Bright Young Women

Bright Young Women is a thriller novel by New York Times bestselling author Jessica Knoll, published by S&S/Marysue Rucci Books on September 19, 2023. The story opens on a Saturday night in 1978, hours before a soon-to-be-infamous killer descends upon a Florida sorority house, forever altering the lives of those who survive. The narrative centers on sorority president and eyewitness Pamela Schumacher and Tina Cannon, a young woman determined to prove that her missing friend was targeted by the same man the press calls the All-American Sex Killer. The two join forces across the country in pursuit of justice, building toward a final, shocking confrontation.

Knoll's novel deliberately shifts focus away from the perpetrator—referred to only as "The Defendant"—and onto the women who survived, resisted, and sought accountability. The hardcover edition runs 384 pages with ISBN 9781501153228.

The book was an instant New York Times Bestseller and a New York Times Notable Book of 2023. It won the Edgar Award for Best Novel (2024) and the Goodreads Choice Award for Mystery/Thriller (2023), and was a finalist for the Libby Award for Best Thriller (2024). It was named a Best Book of the Year by NPR, The Washington Post, Harper's Bazaar, Kirkus Reviews, CrimeReads, and Booklist.