Don't miss this "breakneck thriller" that examines "our culture's obsession with serial killers and true crime" (Harper's Bazaar) as it follows two women on the pursuit of justice against all odds. "A fascinating look at true crime and tabloid culture that's as thoughtful as it is gripping" (People).
A New York Times Notable Book of 2023
New York Times Editors' Choice
Instant New York Times Bestseller
A Goodreads Choice Award Finalist
Named a Best Book of the Year by NPR, The Washington Post, Harper's Bazaar, Kirkus Reviews, CrimeReads, Booklist, and more!
An Edgar Award Finalist for Best Novel
Masterfully blending elements of psychological suspense and true crime, Jessica Knoll--bestselling author of Luckiest Girl Alive and the writer behind the Netflix adaptation starring Mila Kunis--delivers an "unflinching and evocative" (Laura Dave, New York Times bestselling author) 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 a 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 the 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.
With award-winning storytelling, "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). Blisteringly paced, it is a "compelling, almost hypnotic read and I loved it with a passion" (Lisa Jewell, New York Times bestselling author).
"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, "Most Anticipated Books of Fall 2023"
"After her success with books such as "Luckiest Girl Alive" (now a movie starring Mila Kunis) and "The Favorite Sister," Jessica Knoll turns to history in her latest novel, specifically Ted Bundy. "Bright Young Women" opens with a powerful -- and gory -- scene evoking Bundy's killing spree at a sorority house in the late 70s, which left two young women dead, and another two maimed. Rather than sensationalize violence against women, however, Knoll's provocative novel focuses on the stories of those affected by the killer's rampages." --The Washington Post, The 12 Best Thrillers of 2023
"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"
"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."
--Publisher's Weekly (Starred Review)
"An unsettling and thrilling page-turner... Knoll's haunting, must-read account will captivate [readers] until the end."
--Library Journal (starred Review)
"Bright Young Women braids the stories of two survivors, Pamela and Tina, and their fervent bond forged through grief and a pursuit of justice."
--Bustle, The 35 Best New Books of Fall 2023
"Something about fall weather begs for a thriller, and Jessica Knoll delivers with her latest."
--Country Living
"[A] huge summer read . . . one of those great stories that you can't put down!"--Reese Witherspoon, InStyle
"The perfect page-turner to start your summer."--People (Book of the Week)
"Dark, twisty . . . razor-sharp writing . . . propulsive prose . . . [The] reveal is a real doozy--a legitimately shocking, completely unputdownable sequence that unfolds like a slow-motion horror film. It instantly elevates Luckiest Girl . . . and that momentum keeps going until its final pages."--Entertainment Weekly
"Loved Gone Girl? We promise [Luckiest Girl Alive is] just as addictive."--Good Housekeeping
"A pulse-pounding, jaw-dropping novel about how tragedy twists and shapes lives."--InTouch (A-)
"When Ani FaNelli wants something, she gets it: the job, the body, the man. What starts as a Mean Girls-seeming story line transforms into something so dark, so plot-twistingly intense that...well, actually, no spoilers here." --Marie Claire
"A knockout debut novel . . . completely enthralling . . . devilishly dark and fun."--Publishers Weekly
"[Ani FaNelli is] a cross between Sex and the City's Carrie Bradshaw and Gone Girl's Amy Dunne. . . . Knoll's debut truly delivers and will keep readers engaged until the end."--Library Journal
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.
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