Bright Young Women BY Jessica Knoll
Monday, April 27, 6:30 PM

A "breakneck thriller" (Harper's Bazaar) that examines our culture's obsession with serial killers and true crime.

It's 1978. A soon-to-be-infamous murderer descends on a Florida sorority house. Sorority president and key witness Pamela Schumacher survives, but her life is forever changed. Across the country, Tina Cannon is convinced her missing friend was targeted by the same man, and she's not letting it go. The two join forces in a search for answers that leads to a final, shocking confrontation. Jessica Knoll flips the script: this one's not about the killer. It's about the women who wouldn't stop until someone listened.

A New York Times Notable Book, Instant Bestseller, Edgar Award Finalist, and Best Book of the Year pick from NPR, The Washington Post, Harper's Bazaar, and more.

Why we chose it: At Wine Down, we believe women's stories deserve to be centered, especially the ones history tried to bury. Bright Young Women does exactly that: it shifts the lens away from the killer and onto the women who refused to be defined by what happened to them. It's a story about belief, persistence, and what becomes possible when women trust and fight for each other.

Content considerations: graphic violence and sexual assault, murder, true crime and tabloid media, survivor trauma.

---

PAIRED WITH: Margins "Friendship Bracelet" Red 2024

(34% Sagrantino, 30% Chenin Blanc, 17% Mourvèdre, 10% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc)
Bright Young Women is ultimately a story about the bonds between women, and this wine from Megan Bell at Margins is a celebration of exactly that. Playful and bright up front, with strawberry and cherry, gentle spice, and easy-going tannins, it's the "pop a bottle with your best friend" wine. But there's intention behind it: Megan sources from under-represented regions and varietals, farms regeneratively, and keeps things minimal and honest. 

​Purchase the wine by the glass during Book Club Meeting!

---

---

BE SURE TO RSVP

Come enjoy some wine and tell us what you thought of the book with an informal discussion. Registration will be capped, so please register early if you are planning on attending. Remember, if you RSVP and attend, you get a Bingo bonus stamp! ​

RAVES & REVIEWS
"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"


Inspired by the real-life case of the “All-American Sex Killer,” the new novel from Jessica Knoll aims to flip the usual serial killer story upside down. Knoll’s book focuses on the women involved—victims, survivors, and investigators—and turns a bright light on the banality of evil."
--Goodreads, 55 Most Anticipated Books of Fall

"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

“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)


"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, New York Times bestselling Author of Then She Was Gone


"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


"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, New York Times bestselling author of Northern Spy and Under the Harrow​