap or the desperate. But what life won’t provide, Juliet takes.
Then one night, Maddy checks in. Well-dressed, flashing a huge diamond ring, and as beautiful as ever, Maddy has it all. By the next morning, though, Juliet is no longer jealous of Maddy—she’s the chief suspect in her murder.
To protect herself, Juliet investigates the circumstances of her friend’s death. But what she learns about Maddy’s life might cost Juliet everything she didn’t realize she had.
