Description

A Richard & Judy Book Club pick
New York Times Bestseller
A Goodreads Choice Award Finalist
Bright Young Women is an unflinching thriller based on Ted Bundy’s heinous crimes, as two women search for justice in the wake of his brutal murders. From Jessica Knoll, author of the New York Times bestseller and #1 Netflix movie Luckiest Girl Alive.

‘A compelling, almost hypnotic read’ – Lisa Jewell, bestselling author of None of This is True

Tallahassee, 1978. Sorority president Pamela Schumacher wakes to a shocking scene of implausible violence and death, and is drawn into a mystifying crime that grips the nation for decades . . .

In Seattle, Tina Cannon connects her best friend’s disappearance to the Tallahassee tragedy, and is convinced that a single man is responsible.

Determined to find justice, the two join forces as their search for answers leads to a final, shocking confrontation . . .

‘Knoll deconstructs the myth of a criminal mastermind, revealing the women he seeks to destroy as the truly brilliant ones’ – Flynn Berry, author of Northern Spy

‘A sharp examination of our culture’s obsession with serial killers and true crime’ – Harper’s Bazaar, Best Books of the Year

‘Knoll sets about dismantling every last Bundy myth with a controlled but palpable rage.’ – Catherine Ryan Howard, author of Run Time

Publisher Review

Disturbing but thought-provoking in its exploration of society's obsession with serial killers, it puts a contemporary spin on the page-turning genre. * The Independent * Bright Young Women is a fearless and intoxicating ride into the aftershocks of a series of brutal murders. Knoll explores in vivid, pointillist prose the effects on the 'bright young women' of the title, both the victims snuffed out in their glorious prime, and those left behind in their wake. It's a compelling, almost hypnotic read and I loved it with a passion. -- Lisa Jewell, Bestselling author of None of This is True A sharp examination of our culture's obsession with serial killers and true crime. * Harper's Bazaar, Best Books of the Year * A captivating read * Woman * Knoll sets about dismantling every last Bundy myth with a controlled but palpable rage. I already loved how she writes, but this book is extraordinary. Genuinely can't rememebr the last time a novel moved me so much. Don't miss it. -- Catherine Ryan-Howard, author of Run Time 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 story to tell. -- Laura Dave, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Thing He Told Me Blistering and powerful, Bright Young Women is an almost unbearably vivid story of sisterhood and survival. With razor-sharp skill, Jessica Knoll deconstructs the myth of a criminal mastermind, revealing the women he seeks to destroy as the truly brilliant ones. -- Flynn Berry, New York Times bestselling author of Northern Spy and Under the Harrow It's an angry book, but also an enthralling one... it's been described as a 'silent scream of a book' and that it is, but nonetheless this scream is sharply and intelligently, if disturbingly, conveyed. * Meath Chronicle * Jessica Knoll is a careful writer, and this, her third novel, is a perfect match for her cold dissection of social mores and her fierce rage at misogyny . . . She tears apart the restrictive world of women's roles and lays bare the purpose of such hobbles: to keep women from making a scene, to keep them from seeking justice, and most of all, to keep them from seeking their own lives. * CrimeReads/LitHub, Most Anticipated Books of 2023 * [A] huge summer read . . . one of those great stories that you can't put down! -- Reese Witherspoon, InStyle on Luckiest Girl Alive Knife-sharp and enthralling -- Megan Abbott, author of The Turnout on The Favourite Sister Writing with pulse-pounding tension and urgency, Knoll expertly conjures an atmosphere of dread and anxiety while paying tribute to all the bright young women whose lives are cut short or forever changed by craven actions of sociopaths. An utterly absorbing, disturbing, and absolutely essential read. * Booklist, starred review * An unsettling and thrilling page-turner . . . Knoll's haunting, must-read account will captivate [readers] until the end. * Library Journal (Starred) * A stunning, engaging subversion of the Bundy myth-and the true-crime genre. * Kirkus Reviews (Starred) * Brilliant . . . Writing with pulse-pounding tension and urgency, Knoll expertly conjures an atmosphere of dread and anxiety while paying tribute to all the bright young women whose lives are cut short or forever changed by the craven actions of sociopaths. An utterly absorbing, disturbing, and absolutely essential read. * Booklist (Starred) * Stunning . . . By focusing on the women affected by her Ted Bundy stand-in instead of the nuances of his criminal psychology, Knoll movingly reframes an American obsession without stripping it of its intrigue. The results are masterful. * Publishers Weekly *