A "flawless . . .razor-sharp" literary thriller about five women living in the margins of Los Angeles and in the shadow of a serial killer (Wall Street Journal).
Shortlisted for the Edgar Award for Best Novel * A Los Angeles Times Book Prize, Mystery & Thriller Finalist * An International Thriller Writers Finalist, Best Hardcore Novel * A Macavity Best Mystery Novel Finalist
Recommended by: New York Times Book Review * Washington Post * Vogue * Entertainment Weekly * Elle * People * Marie Claire * Vulture * Minneapolis Star-Tribune * LitHub * Crime Reads * PopSugar * AARP * Book Marks * South Florida Sun Sentinel
In West Adams, a rapidly changing part of South Los Angeles, they're referred to as "these women." These women on the corner. . . . These women in the club. . . . These women who won't stop asking questions. . . . These women who got what they deserved. . . .
In her masterful novel, Ivy Pochoda creates a kaleidoscope of loss, power, and hope featuring five very different women whose lives are steeped in danger and anguish. They're connected by one man and his deadly obsession, though not all of them know that yet. There's Dorian, still adrift after her daughter's murder remains unsolved; Julianna, a young dancer nicknamed Jujubee, who lives hard and fast, resisting anyone trying to slow her down; Essie, a brilliant vice cop who sees a crime pattern emerging where no one else does; Marella, a daring performance artist whose work has long pushed boundaries but now puts her in peril; and Anneke, a quiet woman who has turned a willfully blind eye to those around her for far too long. The careful existence they have built for themselves starts to crumble when two murders rock their neighborhood.
Written with beauty and grit, tension and grace, These Women is a glorious display of storytelling, a once-in-a-generation novel.
"A gritty murder mystery with a feminist twist. Ivy Pochoda's LA-set noir is the perfect summer read." —O, the Oprah Magazine
"Pochoda turns grief, suffering and loss into art, crafting a literary thriller that is no less compelling for its deep emotional resonance." —Vogue
"In fine-tuned and affecting prose, Pochoda captures the women's voices, the way they use cracked humor or street smarts as coping mechanisms." —Los Angeles Times
