Like any good whodunit, Pearson seeds the story with many fertile leads (a prowling cult, an affair with a married professor), but the book's real mystery is one that won't be resolved in the final twist: Where do we draw the line between devotion and obsession?

Oprah Daily

Pearson bursts onto the scene with gripping murder mystery fueled by the craziness of the internet. Through dual timelines, the mystery unfolds in unexpected ways and truly captures how crime makes us obsessive but also sheds a light on how murders affect those around it who don't make the headlines.

Debutiful, best June debuts

Character-driven and deliberately paced . . . crafted with uncommon depth.

Toronto Star

Gripping . . . Pearson's observations-particularly about girlhood, social anxiety, and millennium-era evangelical culture-will stay with you for a long time.

Indyweek

Bright and Tender Dark is so propulsive that I couldn't stop reading it, but so beautifully and perceptively observed that I wanted to slow down and linger over every sentence. There are many mysteries in this book - most obviously, there's the decades-ago murder of a charismatic college student-but Pearson is also interested in the things we do, and don't, know about the people closest to us, and how we are sometimes strangers to ourselves. Anyone who's ever been obsessed by a crime story will find a facet of themselves in this wise, compelling, and gripping book.

Rachel Monroe, author of SAVAGE APPETITES

Sensitive, aching, and far-reaching, Bright and Tender Dark explores one death and so many altered lives. Joanna Pearson is an exquisite writer. Her novel will sweep you away.

Julia Phillips, author of DISAPPEARING EARTH