Genre: Thriller
Release Date: September 19th, 2023
Pages: 384
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Publisher’s Synopsis:
“January 1978. A serial killer has terrorized women across the Pacific Northwest, but his existence couldn’t be further from the minds of the vibrant young women at the top sorority on Florida State University’s campus in Tallahassee. Tonight is a night of promise, excitement, and desire, but Pamela Schumacher, president of the sorority, makes the unpopular decision to stay home—a decision that unwittingly saves her life. Startled awake at 3 a.m. by a strange sound, she makes the fateful decision to investigate. What she finds behind the door is a scene of implausible violence—two of her sisters dead; two others, maimed. Over the next few days, Pamela is thrust into a terrifying mystery inspired by the crime that’s captivated public interest for more than four decades.
On the other side of the country, Tina Cannon has found peace in Seattle after years of hardship. A chance encounter brings twenty-five-year-old Ruth Wachowsky into her life, a young woman with painful secrets of her own, and the two form an instant connection. When Ruth goes missing from Lake Sammamish State Park in broad daylight, surrounded by thousands of beachgoers on a beautiful summer day, Tina devotes herself to finding out what happened to her. When she hears about the tragedy in Tallahassee, she knows it’s the man the papers refer to as the All-American Sex Killer. Determined to make him answer for what he did to Ruth, she travels to Florida on a collision course with Pamela—and one last impending tragedy.
Bright Young Women is the story about two women from opposite sides of the country who become sisters in their fervent pursuit of the truth. It proposes a new narrative inspired by evidence that’s been glossed over for decades in favor of more salable headlines—that the so-called brilliant and charismatic serial killer from Seattle was far more average than the countless books, movies, and primetime specials have led us to believe, and that it was the women whose lives he cut short who were the exceptional ones.”
My Review:
I’m feeling very middle of the road on this one. There are things that I loved and things that didn’t work so well for me.
The writing is very visceral and raw. Knoll has a skill for letting readers get inside the minds of these characters. The story really shines a light on how the media treats victims and our morbid fascination with serial killers. It also delves into the corruption, coverups, and police ineptitudes during the investigation. It also touches on the expectations of women in the workplace and education and the freedoms for choosing their own ways of life. I really enjoyed these aspects of the story and I found it to be a unique and necessary perspective to the events.
Parts of it can be really slow, which isn’t my favorite reading experience. I wish the pacing had more momentum throughout. I also sometimes got confused with the different timelines and perspectives. There was a lot of jumping around that made it difficult to follow. Ruth and Pam’s voices blended together for me as well, which muddied the storylines even further. I wanted them to sound a little more distinctive.
Overall, I thought it was a good read, and an important one. It’s a solid three star experience for me. I’d definitely recommend it to thriller readers who want a fresh take on such harrowing true events.
Disclaimers:
Huge thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for gifting me an early copy of this amazing story! I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Have you read this book? Planning to add it to your TBR?
Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
I love a good book discussion. 🙂
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