Two women from opposite sides of the country are brought together by violent acts of the same man, and become allies and sisters in arms as they pursue the justice that would otherwise elude them in one of the most acclaimed, highly anticipated thrillers of the year.
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).
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.
"A stunning, engaging subversion of the Bundy myth--and the true-crime genre." --Kirkus (Starred Review)
"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 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 Review)
