There is a horrible level of brutality here, but the author can really write and the pace is mesmerizing. Edward Ness, a regional marshal, is asked by a small town Iowan Sheriff to assist in finding a killer. We know that Rigby Seller is the murderer: his life and descent into madness is meticulously detailed. Ness drags his own demons through the story. We can see the final horror coming but still feel the grief. Not for the faint of heart.