In light of all darkness : inside the Polly Klaas kidnapping and the search for America's child
Paced like a thriller and full of insider information on the history and science of Crime Scene Investigation, In Light of All Darkness embeds readers in one of the most famous true-crime stories of our generation-the kidnapping of Polly Klaas-a case as pivotal in the history of the FBI as the Unabomber or Oklahoma City bombing. On October 1, 1993, a 12-year-old girl was kidnapped at knifepoint from her bedroom in Petaluma, California, during a sleepover with two friends, while her mother slept soundly in the room next door. This rarest of all kidnappings-a stranger abduction from the home-triggered one of the largest manhunts in FBI history. Riddled with red herrings, grave mistakes, dead ends, and false leads, from fake ransom calls to junior high pranks to dramatic SWAT raids, the 65-day search for "America's Child" became every FBI agent's-and every parent's-worst nightmare. Many Americans remember Polly's face, which appeared on the national news every night, on the cover of People magazine, and on more than 8 million flyers distributed as far as China. The emotional gravity of Polly's story touched every agent, police officer, and forensic technician who worked on her case. Many of these investigators have never shared their stories-until now. Author Kim Cross has written the first comprehensive account of what happened on that fateful night in October, as well as how the case forever transformed the Bureau's approach to solving crimes. With unprecedented access to files, crime scene photos, a videotaped murder confession, and inside sources, In Light of All Darkness follows the investigators who pieced together the evidence that led to the arrest and conviction of the kidnapper-a man currently on death row-and made the victim a household name and a girl who will never be forgotten. The book will be published on the 30th anniversary of Polly's disappearance.
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Victoria | Available |
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- ISBN: 9781538725061 (hardcover)
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Physical Description
print
447 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm - Edition First edition.
- Publisher 2023
Content descriptions
Bibliography, etc. Note: | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
Additional Information
Table of Contents
In Light of All Darkness : Inside the Polly Klaas Kidnapping and the Search for America's Child
Section | Section Description | Page Number |
---|---|---|
Authors Note | xi | |
Part I | Somewhere Out There | |
Chapter 1 | The Sleepover | 3 |
Chapter 2 | The Stranger | 11 |
Chapter 3 | The First Hour | 15 |
Chapter 4 | The Trespasser | 20 |
Chapter 5 | The Case Agent | 29 |
Chapter 6 | The Eyewitnesses | 36 |
Chapter 7 | The Crime Scene | 46 |
Chapter 8 | Doubts | 58 |
Chapter 9 | Leads | 67 |
Chapter 10 | The Volunteers | 77 |
Chapter 11 | Seventy-Two Hours | 86 |
Chapter 12 | America's Most Wanted | 94 |
Chapter 13 | The Celebrity | 101 |
Part II | The Investigative Machine | |
Chapter 14 | The Polygrapher | 111 |
Chapter 15 | The Forensic Artist | 123 |
Chapter 16 | The Profiler | 131 |
Chapter 17 | The Composite | 139 |
Chapter 18 | Victimology | 152 |
Chapter 19 | Rapid Start | 163 |
Chapter 20 | The ERT Team | 172 |
Chapter 21 | The SWAT Team | 182 |
Chapter 22 | Trouble Within | 189 |
Chapter 23 | The Foundation | 199 |
Chapter 24 | The Insider | 208 |
Chapter 25 | The Suspect | 215 |
Part III | The Turning Point | |
Chapter 26 | Pythian Road | 225 |
Chapter 27 | The Subject | 232 |
Chapter 28 | The Lab | 243 |
Chapter 29 | SWAT Raid | 251 |
Chapter 30 | The First Interview | 258 |
Chapter 31 | The Palm Print | 270 |
Chapter 32 | The Lineup | 277 |
Chapter 33 | System Failures | 285 |
Chapter 34 | The Wild Card | 290 |
Chapter 35 | The Confession | 297 |
Chapter 36 | Anatomy of a Lie | 303 |
Chapter 37 | Cloverdale | 322 |
Chapter 38 | Found | 327 |
Chapter 39 | Positive Identification | 334 |
Chapter 40 | America Cries | 342 |
Chapter 41 | The Trial | 349 |
Chapter 42 | Polly's Legacy | 358 |
Epilogue | 366 | |
Acknowledgments | 379 | |
Notes | 382 | |
Bibliography | 425 | |
Index | 436 | |
About the Author | 448 |