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Loading... In Light of All Darkness: Inside the Polly Klaas Kidnapping and the Search for America's Childby Kim Cross
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"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 aspivotal 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 onmore 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. NewYork Times bestselling 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"-- No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)363.25Social sciences Social problems and services; associations Other social problems and services Police Services Criminal investigationLC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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This read like a thriller, albeit one with a lot of information on the background of agents, technicians, and techniques used both in this case and in other infamous and not so famous cases. Despite a lot of material, the narrative flowed, making this a fast, engrossing, and heartbreaking read. Cross treated all of those involved with respect and empathy; emphasis here was on the victim(s) and the investigators rather than the perpetrator. As the daughter-in-law of Case Agent Eddie Freyer, Cross had unique access to personnel, interviews, transcripts, and other documents that allowed for impeccable research.
This was a significant case influencing the future of investigations into childhood abductions, using and refining new technology, as well as learning from things that worked and things that could be improved upon. The Polly Klass case is still taught in classes around the world and lessons learned have helped in finding many missing children. It has also helped strengthen the methods used in other criminal investigations. Technology that we take for granted today, such as digitally transmitting a missing person flyer far and wide was first used to try to find Polly. Another contribution from this tragedy was the founding of the Polly Klass Foundation and the KlassKids Foundation, still in existence today and helping in finding missing children and preventing crimes against children.
For those who enjoy true crime books, this is an excellent read.
Thanks to #Netgalley and @grandcentralpub for the ARC ( )