The thief of all light - 1 (First Kensington hardcover edition.)

From veteran police detective Bernard Schaffer comes a powerful new thriller that crackles with authenticity, page-turning suspense, and spellbinding glimpses into the criminal mind.

Rookie cop Carrie Santero has always been fascinated by serial killers.

As a teenager, she wrote a letter to Charles Manson in prison - and received a chilling reply.

Then she came face to face with a child murderer in her small Pennsylvania town, an encounter that haunts her to this day.

Now, as a detective in training, she finally has her chance to make a difference; to hunt down a psychopathic sadist who embodies the very nature of evil itself.