Synopses & Reviews
Masterfully blending elements of psychological suspense and true crime, Jessica Knoll--author of the bestselling novel Luckiest Girl Alive and the writer behind the Netflix adaption starring Mila Kunis--delivers a new and exhilarating thriller in Bright Young Women. The book opens on a Saturday night in 1978, hours before a soon-to-be-infamous murderer descends upon a Florida sorority house with deadly results. The lives of those who survive, including sorority president and key witness, Pamela Schumacher, are forever changed. Across the country, Tina Cannon is convinced her missing friend was targeted by the man papers refer to as the All-American Sex Killer--and that he's struck again. Determined to find justice, the two join forces as their search for answers leads to a final, shocking confrontation.
Blisteringly paced, Bright Young Women is "Jessica Knoll at her best--an unflinching and evocative novel about the tabloid fascination with evil and the dynamic and brilliant women who have the real stories to tell" (Laura Dave, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Thing He Told Me); and "a compelling, almost hypnotic read and I loved it with a passion" (Lisa Jewell, New York Times bestselling author of None of This Is True).
Review
"Bright Young Women doesn’t put its focus on the murderer. It’s more interested in his victims—and the survivors who are on a mission to catch him before he kills again.”—TIME Magazine
“On one level, Bright Young Women is a breakneck thriller based on Ted Bundy's heinous crimes. It ties together the stories of two women with connections to the murders and their search for justice. On another, it functions as a sharp examination of our culture's obsession with serial killers and true crime.” —Harper's Bazaar, The 45 Best New Books of 2023 You Won’t Put Down
"[P]art historical fiction – an old story told from a refreshingly new perspective – and part mystery. There are multiple voices and multiple time periods, but it all gets woven together with a great payoff at the end. Read it for the great characters, lots of plot and enough unanswered questions that you’ll have trouble putting it down.” —Elissa Nadworny, NPR "Books We Love"
About the Author
Jessica Knoll is the New York Times bestselling author of The Favorite Sister and Luckiest Girl Alive—now a major motion picture from Netflix starring Mila Kunis. She has been a senior editor at Cosmopolitan and the articles editor at Self. She grew up in the suburbs of Philadelphia and graduated from the Shipley School in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, and from Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, New York. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and their bulldog, Franklin.