The Women in White, Sarah Pekkanen [A Book Review]

There are psychological thrillers, and then there are thrillers about the secret psychological research that happened in the 60s. That makes this an…extra psychological thriller? A psychological thriller twice over? No, no, I’ve got it…

A psychological thriller ULTRA.

That’s what The Women in White is, and I loved it.

I have quite a fondness for stories featuring inter-generational friendships. This one begins with Riley, recently divorced and attending a job interview she has almost no shot at being offered, but something makes her go through with it anyway. The job is working as a caretaker for an older woman, Betty, who is also recently alone due to the death of her beloved husband. Against all odds, Riley is hired on the spot. But that’s not the only odd thing about it. It becomes abundantly clear that Betty seems to be living as if it is still 1965.

Betty is a legend. As she and Riley get to know one another, Riley realizes how profoundly this woman has been sheltered and takes on the task of tracking down some of her old friends, just to see whatever happened to them. That, my friends is the engine of this novel.

See, Betty met these women at the university where her husband worked once upon a time. She and the other women wound up as part of a strange research project headed up by a strange man studying strange cutting-edge psychological things. Mingled between this present day timeline are flashbacks to Betty’s memories of her time there.

It is such a fantastic premise, with plenty of fuel for both ends of the timeline to keep the reader guessing. I was fascinated by the historical timeline. People can convince themselves of a lot when they think they’re doing something overall good for the world. That’s all I’ll say about that!

This would be a great book to read in the fall as the nights lengthen and the leaves crisp up outside. A perfectly twisted tale with so much slow-build tension you won’t want to put it down for long between sessions. It’s a story a women, it’s a story about the dark side of research, it’s a story of friendship, and the kinds of bonds that can’t really be broken. You won’t regret it.

Note:: I received an early copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Details

Title:: The Women in White
Author:: Sarah Pekkanen
Genre:: Historical Thriller
Publisher:: St. Martin’s Press
Length:: 291 pages
Published:: August 4th, 2026
The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars

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Curated recommendations based on this title:

Remain | Nicholas Sparks & M. Night Shyamalan
The Wife Upstairs | Rachel Hawkins
Wrong Place Wrong Time | Gillian McAllister
Every Moment Since | Marybeth Mayhew Whalen
Forget Me Not | Stacy Willingham
Beautiful Ugly | Alice Feeney

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