Karlie was a beautiful and well-liked college student, so who would want to kill her? The book is set in two time frames, 1999, when the crime occurred, and 2019 when the case is reinvestigated by Karlie’s ex-roommate, Joy. Bright and Tender Dark leads the reader into the world of true crime and its ability to both explore and exploit cases for the benefit of its followers. Although a man has been convicted of the crime, Joy doggedly exhumes information that leads her in another direction and nearly upends her life. This is a multifaceted mystery with an array of compelling secondary characters, a college town setting, an evangelical student group, and the ghost of the victim. In other words, a thoroughly absorbing read that will both engage and intrigue you.
Bright and Tender Dark by Joanna Pearson, (List Price: $28.99, Bloomsbury Publishing, 9781639732890, June 2024)
Reviewed by Mary Jane Michels, Fiction Addiction in Greenville, South Carolina