Inspired by the real life sorority that was targeted by one of the most infamous American serial killers in the 1970s. Pamela Schumacher, president of a Florida State University sorority wakes up in the middle of the night to find a horrific discovery with the other sorority sisters – 2 dead, 2 maimed. On the west coast, Tina Cannon is trying to get authorities to care about the disappearance of a young woman, Ruth. Tina and Pamela’s paths cross as their fight for justice and answers spans decades.
From Goodreads: It proposes a new narrative inspired by evidence that’s been glossed over for decades in favor of more salable headlines—that the so-called brilliant and charismatic serial killer from Seattle was far more average than the countless books, movies, and primetime specials have led us to believe, and that it was the women whose lives he cut short who were the exceptional ones.
The synopsis alone had sold me on this novel but what a compelling story. Knoll blends together real life elements from the actual crimes with fictionalized people to flesh out a unique perspective. I admittedly wasn’t super familiar with all the details of the individual that this was based off of as I haven’t watched any of the major documentaries about it yet. I loved that Knoll chooses to tell this tale from the women’s side, not giving any more direct attention to the average man that has been seemingly built up to be some kind of icon. She doesn’t even name him throughout the book – only referring to him as The Defendant. (Except for one chapter near the end, where his first name is suddenly used throughout. However, I’m not sure if that was intentional or accidental as I had read an advanced review copy of the book.)
The chapters alternate between three points in time: Pamela’s in 1978, Pamela’s several decades later, and Ruth’s. This was a fairly effective way to see the narrative play out, though at times I did have to try and keep straight which year of Pamela’s POV I was reading given that it’s the same people that appear in both. There are women named in this book that, I looked up afterwards, were the actual victims, and others with fictional names but similar scenarios. While these women were assaulted in horrific ways, Knoll tries to provide a bit more depth to who these women were.
There’s an underlying theme throughout, a sisterhood of women bonding together and looking out for each other in both obvious and more subtle ways, in spite of the misogynistic attitudes they faced. On the flip side, it also tackles some challenging family dynamics and the secrets that are forced to stay hidden.
This was a very compelling story, and I loved the perspective that Knoll took to tell it. The opening of this book on the night of the attacks is a heart-racing account of the confusion and chaos that could have ensued. While this novel is inspired by true crime, and there are mentions of what happened, it’s less about the actual details and more about the women trying to get justice for their friends, against a system that continues to be charmed by the Defendant.
Review: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (4.5 /5 stars)
Available: September 19, 2023
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A copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review
JUST A LIL LOST 