The opulence and excess of moneyed Los Angeles collides with the desperation of a wily con-artist in Brown’s wickedly indulgent and supremely gripping psychological thriller, packed with twists and unexpected revelations.
Nina once bought into the idea that her fancy arts degree would lead to a fulfilling career. When that dream crashed, she turned to stealing from rich kids in L.A. alongside her wily Irish boyfriend, Lachlan. But when her mom falls ill, Nina puts everything on the line to help her, running her most dangerous scam yet.
Vanessa is a privileged young heiress who wanted to make her mark in the world. Instead she becomes an Instagram influencer - but behind the covetable facade is a life marked by tragedy.
After a broken engagement, Vanessa retreats to her family's sprawling mountain estate, a mansion of dark secrets. It's there that her path collides with Nina's and gives way to a winter of desire and aspiration, duplicity and revenge.
Publisher: Orion Publishing Co
ISBN: 9781474619721
Number of pages: 496
Weight: 360 g
Dimensions: 196 x 128 x 34 mm
It's Dynasty meets Patricia Highsmith. . . . Duplicity abounds when two messed-up clans collide, and Brown's final multiple twists are doozies. - Washington Post
Pretty Things is awesome. Simple as that. I loved every page. Janelle Brown is your new must-read author. - Harlan Coben
I love a good con story - especially when I can't tell who's the actual mark and who's the real con artist. In Janelle Brown's compulsively readable Pretty Things, the good girls and the bad girls keep switching places in a story that will keep you turning pages till the end. Brown's latest novel has the same sharp observations that are her trademark-about shifting identities and the secrets we all keep. - Attica Locke, author of HEAVEN, MY HOME
Part psychological thriller and part morality tale, Janelle Brown's Pretty Things is literary suspense at its best. Gorgeous prose, complex characters inhabiting the fascinating worlds of elite Instagram influencers and high-stakes scam artists, a thought-provoking dual narrative, a twisty plot with a shocking, never-saw-that-coming ending - this brilliant novel has it all. I read it in one day in one sitting, mesmerized, and I loved every moment. - Angie Kim, bestselling author of MIRACLE CREEK
Full of tantalising twists and shocking deceptions, this is an intelligent commentary that is also deliciously fun to read - The Week
The author leaves no stone unturned in her inquisitive prodding of social media identities, and draws many important questions about perspective. While that alone might be enough to call this book a must- read, it is Nina and Vanessa who make it unforgettable. It is rare for an author to present hero and victim so equally, but here Brown reminds us that we are all complicated, layered and flawed, and the pace at which she reveals her characters' motives is breakneck and endlessly compelling - Bookreporter
Fiendishly clever - Kirkus
With flawless suspense, masterly storytelling, and a plot that hits all the notes of our Instagram world perfectly, this novel is a must- read - Library Journal
Hungry, sexy, and packed with twists, this latest novel from Janelle Brown exposes what's hidden behind the stone walls of the elite's mansions and the slick facades of con artists' scams. Money, family, and Instagram collide to make a book you won't be able to put down - Julia Phillips, author of Disappearing Earth
A can't- look- away story of and for our generation, Pretty Things combines a spellbinding setting with dark, slippery secrets to expose what we've always known - or maybe just hoped - to be true about the gilded lives presented in our social media feeds. Janelle Brown is a literary powerhouse - Chandler Baker, author of Whisper Network
I drank down Janelle Brown's Pretty Things in one greedy gulp, speeding through the pages even as the sharp, insightful writing made me feel compassion for each narrator . . . Mesmerizing, provocative, surprising and thoughtful - a must-read - Jean Kwok, author of Searching for Sylvie Lee
A gorgeously atmospheric and wild pas de deux between a grifter and an heiress Instagram influencer set on Lake Tahoe - Time
I’ve noticed some previous reviewers felt this book was too long, I felt it was just the right length and was a fast paced, page turner. Have read that Nicole Kidman is to star in a tv adaptation of this book and I... More
Nina’s a grifter, Vanessa is a a heiress — two women who live worlds apart are brought together through a series of deceit and lies.
Pretty Things is a book full with emotion, bringing the thrills of an...
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I loved this book! It was very well written and I became so involved with the characters who were well drawn and very convincing. The plot works so well relying on misconceptions, preconceptions and characters who do... More
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