I can't say enough good things about this novel! In 1978, a horrific scene unfolded in a Florida sorority house. Sorority president Pamela Schumacher survives the brutal attack, but her life is forever altered after discovering the bodies of several of her sisters maimed and murdered overnight by an unknown but witnessed attacker.
This novel follows the murders of the notorious Ted Bundy. While many of the adaptations or true crime documentaries that follow this serial killer focus on the killer himself, this novel focuses on the women he murdered as well as the ones who escaped him.
I love that this book showcases the lives of the victims and focuses on how important they were and are instead of concentrating on an average man who got elevated to an intelligent standard that he didn't deserve. When Ted Bundy got caught and escaped and then got caught again, most reports covering his crime spree focused on his "good" looks and his wrongly perceived brilliance. When in reality, he was just white, decent looking, and able to form sentences, he was therefore given leniency in regards to how much he was monitored, which aided in his initial escape from law enforcement.
After being apprehended a second time, he actually requested to represent himself at trial. Fortunately, the judge ultimately sentenced him to prison, but he also praised him for his appearance and his confidence in representing himself and stated that sending him to prison was "such a waste." However, court documents will show that he was not decidedly great at defending his crimes, as all he did was recount his actions and force his survivors to recount their interactions with him in order to feed his ego. Luckily, his ignorance put him squarely where he belonged, which was behind bars.
Jessica Knoll brilliantly captures the stories of some strong and brave women whose lives were either tragically cut short or forever changed by this man who was given far too much credit for his deranged mind. I highly recommend reading this one! It's entertaining and will give you the creeps while simultaneously breaking your heart.
