In THESE WOMEN, Ivy Pochoda paints a gritty portrait of South Central LA. A serial killer is on the loose but ‘these women’ aren’t heard, aren’t listened to, are dismissed as not mattering. I loved this novel for its voices. Pochoda is a master at elevating what is base and primal, and in some lights ugly, to hollowed ground. She gives true humanity to all her characters. Employing the points of view of various women: prostitutes, dancers, artists, mothers and law enforcement, Pochoda weaves a mystery that not only had me turning the page, but dwelling on lines of prose. Precise, tough, and unyielding, the language illuminated an under-represented and misunderstood sector of the female experience, and in so doing, likened ‘these women’s’ struggles to those of us all.

"These Women" tells the story of strong yet marginalized women of underground Los Angeles. I had previously come across very few fiction books written for the purpose of entertainment - yes, this is a serial killer thriller - which represent underprivileged artists, drug users and street workers in such a raw, honest and beautiful way. The author doesn't fetishize or downgrade them; rather, each of the characters speaks in her own voice through the novel's structure of multiple points of view.

I found this story truly electrifying, not simply because of the thriller nature of it, or even the exciting plot itself, but mainly because of Pochoda's graceful art of storytelling. I certainly didn't expect this from a detective / serial killer novel. While I was skeptical of the multiple POV structure at first, the characters' plots eventually come together flawlessly in an unexpected ending.

I would highly recommend this novel to thriller and contemporary fiction readers who enjoy edgy yet intimate narratives. The personal stories will stick with you.

I read a lot of mysteries but this one was more literary than most of what I usually read. I would say I had a rough time with the start of the book since I wasn't sure what to make of the first narrator but with time I was able to really enjoy the different voices and character perspectives and they ultimately created a very compelling story of women and victims on the margins of society that can easily have their voices dismissed by the police and the world.

I didn't research it, and I don't believe the story is rooted in a real case, but it reminded me vaguely of the LA serial killer the Grim Sleeper who was active for many years but because he targeted prostitutes I don't think the same resources were devoted to catching him.

I would recommend this book for readers looking for something a bit more challenging than a standard page turner and for those interested in stories about under-represented communities.

These Women by Ivy Pochoda is a great read! A real engrossing page-turner and worth the time of a read!!

If I hadn't been reading These Women for review, I might have been sorely inclined to stop after the first fifty pages or so. It definitely took me a while to get into the rhythm of the story being told by Pochoda, which focuses on interludes of Feelie interspersed between parts of a story told by different women that are all connected to the murders of black and Latina women in a poorer part of Los Angeles. Because the women are minorities, and many have connections to the sex industry, the amount of effort to find the killer is minimal. But a connection between a recent spate of murders to older cold cases and the persistence of several of these women to find the killer propels this story forward at an increasingly engaging and electrifying pace. This story is grim, gritty and depressing, but it also ends up being fascinating and inspiring. These strong women who all end up being interconnected by the killer and his victims, are willing to stand up and demand people recognize their value and their right not to be terrorized in their own neighborhoods.

Set in the not-so-distant past in Los Angeles, this modern noir hooked me from its opening lines. The novel is divided in five main parts, focusing on a different woman's perspective. The reader hears from six women who are loosely connected as the story unfolds, with the early portions of the novel alternating between 2014 and 1999. The plot centers on murders that took place in the mid-1990s and may have some bearing on the present day, connecting the women the reader hears from. Many of the women in the story have been ignored, dismissed, and marginalized by the family, coworkers, and community. However, the author masterfully has given each of them the voice they deserved in order to be seen and heard.

I was riveted from start to finish and found myself thinking about the stories of "these women" and the novel's layers long after I finished the final pages. I always love a modern take on the classic noir where the female characters turn the story on its head; this one definitely checked that box for me. A note for sensitive readers, the language may be off-putting for some but I found it fit the story and setting and that it was true to the characters. This review was based on an Advanced Reader's Edition I received courtesy of NetGalley. Many thanks to Ecco/Harper Collins for an early look at this exceptional novel!

Set in South Los Angeles, These Women tells the story of five women who are connected by a serial killer. They just don’t know it yet. The resounding theme of These Women is the struggle to be heard. These women are silenced because of who they are and where their lives have taken them. It’s as if violence should be expected when the women work street corners or night clubs.

Ivy Pochoda has written a raw, yet beautiful story of these women’s lives. Written from multiple points of view, the reader can relate to each character. The language is skillfully written for each individual character, making each one a believable voice.

The story opens with a flashback and a sense of dark foreboding, immediately drawing me in. Each character was so different, a mother, dancer, student, police officer and a neighborhood woman. I enjoyed finding out gradually how each character impacted the next. I was drawn into their plight and angry at the ignorance involved in the treatment of these women.

The author has written a wonderful story that gives voices to these women, who don’t always get to be heard.

Dorian feeds the working girls in South L.A. out of the back of her restaurant.  Her daughter Lecia was murdered 15 years ago but the police didn't spend much time on the case, believing she had been a prostitute.  Anger is always simmering beneath the surface for Dorian as she looks back at Lecia's life and how unimportant it was to the police who only saw what they wanted.  Taking care of "these women" that the law chooses to ignore is a way in which Dorian copes.

Julianna was just a little girl when her babysitter Lecia was murdered and she was the last person to see her alive.  Now Julianna is a rebellious young woman dancing for a living with dreams of being a photographer.

Marella is an up and coming performance artist who spent most of her childhood with relatives while attending private schools.

Her mother, Anneke, is quiet and aloof.  She did the best she could for her Marella, sending her away for the best education and to keep her from harm.  While she was willing to admit the dangers of the street, she has turned a blind eye to the dangers closer to home.
When police begin to find prostitutes around the city, they don't want to admit there is a pattern because that would involve more paperwork and sending the public into a panic over a serial killer.

Essie is the vice cop willing to speak up about the pattern.  She's also open minded enough to see the similarities between the current murders and a string of unsolved cases 15 years ago, which included Dorian's daughter.

When former prostitute Feelia is sent to Essie's desk to make a report about a woman that has been stalking her for fifteen years, Essie's sharp observations allow her to see a connection no one else has.

These Women is a gritty novel that gives a voice to women who are often ignored or looked down upon due to their circumstances.  It speaks volumes about society and our justice system. 

The storytelling is absolutely phenomenal; Pochoda has given a powerful voice to each character and connects them all in seamless and compelling ways that eventually deliver justice.

I highly recommend this book to readers who enjoy mystery/thrillers and contemporary crime fiction.

Thanks to Ecco and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.  These Women is scheduled for release on May 19, 2020.

The story is told from the point of view of 6 different women whose lives overlap and intertwine to varying degrees. Feelia was a prostitute who was the surviving victim of a serial killer in 1999, although the police never solved the crime and never really focused on the case since the victims were all street walkers.
Dorian’s daughter was also murdered by the same person. She had been babysitting but was written off by the police as another prostitute and Dorian was also never taken seriously by the police.
Now 15 years later women are again being killed and the police are still not too interested.
Essie is a detective who starts to pay attention to the women and put the pieces together.
It is a murder mystery but so much more than that. All of the women have stories to tell but have been discounted and ignored because they are hysterical or delusional or strippers not worthy of someone’s time and respect.
The author does a great job of making you care about these women and their stories. The crime is solved but it is the stories of the women that stay with you. I have read her other books but this one is by far her best in my opinion.

I was given an advance copy by Net Galley in exchange for my review.

I found it difficult to connect with any of the characters, perhaps that’s because I disliked them all. This is an uncomfortable book that does not leave you thinking about it after it’s done.

These Women is a serial killer thriller unique for focusing not on the motives and identity of the killer but on the women impacted by and adjacent to the violence. A grieving mother, a young sex worker, a Latina police officer, a neighbor. This is my kind of thriller, one that spends more time with the women living with danger all around them than with the perpetrator themself. I will say that this form of storytelling is definitely less "thrilling" but isn't that always the case with the aftermath of violence rather than the violence itself? Isn't that where you find the important stories to tell?

In more ways than one These Women is about more than the killings. It's about the rage and impotency of being minority and low-income in America. It's about police negligence and voices going unheard for decades. It's about the police violence against POC that continues to this day. It's about what we do when we have no other options, about the things we do and allow to be done to ourselves to survive.

My biggest struggle with this book was my connection—or lack thereof—with the characters. They aren't all super likeable but that's never stopped me before, if anything I like a complicated character. Nor are they artificial in any way, in fact I found them to be very clearly realized by the author. I have a hard time putting a finger on what exactly kept me at arms length but it did keep me from being 100% glued to the story.

If you're looking for a thriller where the women aren't just bodies or plot points—or crazed wives—I would encourage you to give this a try. These Women is a welcome departure from the genre and I hope it will broaden some horizons out there.

I found this book thrilling and thought-provoking. The use of multiple points of view was handled well, although personally I found some of the POV characters more compelling than others (Detective Perry could have her own book/series, for example). The view of near-to-present-day Los Angeles, and especially the women who populate it, is well-drawn and distinctive. The sense of place is clear and consistent.

I have read one of her books previously - Wonder Valley - which I also really enjoyed. As a fan of Los Angeles as a setting for novels, I wlll certainly keep up with anything Ms. Pochoda writes going forward.

Highly recommended for fans of contemporary fiction, especially that with a very strong female point-of-view.

I could not put this book down. I had no idea where it was going. The women are fascinating. I didn’t like any of them but I wanted to know how they were connected. The rhythm of the book was a little disjointed at first but once you settled in, it took off. Thought the end was a little out there. Want to read more by this author.

Pochoada gives us such a phenomenal read that kept me engaged with the lives of the characters. Within the entangled lives of these 5 women, you hold your breath, with each turn of the page, because you engulf their hope, grit, courage, and need to defy this "box" placed around them, by life on life's terms. With great character development, and a plot that pulls you in, you will find yourself wanting dive right in and save any character, from their troubles, you come in contact with, in this novel.

It's an especially odd experience to read Ivy Pochoda's latest mystery/thriller "These Women" as I'm hunkered down alone in my urban Indianapolis home during 2020's introduction to pandemic horror called the pandemic crisis. Thousands of Americans have already lost their loves and it's said that we've not yet reached our peak. As a nation, we're faced with deciding if "these people" matter...these people, in the case of COVID-19, being mostly the nation's elderly and medically vulnerable who are most at risk of significant health issues from COVID-19.

If we were to listen to some news channels, rescuing the nation's economy is a higher priority or, at the very least, an equal priority. For others, however, a few weeks of hunkering down and simplifying life is worth it to lessen the risk for our nation's most vulnerable citizens and the others who are most at risk of COVID-19.

"These Women" is not about COVID-19. "These Women" is not about any sort of illness or pandemic or national crisis. It's about everyday life in West Adams, a rapidly changing part of South Los Angeles where "these women" are being murdered and no one, not even the police, seems to care.

For some, these are women who got what they deserved. For others, they're simply women who don't matter. They're disposable.

Ivy Pochoda, award-winning author of "Visitation Street" and "Wonder Valley," cares about these women and their voices and their life experiences.

Pochoda cares about their deaths.

There's Dorian, a rough and grizzled woman who drowns her days in a low-rent fish shack doing what she can to care about "these women" as some sort of complicated grief over her own daughter, Lecia, who was murdered 15 years ago.

There's Julianna, also known as Jujubee, a hard-living dancer with a street swagger that would seem to imply she owns these streets.

There's Essie, a former homicide detective turned vice whose investigative instincts tell her there's a pattern that no one else sees or wants to see.

Marella? She's a girl from the 'hood who lives on its fringes. A daring performance artist with provocative words and images, her latest exhibit takes her a little too close to the danger that surrounds her.

Finally, there's Anneke, a compassionate nurse with secrets inside her immersed in a world of order and structure that she fights fiercely to protect.

"These Women" begins in the past, 1999 to be exact, when the murders began but no one was really paying attention. The neighborhood was rougher then, the murders the price to be paid for living in a rougher neighborhood. No one called it "serial" because serial meant more paperwork and more attention and a whole lot more that "these women" didn't deserve.

The murders stopped after Lecia, who seemed to have nothing in common with the others other than someone left behind to grieve and a handful of loose ends no one cared to take time to notice.

Then, we move forward to 2014. The murders have started again. Once again, no one dares utter the word "serial" except for Essie, a barely 5' tall cop who looks more like a kid on a bike but who notices and listens and sees and cares.

"These Women" is crafted with a kind of beauty that has likely never been witnessed in these women's lives. Pochoda doesn't so much sympathize with them as she lives with them peacefully and gracefully. She takes these women at face value, neither softening their edges nor masking over their hard-earned character flaws or street-roughened defenses.

At nearly 500 pages, Pochoda makes sure that we spend time with these women too. She makes sure we understand their lives and sink into their life rhythms. She doesn't so much care if we "like" these women. She cares if they matter to us.

There's a difference.

These women have names and Ivy Pochoda wants to make sure we remember them. By the end of "These Women," you will remember them.

"These Women" is really a feminist mystery/thriller, a novel that insists that these women's lives mattered and that they deserved better than to have their murders tossed aside because of the life choices they made and the careers they chose or that were chosen for them by life circumstances and luck of the draw.

Dorian largely narrates the story, her long ago tragedy now relegated to history and her current mystery of dead birds showing up on her doorstep tossed aside as easily as was her daughter. She's dismissed as more than a little bit crazy, a grieving middle-aged woman who for some reason stays in the neighborhood that destroyed her life.

Pochoda also vividly gives us Essie's voice, seemingly different yet often more of the same. There's Feelia, someone we haven't even mentioned yet, who survived a similar attack but whose current life often plays out in such a way that you can't help but wonder if she really survived.

"These Women" is not a serial killer novel, though it certainly falls well within the genre of mystery/thriller. The mystery isn't just "Who killed these women?," but also "Why don't these women matter?" Pochoda wants to know and demands to know.

Truthfully, Pochoda knows and in her own special way she shames us for it as she should.

Pochoda reminds us that there's a ripple effect when one woman doesn't matter. She reminds us that each of these women's lives mattered and all of these women's lives mattered including the ones that were lost and the ones left to pick up the pieces and assemble some sort of life after all is said and done.

"These Women" is a slow-building and simmering mystery/thriller, perhaps too slow for some as Pochoda immerses us in these women's lives and in their neighborhood. She gives us enough to actually care about these women, but she also wisely gives us enough to understand why they've been tossed away. Your world lens will likely determine how you view these women - Pochoda knows that and she doesn't shy away from it.

"These Women" benefits from Pochoda's voice and I'd dare say it's a novel that needed to be written by a gifted, observational female writer such as Pochoda. Like many of the other detectives in "These Women," male writers would have focused the material differently and would have been at exploiting the very women they were attempting to write about. Pochoda's approach to these women is intimate yet universal, insightful yet emotionally honest and genuinely manifested.

The revelation in "These Women" unfolds surprisingly quickly, perhaps a bit too quickly for this writer, with a tonal shift and an abrupt pacing twist that feels honest in terms of storytelling yet arrives with less suspense than one expects from a mystery/thriller. This feels like less underwriting and more, perhaps, over-editing as it feels like there's a sliver of life missing from the words that would connect us, the readers, to these women and the truths that are unfolding.

However, this is a minor concern for a novel that is bold in its storytelling and fiercely devoted to the women who fill its pages and the importance of their stories and their lives. "These Women" is gritty and graceful storytelling. It offers the kind of storytelling you hope to find in your movie theaters one day, though you hope the movie is directed by a woman because the female voice is so central to this novel's success along with Pochoda's stunning, fluid writing and tension-filled dialogue.

Scheduled for a May 2020 release with HarperLuxe, an imprint of HarperCollins, "These Women" beautifully weaves together crime thriller and female empowerment into a novel that you won't want to put down from beginning to end.

Phenomenal with an incredibly sweeping (quite literally) and enthralling ending. Ivy writes with a confidence beyond any of her peers, and a certain authority to carry the readers places they may not normally go, and reveal and unravel a mystery all worth waiting for.

What a wonderful surprise! I dove into this book never having heard of it, but wow, that should change for everyone. These Women offered such a unique perspective, giving a voice to women who are often silenced. The writing was beautiful and gritty, and I will be thinking about this one for a long time to come. It's definitely a highlight of my 2020 reading.

Set in South Los Angeles, we follow the stories of five women whose lives change when two murders disrupt their neighborhood.

This book is so much more than a novel about a serial killer. Rather, it’s a piece of literary fiction about five unique women that happens to have a serial killer in the background, until they aren’t.

Ivy Pochoda has such beautiful way with words! The writing is gritty and gorgeous, and it painted a very visceral picture of South LA. The novel focuses mainly on women whose lives intersect with the sex work industry, told in separate stories that build on one another. Based on the topic, I thought the novel would be much more graphic, but the author manages to write about it in an approachable, digestible manner.

The characters were strong and relatable, all in a world that constantly reminded them how little they mattered. I cared so much about these women, and I was outraged at the way they were treated because of their connection to the sex work industry. Through their stories, the author did exactly what she set out to do: gave a believable voice to women that are typically brushed aside in society. I loved the way their stories built on one another and how connections were gradually revealed. And when I realized who the serial killer was, I was just as horrified as the characters.

All in all, I highly encourage you to pick up this novel! I haven’t stopped thinking about it and am already looking forward to a reread.

Thank you to Ecco Books, HarperCollins Publishers, and NetGalley for the free e-galley in exchange for my honest review.

This book has a very unique and interesting premise, and I really thought I would love it but something just didn’t click for me. It was a good read, but I think my issue with it was that it reads more like a character study of the 5 women it centers around rather than playing up the mystery/thriller element. I’m sure people will love this one but for me there was just something missing

I really enjoyed the storyline of this book. The characters were an eclectic mix, that kept me engagged. The book started out powerfully and kept me engaged throughout.

These Women by Ivy Pochoda is a riveting and sobering read that takes the reader into very dark, real, harrowing, and lonely corners of humanity.

This book alternates between 1999 and 2014 dealing specifically with the women that were either murdered or affected by the victims of a serial killer. The police have deemed these victims disposable as several were entwined into occupations and habits that were sometimes less then “G-rated” (and we can leave it at that). This book shows us that these women were still human beings, still had hopes, dreams, fears, goals, and should have been just as important as anyone else.

As the story continues, all of what we think are individual voices and vignettes, become braided into a common theme. Yes, there is suspense, a serial killer plot that is answered, but this book is so much more. It gives us a window into souls. Souls that are just as worthy and you and I, and yet when they were living, and dying, their voice was silenced. This book brings them to the surface as it should have been all along.

Gripping, tragic, and quite frankly, stunning. This is the first time I have read anything by this author, and a new fan has been made.

5/5


Thank you NetGalley and Ecco/HarperCollins Publishers for this ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon and B&N accounts upon publication.