Good Suspense Thriller

Would you consider the audio edition of The Prettiest One to be better than the print version?

Although I choose an audio book for almost every book, i would still consider this audio book to be better than the print version. Although I will say, if I reading the book, I would definitely say "bogeyman" differently than it was pronounced in the audio version. It took a while to get used to that.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Prettiest One?

There were several memorable scenes. The book was quite graphic sometime. I think my most memorable scene had nothing to do with the main characters, but with Chops/George going to "work" at his home office. That stuck with me for a while...

Which scene was your favorite?

My favorite scene was any banter scene between Josh and Bix (I bought the audio book, so I have not seen how any character's names are spelled. Please excuse any misspellings of names)

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I didn't have an extreme reaction, but I did laugh a couple times and thoroughly enjoyed the book. I was also very satisfied with the ending.

Any additional comments?

This book turned out to be better than I originally thought it would be. I would recommend to other and now look forward to future works by James Hankins.

64 people found this helpful

Barely Had Time to Grab Edge of My Seat

This book is AWESOME! From the first word uttered this book hooks you. The human brain is amazing and this book exposes the reader to how the brain protects us. The three main characters work well together & the humor is believable despite the circumstances.


Want a good listen that has a strong female character that is not a cop? Then get this book; it is on the cheap side but lacks nothing in story, narrator, nor recording quality. I don't know why this book is cheaper than the author's other books but this book is worth way more.

MsTiff2U!

53 people found this helpful

The Prettiest One... The BEST one (thriller)

Once I started, I didn't want any interruptions till I was done. I mean, who wants their roller coaster ride interrupted, am I right?? And as psychological thrillers go, this was indeed a ride from start to end. Good narrator too (as you know, an excellent story can be ruined by a mediocre narrator.) This one had it all, and I enjoyed trying to out guess the author as to the ending. All around good entertainment.

46 people found this helpful

A fine thriller with some serious problems.

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

No. There are so many other authors whose books don't try one's patience with unbelievable contrivances. So many books, so little time! A number of my criticisms may be nit-picking, but I see that other readers have noted them as well. Both the author and the narrator make a series of mistakes (the narrator's repeated mispronunciation of Boogeyman, f'rinstance) that pile up after a while. Another: In the last few chapters, Caitlyn asks so many "why" questions that this becomes annoying. Any good writer knows not to repeat himself so many times, it's just basic rules of writing. And so forth.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

I am not the author. That's his job. Given how many readers loved this book, I'd say that he probably feels pretty successful.

What three words best describe Bon Shaw’s performance?

Another game that I am no good at. Overall I like his voice. If he were narrating better writing, he might be very enjoyable. I didn't like him that much reading Shady Cross, as the characters were almost universally repulsive. Speaking of repulsive: the guy who calls himself Chops, who is a real, touching good daddy, who then goes out to his "workshop" and tortures his victims before chopping them up and putting various body parts in baggies? What fun!

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Absolutely not. I did see a fantastic horror movie recently (Get Out). The material in that screenplay was admirable, effective writing that examined the topic of race in great detail, with intelligence and drama and a fair amount of wit: Mr. Hankins wishes he could ever write like that.

Any additional comments?

Nope. Not my cup of hemlock-poisoned tea.

7 people found this helpful

Better than ok

Interesting premise. Issue of main character's name was confusing at times. Might be better if read in book format. Caitlyn, Kate, Kathy, Katherine and summers, southern, southerd and how those names were arrived at left me wondering during a lot of it

25 people found this helpful

Contrived start, but enjoyable

I agree with one reviewer's comment that the author begins with a ridiculous premise - completely unbelievable actions by main characters in the beginning of the book that can leave a bad taste in your mouth, make you distrust the author, and are difficult to overlook. However, I gave the author a chance to redeem himself, suspended my disbelief momentarily, and pushed on. Once past that hickup, the author does a good job weaving an engaging & believable story revolving around engaging/endearing characters without either additional hiccups or obvious plot/story line. Not perfect, but very enjoyable with no bad aftertaste, leaving me inclined to read more by the author, which is generally my litmus test

43 people found this helpful

Truly enjoyed this story!

This was my first book by the author and I am now a James Hankins fan. I enjoyed the overall story, the characters, and the pacing of the book. I was pleased with the ending too! I enjoyed the narration a lot, despite his pronunciation of "Bogeyman" using a hard o sound. :)

36 people found this helpful

A Psychological Thriller, So Suspend Disbelief ...

... and Enjoy.

This psychological thriller was a fun read from beginning to end. Yes, the writing was somewhat flawed and the premise is certainly debatable but if you want an entertaining wild ride, then you should take a look at this one.... it's about amnesia and how it leads conveniently to plot twists for a young woman. After a traumatic event, a woman loses her memory. The first time it happened, she was a child and now it happened again in her marriage. She even took on a different personality.

This was a fun read ... easy to follow and I didn't have to think too much. Good entertainment, with a good narrator...

5 people found this helpful

Fantastic thriller!!!

This is a great book!! Could not stop listening!! Say in the car for ten minutes after I got to my destination just so I could hear the outcome of one situation ... But it never stopped, so I had to just stop, go into my workplace, and come back out at lunch time to listen to it! It was wonderful. If you're on the fence, get off! It is a great book!!!

24 people found this helpful

Beyond Boring

This is boring and unbelievable. I simply do not believe that either her husband or her "fiance" believed her story. It doesn't make sense that they would not have any doubts. Having said that, I can't finish the book. The worst thing is that I dreaded listening to it so much that, for a long time, I stopped listening to anything. I couldn't finish the book and I couldn't move on. So I finally pulled the plug and am moving to, hopefully, a better story.

I wish I could give 0 stars.

8 people found this helpful