Bright Young Women

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


Genre: Mystery

"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

"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

"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