Book Review: The Women in White by Sarah Pekkanen

  Disclosure / Disclaimer: I received this ebook, free of charge, from St Martin's Press, via #netgalley, for review purposes on this blog. No other compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told how to post about it. All opinions are my own

The next thriller from #1 bestselling author Sarah Pekkanen combines a decades-old mystery with spine-tingling paranormal elements in this twisty novel of the seen and unseen.

Synopsis:

Extrasensory perception.
The Gift.
A Sixth Sense.
Or something else….

In 1964, four remarkable young women at a prestigious university became the subjects of parapsychology experiments by a visionary scientist. On the cusp of a historic breakthrough, the women mysteriously vanished and the program was erased from history.

Decades later, Riley Bell, newly divorced and desperate for a fresh start, accepts a caretaker job for an elderly widow named Betty. Riley steps into a home that is frozen in another era - no microwave, television, or cell phones, and Betty has never heard of the internet.

Why has Betty lived in such profound isolation for so many years, and why does she need Riley now? As the story unfolds across two timelines - Betty’s 1960s era of 5 o’clock martinis and high-stakes experiments, and Riley’s quest to uncover the truth about the missing women - old secrets rise to the surface. And the only way to survive is to confront the mystery that has lingered for sixty years.

Review:

Pekkanen is known for giving us books that always have a twist. In this book you get caught up in the history of the study and how every success, led to more testing and more involvement. You understand why the participants were involved and how for them it was just part of their life. But for the professor leading it it was more than that, it was the way to make his mark and to prove his theory. The space in between is where things went wrong. As the reader comes to understand how the participants lies were forever changed, some fatally, it begs the question of when is enough, and when do you stop trying to prove something. An interesting look at studies that actually did happen during this time. This is one that will be talked about for a while.

About the Author:

SARAH PEKKANEN is the #1 New York Times bestselling coauthor of four novels of suspense including The Golden Couple and the solo author of the thriller Gone Tonight. She is also the solo author of eight internationally bestselling women's fiction books, and an award-winning former journalist. She serves as U.S. Ambassador for RRSA India and works hands-on in India to rescue street dogs. She lives just outside of Washington, D.C., with her family.