Pretty Guilty Women

Written by Gina LaManna

Narrated by Nina Alvamar

Four Women. Four Confessions. One Murder. Something has gone terribly wrong at the Banks wedding. A man is dead. Four different women rush to offer confessions, each insisting that they committed the crime ? alone. Ginger is holding her family together by a thread, and this wedding weekend is not the fabulous getaway she anticipated. Kate has enough money to buy her way out of anything. Well, almost anything. Emily can't shake her reputation or her memories, and she's planning to drown this whole vacation in a bottle. Lulu's got ex-husbands to spare, and another on the way ? as soon as she figures out what the devil the current husband is up to behind her back. Why would they confess to the same murder? Only they know ? and they're not telling. This page-turning novel explores the depths of friendship and the truths we love to ignore.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Sep 3, 2019
• ISBN: 9781980032199

Gina LaManna

Gina LaManna is a USA Today bestselling author and has written numerous series, including the Magic & Mixology series, the Lacey Luzzi Mafia Mysteries, and the Misty Newman books. Originally from St. Paul, Minnesota, she has called both Italy and Los Angeles home. For more information, visit her on Facebook at @GinaLaMannaAuthor.

Reviews for Pretty Guilty Women

[lorikboyd · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

3.5 Stars for this ARC. Opinion is mine alone!

Quick, fast paced read about 4 college friends that reunite for one of the groups over the top wedding week at an exclusive spa. These Friends haven’t seen each other in years, after life and a falling out put distance between them. While at the spa, they meet an older woman and a young single mother with secrets. Then a murder!

Told in 4 voices with police interviews thrown in add to the page turning mystery. An easy, not very complicated read. Characters are whiney and not necessarily likable. But if you are looking for a fun escape murder mystery, or a quick read for a fall weekend, this book could be for you.

[rmarcin-630843 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book is about 4 college roommates, Whitney, Kate, Emily, and Ginger, who get together for Whitney's wedding. They haven't seen each other in years, and don't really keep in close touch. There is a lot of baggage they are carrying with them - and it all comes out during the week of the wedding when they are all together at a resort spa. The roommates also meet Lulu, an older woman, and Sydney, a single mother, at the resort. Also, there is a murder at the spa, and four of the women confess to killing the man. The problem - none of them are giving the correct account of the murder. I did not like one of the women in this book. All the characters were full of angst or self-pity, and I just didn't like any of them. The only saving grace for me was that I was able to read the book rather quickly. I didn't like the ending - I found it to be a bit odd that Kate would investigate the way she did. #PrettyGuiltyWomen #GinaLaManna

[mm_jones · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Pretty Guilty Women is my first exposure to Ms. Lamanna and her first published novel in the Suspense category. Unfortunately, I didn't find that the confusion and the self-aclaimed bizarre scenario equated to a satisfying suspense novel. Wonderful prologue, but I found the pace lacking in in the first half of the book.

[carole888fort · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Pretty Guilty Women by Gina LaManna is a mystery about how far a group of friends will go to protect one of their own. Emily, Ginger and Kate are invited to Whitney's wedding at a posh spa resort. Many years ago, all four were close friends during their college years. Much has happened since college and the friends are apprehensive about reuniting. While at the resort, they become acquainted with Lulu, an older woman and Sydney, a young single mother. Each chapter ends with a detective interviewing guests of the resort because a murder has been committed on the property but the victim's identity is not revealed. Before long, the detective realizes that four of the friends are individually admitting to murdering the victim. Who are they protecting? Who has been killed? Who is the real killer? This is a very enjoyable mystery: no matter what happens, the reader will never guess the outcome. Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[jnmegan · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Detective Ramone is faced with a unique dilemma as he seeks to uncover a murderer-he has too many confessors to the crime and each insist they acted alone. Gina Lamanna's newest offering, Pretty Guilty Women, is buoyed by the wake of other popular thrillers that feature wealthy but troubled women fighting back against oppressive partners. Lamanna's version consists of a series of police interviews with the copious witnesses, followed by short chapters containing that character's contribution to the unspooling storyline. The women in the book are portrayed as angry and powerful in dealing with the men that they are paired who are presented as either completely ineffectual or dangerous. The action takes place in a "closed room" set-up: an elite spa hosting a lavish destination wedding weekend where the murder inconveniently occurs. The main characters are connected by family ties and/or college friendships, all rife with conflict and resentment. Themes include domestic violence, infertility struggles, parental challenges, substance abuse, and resistance to female oppression. These topics have been extensively explored recently in a variety of ways, and it would be a challenge for anyone seeking to present a fresh perspective in an overcrowded and talented field. Lamanna's prior well-loved mystery series are typically more cozy and romance-infused, and that sensibility is apparent here, but it doesn't quite fit the weighty topics she is trying to address. Pretty Guilty Women contains some pulse-raising moments that make it worth the quick time it takes to read, but other contemporary works have already covered this ground-and have done so to greater effect.Thanks to the author and Sourcebooks for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

[fredreeca · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Well! There has been a murder at a wedding. What is really odd…is four women have confessed to the murder. Why? Only they know the truth!These four women each have their own issues and problems. So why add to their long list of complications? You will have to read this to find out. I did not figure this out until the author wanted me to. That is unusual for me. I am very good at solving the mysteries! You know there is a cover up….but you don’t know the ins and outs or the whys and what fors.This is an unusual premise for a book. Very unique. I just thought there were too many characters and too much nonsense which did not relate to the story.I received this novel from Sourcebooks for a honest review.

[cherylk_44 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I was drawn to this book by the premise. I was looking forward to jumping into this book. In the beginning; I was into the moment. I was very curious as to why four women would so easily admit to murdering someone. This theme went on throughout the book. It was the interviews that I found the most intriguing. After a while, I found my interest wavering. It was becoming harder to stick with this book but for a few chapters at a time. None of the women were that appealing to me. Therefore, I did not really care the motive or which woman was guilty. You could say that I did find myself skimming parts of this book. This was only after I got to about fifty percent into the story and found it still going at a slow pace. The ending was fine. There were not enough intense moments for me.