The Women in White by Sarah Pekkanen on August 4, 2026
Genres: Fiction / Thrillers / Domestic, Fiction / Women
Pages: 304
Format: ARC
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
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.
I present to you my new favorite Sarah Pekkanen novel! This story is truly amazing and the level of research she did for this was superb! This is a historical fiction mystery based on experiments performed on people in the past. This book has multiple points of view told in dual timelines. I loved this story. I know it is meant to be suspenseful/thrilling but it is also about friendship and being there for one another. It is also crazy that there are so many references in the book to actual studies conducted by Duke.
I give this five star review because it captured me. I couldn’t put the book down until I was finished. Completely got me invested into this book. There is a bit of a mystery/thriller aspect to this story, which I felt was a bit underdeveloped. If readers are after the thriller aspect, they may be disappointed, but I completely leaned into the historical fiction side, let it envelop me, and I enjoyed every moment.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.