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In Light of All Darkness
In Light of All Darkness: Inside the Polly Klaas Kidnapping and the Search for America's Child | Kim Cross
5 posts | 6 read | 7 to read
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 generationthe kidnapping of Polly Klaasa 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 kidnappingsa stranger abduction from the hometriggered one of the largest manhunts in FBI history. 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 Pollys story touched every agent, police officer, and forensic technician who worked on her case. Many of these investigators have never shared their storiesuntil now. New York 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 Bureaus approach to solving crimes. With unprecedented access to case 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 kidnapperand made the victim a household name and a girl who will never be forgotten.
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jlhammar
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Truly excellent. I couldn‘t stop listening!

Winner of the Truman Capote Prize for Literary Non-Fiction and 2024 Edgar Award Nominee in the Best Fact Crime category.

62 likes4 stack adds
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JackOBotts
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Incredibly well done, well researched look at Polly Klaas‘s kidnapping. Cross takes the reader through the entire gut wrenching saga with facts and reflections from those involved. This book sheds light on to all the bits and pieces (good & bad) that impact a police investigation.

This was from my #auldlangspine list…maybe my last for January, but I do hope to pick more from the list as the year goes on.

Kristy_K One of my favorite non-fictions from last year. Glad you found it as well-written and insightful as I did! 10mo
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JackOBotts
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My next #auldlangspine pick intersects with my favorite podcast #MyFavoriteMurder as host Karen Kilgariff (and Petaluma native) mentioned reading this on a somewhat recent episode.

ElizaMarie Ooo I am a fellow #Murderino (although I really haven't listened in forever); but, they opened me up to other books. I am stacking this one! 10mo
JackOBotts @ElizaMarie yes, a lot of strong book recs coming from MFM, for sure 10mo
Kristy_K This one focuses more on the science than the crime, but I was still hooked. Hope you find it as fascinating as I did! 10mo
WorldsOkayestStepMom SSDGM, fellow murderino! 10mo
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MallenNC
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I‘m catching up on my November reviews. I do not recommend reading this during the festive holiday season.

I‘ve mostly stopped reading true crime but decided to read this one because Polly Klaas‘s case made a lasting impression on Americans of my generation. This books focuses on the investigation and on how mistakes made in this case changed law enforcement procedures. It‘s not easy to read but I thought it was well done.

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Kristy_K
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This was one of the most well-researched true crime books I‘ve read in a long time. As opposed to many others, which center around the perpetrator or the victim, Cross shines a light on the investigation itself and highlights the techniques, protocols, and people who shaped it and ultimately changed some of the ways law enforcement works child abduction cases. I found the insight into the case procedures informative and interesting.

#truecrime

Kimzey This was just recommended to me. Stacking! 1y
Kristy_K @Kimzey Hope you like it! I found it so interesting and extremely well written. 14mo
58 likes2 stack adds2 comments