Bright Young Women

Bookseller recommendation

“Perfect for true crime connoisseurs, Knoll weaves a feminist-lensed novel centered around the victims of The Defendant - a nation-traversing serial killer seemingly too brilliant and charismatic to be contained. Spanning from the 1970s to now, Bright Young Women dissects the trope of the genius serial killer and the women that ultimately conquer them. ”

— Lambie • Underground Books

Bookseller recommendation

“This novel reads like a true crime story! The two narrators telling the different stories were part of the story as a whole was excellent! ”

— Melissa • Watermark Books

Bookseller recommendation

“This is absolutely perfect for the true crime fan who is sick of the victims constantly being forgotten. The perpetrator in this book is never named and only referred to as 'The Defendant', even though this is clearly a novel of Ted Bundy's victims. Nowhere in the synopsis or the book itself is he named, because he is not important, so people who don't already know the case may need some research, but Knoll expertly weaves elements from the actual attacks and direct quotes from the case in a beautiful, fictional tale of two women whose lives are thrown off course by a monster. ”

— tee • Quail Ridge Books

Bookseller recommendation

“WOWZA. Bright Young Women is based on the real murders of a serial killer. If you have any background knowledge of true crime in the 1970s you will know which killer Knoll has used as the basis of the defendant . HOWEVER, unlike the numerous books, TV specials, and movies, Jessica Knoll gives us an intense literary crime novel that focuses on the victims. Primarily told through the view of Pamela Schumacher, a key eye witness, the defendant is brought down several pegs to his rightful place, not a bright young man, but a disturbed, egotistical individual with far more confidence than his ineptitude should have allowed. ”

— Michelle • Quail Ridge Books