The Women in White by Sarah Pekkanen Review: A Chilling Blend of Historical Mystery and Psychological Thriller

The Women in White explores forgotten experiments, buried secrets, and an eerie dual-timeline mystery that lingers long after the end.

Acknowledgments:

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for the ARC of this audiobook. The thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own.

Summary of Synopsis:

In this dual-timeline mystery, newly divorced Riley Bell takes a caretaker job for an elderly widow named Betty, whose isolated, old-fashioned lifestyle hides decades of secrets tied to a forgotten 1960s parapsychology experiment. Back then, four gifted young women at a prestigious university became the focus of a visionary scientist’s groundbreaking research into extrasensory perception—until they suddenly vanished and the entire program was erased from history. As Riley uncovers the truth behind Betty’s past and the mysterious disappearance of the women, long-buried secrets resurface, forcing both timelines to collide in a suspenseful search for answers that has endured for sixty years.

My Thoughts:

Sarah Pekkanen’s The Women in White may be marketed as women’s fiction, but to me it felt every bit as compelling and suspenseful as a thriller. Told across two timelines—1964 and the present day—it explores the role of women in society during a very different era while weaving in unsettling questions about parapsychology, scientific ambition, and the devastating consequences of experiments that push ethical boundaries. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and found it difficult to stop listening.

The 1964 storyline follows four remarkable young women who become the subjects of groundbreaking parapsychology experiments at a prestigious university. Each possesses an extraordinary ability, from dreaming about future events to experiencing telepathy, and together they form a sisterhood that becomes one of the novel’s greatest strengths. Betty, one of the four women, is married to a member of the lead scientist’s research team, placing her in a particularly vulnerable position as the experiments become increasingly dangerous. Pekkanen does an excellent job building tension as the scientist’s determination to achieve a historic breakthrough slowly eclipses any concern for the women’s well-being.

In the present day, newly divorced Riley Bell accepts a position caring for an elderly widow named Betty. The house she moves into feels frozen in time, untouched by televisions, cell phones, the internet, or nearly any influence from the outside world. As Riley begins to understand Betty’s unusual life, the two set out to uncover what really happened to the other three women who disappeared decades earlier. Watching the mystery unfold across both timelines kept me fully invested as long-buried secrets gradually came to light.

One aspect of this novel resonated with me on a personal level. During my nursing training in the 1980s, one of my practicums took place in an old psychiatric hospital where I cared for long-term mental health patients and observed electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) treatments. Walking through that aging institution as a 20-year-old left a lasting impression on me, and The Women in White brought those memories rushing back. Pekkanen captures that same unsettling atmosphere so vividly that I could almost feel the chill of those corridors again. The setting becomes a character in its own right, creating an eerie, lingering sense of unease that enhances the mystery without relying on cheap scares.

The Narration:

I also highly recommend the audiobook, narrated by Saskia Maarleveld. Her wonderfully atmospheric performance perfectly captures the novel’s eerie tone and heightens the suspense throughout. She brings both timelines to life and adds an extra layer of tension that made an already excellent story even more immersive.

Final Thoughts:

If you enjoy historical mysteries, psychological suspense, and stories centred on strong female friendships wrapped in an unsettling, slow-burning mystery, The Women in White is well worth picking up. It blends emotional depth with an increasingly chilling mystery, making it one of those stories that stays with you long after the final chapter.