January 1978 – a serial killer has been terrorising women
across the Pacific Northwest. However, his deadly actions couldn’t be any further from the minds of those
young women in the uppermost sorority on Florida State University’s campus in Tallahassee. Tonight is a
night of promise and excitement, however, Pamela Schumacher, president of the sorority, makes an out-of-character decision to stay home.
A decision, nevertheless, that saves her life!
When awakened at 3 a.m. by a strange sound, she makes a deadly choice to investigate. What she finds
behind the door is a scene of unbelievable violence – two of her sisters lie dead and two others have
been indescribably injured. Over the next few days, Pamela is thrust into an alarming mystery inspired by
the crime that’s captivated public interest for more than four decades.
February 1974 – On the other side of the country, Tina Cannon has found peace in Seattle after years of
hardship, when a chance meeting brings twenty-five-year-old Ruth Wachowsky into her life. Ruth is 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, surrounded by thousands of beach-goers
on a beautiful summer day, Tina is determined to discover what happened to her. After hearing about the
tragedy in Tallahassee, she realises 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, unwittingly on a
conflicting course with Pamela, and one last imminent tragedy.
Knowing that this novel was inspired by the actions of a manic, evil, real-life serial killer adds to the
poignancy of this mindful novel. The narrative is as explicit and heart-wrenching, as it is frustrating, to
realise that such an individual could not be brought to justice much sooner!
Bright Young Women is a disturbing, but absolute, must read!
ISBN: 9781509840007
Publisher: Pan Macmillan Australia
Bright Young Women is available in hardback, paperback and e-book.
About Jessica Knoll
Jessica Knoll has been a senior editor at Cosmopolitan and the articles editor at SELF, and has also
written articles for the New York Times. 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 New York City with her husband. She is also the author of Luckiest Girl Alive.