by Tami Hoag
First published 2009
Three children race through the woods behind their school in 1984 California when they discover something that will change everything. A woman's body lies partially buried, her eyes and mouth sealed shut. Their teacher Anne Navarre arrives moments later, watching helplessly as her students lose their innocence in an instant. Detective Tony Mendez takes the case armed with a new investigative method called profiling, fresh from his training at FBI headquarters. As more bodies surface, Mendez realizes a serial killer stalks their community. His investigation pulls him deeper into the lives of the three children and draws him closer to Anne, whose own fascination with the case matches his intensity. The killer's identity remains hidden among familiar faces as families and friendships fracture under the weight of exposed secrets. Media attention mounts with each new victim. Both Mendez and Anne begin to wonder who suffers more in this nightmare: the dead women or the loved ones of the killer, unaware they live alongside a calculating psychopath.
Genres: mystery, crime, thriller, detective
Vibes: dark, emotional, suspenseful
Tropes: amateur-sleuth, found-family, loss-of-innocence
Setting: California
Period: 1984
421 pages · Hardcover · Dutton
Content warnings: child-death, murder, violence