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In this stellar series debut, a twisted killer puts a stranglehold on the South, and each new kill comes with a grisly clue pointing to the next victim.

 When a young woman is found dead just outside of Nashville, strangled and handless, homicide lieutenant Taylor Jackson is quick to the scene. So is FBI Special Agent John Baldwin, whose presence suggests that the murder is not the work of a random opportunist. A love poem left nearby alludes to something more sinister: This is the work of the “Southern Strangler,” a serial killer terrorizing women from Louisiana to Virginia.

It’s the kind of case Jackson thrives on. At thirty-five, Metro Nashville’s youngest lieutenant is still an idealist, hell-bent on protecting the city she calls home. And she’s determined to avoid the broken, lonely path she’s seen other cops take. But while she and Baldwin share more than a working relationship, she’s not ready to go public.

With victims across multiple states, Jackson and Baldwin race to find a pattern before the killer strikes again. But then a shocking connection between the Strangler and a local reporter brings them closer to the truth behind the killer’s identity—one that could unveil a family’s darkest secrets.

More Information

  • Publisher: Thomas & Mercer

  • Original Release Date: October 23, 2007

  • Formats: Print, eBook, audiobook

  • Print ISBN: 978-1662541438

  • Audiobook Narrator: Joyce Bean

Foreign Editions

Audio Extras
 

Soundtrack

AUDIOBOOK Sample

When a local girl falls prey to a sadistic serial killer, Nashville homicide lieutenant Taylor Jackson and her lover, FBI profiler Dr. John Baldwin, find themselves in a joint investigation pursuing a vicious murderer. The Southern Strangler is slaughtering his way through the Southeast, leaving a gruesome memento at each crime scene – the prior victim’s severed hand. Ambitious TV reporter Whitney Connolly is certain the Southern Strangler is her ticket out of Nashville; she’s got a scoop that could break the case. She has no idea how close to this story she really is – or what it will cost her.

 

Praise


"With this debut thriller, Ellison puts her mentoring by Lee Child to good use. Ellison does a nice job of laying the groundwork and creating suspense. Equally well done are the refreshingly realistic procedural details."
– Library Journal


"Ellison does a skillful job of capturing the city and its flavors, while taking the police procedural out of its usual New York/Los Angeles/Chicago big-city milieu and placing it in a mid-sized, vibrant Southern city. She's populated her novel with believable players, on both sides of the law."
– BookPage


"Ellison's debut novel is relentlessly paced and intricately plotted – and it features a villain who will have readers looking over the shoulders, even in the daylight."
– Romantic Times


"Although Nashville is the site where all the action occurs in J.T. Ellison's strong mystery novel . . . the style, tone, careful thematic development and character interaction share many things with works set in other cities. [All the Pretty Girls] has the attention to detail, unexpected twists and puzzles that are vital to topflight crime fiction."
– Nashville City Paper


"Ellison paints a disturbing picture of a deranged serial killer, and the atmosphere of the book is taut, tense and suspenseful. The author's other forte is characterization . . . TV reporter Whitney Connolly leaps off the page, as does her twin sister, Belle Meade socialite Quinn Buckley. Even the murdered girls are quite vivid in the short time the reader has with them. Realistic descriptions of Nashville landmarks . . . add to the pleasure of reading this book. For the erudite, poetry snippets offer clues from the savage killer. The best part of All the Pretty Girls, though, is it's breathless pace."
– The Tennessean


"A taut, striking debut. Crime fiction has a new name to watch."
– John Connolly, New York Times bestselling author of THE BLACK ANGEL and THE BOOK OF LOST THINGS


A terrific lead character, terrific suspense, terrific twists ... a completely convincing debut."          
– Lee Child, New York Times bestselling author of ONE SHOT


"J.T. Ellison's debut novel rocks. Darkly compelling and thoroughly chilling, with rich characterization and a well-layered plot, ALL THE PRETTY GIRLS is everything a great crime thriller should be."
– Allison Brennan, New York Times bestselling author of SEE NO EVIL


"Fast-paced and creepily believable, Ellison's novel proves that there is still room in the genre for new authors and new cops."
– M.J. Rose, international bestselling author of THE VENUS FIX


"Taylor Jackson is a fresh portrayal of a cop with a serial killer to catch. Creepy thrills from start to finish."
– James O. Born, author of BURN ZONE


"ALL THE PRETTY GIRLS is a spellbinding suspense novel and Tennessee has a new dark poet."
– Julia Spencer-Fleming, Edgar Award finalist and author of ALL MORTAL FLESH


"This dark and sizzling thriller introduces three unforgettable new stars: Detective Taylor Jackson, nouvelle Nashville, and author JT Ellison herself. A deliriously readable noir debut."    
– Alexandra Sokoloff, author of THE HARROWING


"ALL THE PRETTY GIRLS is a masterful thriller, shockingly authentic and unputdownable."          
– J.A. Konrath, author of DIRTY MARTINI


"ALL THE PRETTY GIRLS could well put Ellison and Taylor Jackson on the track to become to Nashville what Laura Lippman and Tess Monaghan are to Baltimore."
– Tasha Alexander, author of AND ONLY TO DECEIVE