One of the best true crime books I've ever read! This was well researched but did not feel slow or boring at any points, and I learned so much about the science behind fingerprinting. I have already been recommending this to friends who are fans of true crime.

As a criminologist who does in fact work in the field of cold cases, I was familiar with the Polly Klaas case prior to reading this book, but like many I’m sure, it was only a peripheral knowledge of the case.

While the book is far from a riveting page turner, it wasn’t meant to be. Cross methodically goes through the case in a straightforward manner using actual case records and by doing interviews herself with people involved with the case.

This is a fantastic book for any true crime genre enthusiast.

The details, the tone, the eeriness along with all the logic surrounding this case was submerged beautifully into this heartbreaking book. This was done with such care that the more details you read into this case, the more you both get angry and sad at the same time. This goes to show that the author did such a magnificent job on telling everything about Polly Klaas's case.

It read like a novel, a story that the author thought up and wrote so well, then only to be reminded that this was real and people were living through the horrid scenarios. I enjoyed the insights, battled with the anguish alongside those in the book, and satisfied the curiosity of this crime. I truly enjoyed this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of the book. All opinions are my own.

Meticulous, yet never dry. In Light of all Darkness gives a detailed account of the Polly Klaas kidnapping from 1993. In October of 1993, twelve year old Polly was taken from her home by a stranger. This quickly became one of the most famous kidnapping cases in our history, and caused dramatic changes in the way similar cases would be handled in the future.

I applaud Kim Cross on the way she handled Polly's story. Every facet of the case was thoroughly researched and described in a way that keeps the reader's interest. Obviously, this isn't a light read (I was in tears by the end), but it's well worth it. I was fascinated by the information on how new fingerprinting techniques, computers, and ERTs were used in this case and later brought to wider use. This case shook the world, and changed it.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Wow. I am no stranger to true crime and investigation stories, but this one hit me hard. This book is one of the few examples of a victim centric narrative and more ethical true crime. Cross' writing is fantastic and she was able to portray the intense emotions and meticulous investigation with ease. This book is incredibly respectful to Polly's memory. Her details about the investigation and the rights and wrongs that came from it were fascinating. I felt like I was a part of what was happening in this book. This is a tough read but a very important one, especially as a definitive narrative of this investigation and how that changed investigations going forward. This book helped keep Polly at the center of her story and show how deeply she was cared for. In a world where true crime media is becoming more and more exploitive and commercialized and produced with little empathy, In Light of All Darkness is a breath of fresh air and makes the focus on Polly the heart of its story.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ In Light of All Darkness by Kim Cross

Told in easy-to-understand language, flowing like a novel, Kim Cross tells the story of the 1993 abduction and murder of Polly Klaas.

As the daughter-in-law of retired FBI agent Eddie Freyer, who led the investigation in the search for Polly, she has insider knowledge never told previously to anyone. She was granted access to files and videos that had never been released.

This book was well-written and told in a respectful and mindful manner. She told the background and history of Polly and her family, town, and friends. She offered details to the investigation and relayed how the investigative techniques used, some for the first time, in the search for Polly helped shape and change the way police and the FBI handle cases, especially those of child abduction.

This was such a well-written book about a very sad topic, but handled in a manner that was gracious, yet very informative. We learn a lot about Polly, her family, the police and detectives who spent 65 days searching for Polly, the techniques used to apprehend and convict the killer, and the outcome it has had on investigations today.

Even though I knew the outcome of the tragedy, the story kept my interest with the how’s and why’s, and this was largely in part to the great writing by Cross. I would highly recommend this book to any true crime reader or anyone looking to further their knowledge of police/FBI background, techniques, and procedures.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this title for review.

As a moderate true crime book fan, I chose In Light of All Darkness hoping to learn more about the Polly Klaas case and its investigations. While the book was full of details, I didn’t find it as interesting as I’d hoped. The interviews with suspects along with other detailed information were not engaging to me. The book was well written but seemed much longer than necessary.

This true crime book takes an interesting look at a very familiar case. I was the same age as Polly Klass, so I grew up with the case being top of mind for much of the country. I did not realize, though, the dramatic impact that it had on changing the way investigators would respond to abductions. While the writing is very engaging, and it does often feel like a novel, the book is clearly very thoroughly researched and does get a little technical in places. I enjoyed that aspect, but do not be mislead into thinking this reads like a thriller. It is a step-by-step examination of the events and the technologies, methods, procedures, etc that evolved because of them.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #GrandCentralPublishing for a free copy of #InLightOfAllDarkness by Kim Cross. All opinions are my own.

Interesting and very well researched. The disappearance and search for Polly Klaas who was abducted from her home in California, changed the way these cases were to be handled. We take for granted the tools and technology available to us today but this is a cold reminder of what happened before.

The definitive account of the 1993 Polly Klaas kidnapping and murder is the first super high quality true crime book I've read in awhile (5 stars). The author is the daughter-in-law of one of the case’s top FBI investigators, so she got unprecedented access to people and files.This case is also known for changing the way the FBI solves crimes in some big ways including the widespread expansion of FBI Emergency Response Teams, the formation of the Polly Klaas Foundation (which helps recover missing children), and the creation of the Three Strikes Law and the Amber Alert system. This book goes deep into criminal investigative procedures and illuminates how maddeningly close the police came to capturing Polly's murderer before he killed Polly. Though this book is long, short chapters help it move quickly.

I did not finish this book, only got up to page 100. Although this reads like a novel instead of a true crime story, I found it to be slow going and not very interesting. There were to many people to keep track of.

In depth look at tPolly Klaas's story from the helpful perspective of time passed. The author had a connection to a detective involved in the investigation which gave her unprecedented access. This was a case that really had an emotional effect on people at the time and this book shows why.

One of the best true crime books I've ever read. The amount of research was phenomenal. I learned so much about how this case shaped the way we investigate crimes. Outstanding book.

I remember this case like it was yesterday. Everyone around her was really taken back and didn’t know what to think. And the rumors where swirling all over. This book showed us Polly’s life and Sadly her death. It was hard to read at times reading all the details of this murder but it is a page Turner and kept me reading till the end. It was interesting reading all the things that were going on that I had no idea about.
Thank you netgalley

Although I was familiar to the case of Polly, I was still very interested in reading this book. It was very informative about the events and also about all the changes that came from the lessons learned from this horrible crime - scientific upgrades/discoveries, changes in protocols with local and federal law enforcement etc. Highly recommend.

Absolutely outstanding True Crime—-one of the best I have ever read. Kim Cross does an absolutely masterful job with this very difficult subject, and old case, and even though this case rocked my youth since I am from a community ten minutes from Petaluma CA, I learned so much from this book.it was just excellent. I hope it gets the attention it deserves!

Thank you to the author Kim Cross, publishers Grand Central Publishing, and also to NetGalley for an advance digital copy of IN LIGHT OF ALL DARKNESS. All views are mine.

Three (or more) things I loved:

1. The richness of detail is spectacular. (Maybe too much at times?) No, no, it's good, it's good. Honestly, in the details, I can really notice the depth of Cross's research. She's able to provide multiple descriptions of things, perspectives, or theories, because she has so many resources from which to pull.

Three (or less) things I didn't love:

This section isn't only for criticisms. It's merely for items that I felt something for other than "love" or some interpretation thereof.

1. I grabbed this book at least partly because it sells itself as being "paced like a thriller!" Won't be the first true crime nonfiction that pulled me in with that, but plods along, plotless! True crime fascinates with other magic, it doesn't have to break necks-- or at least not with twists or high speeds!

2. There is so much information in this book! So much of it is unnecessary. For example, Cross goes on for pages about the history of America's Most Wanted and its host, John Walsch, whose information is interesting, but not relevant, since his son Adam was kidnapped and murdered in the 80's. They only connect to the case at hand in a superficial way. Cross does this a lot; that's a big part of the reason the book is over 400p long.

3. This book is too long. 100 pages of superfluous length is because of all the detours, it's almost painful.

4. I realize there is an audience for this level of detail, but I'm not in it. I don't want to read an entire interview with a suspect. They say so much during these that's predictable and dull. Every hem and haw! And I definitely don't want to read multiple interviews with the same suspect.

Rating: 🦴💀☠️.5 human bones
Recommend? Sure, for readers looking for true crime nonfiction with a lot of details
Finished: Oct 3 23
Format: Digital arc, NetGalley
Read this book if you like:
⚗️ forensics
🩸 murder stories
🔎 true crime

In October of 1993, a 12-year-old girl named Polly Klaas was abducted from her home in Petaluma, CA during a sleepover with two of her friends, never to be seen alive again. This book provides a unique look inside the investigation. Each chapter looks at a specific aspect of the case and describes the process of solving child abductions in the ‘90s and how things are done today. Meticulously researched, Cross shows us how this case was a benchmark for missing children investigations and helped put in place many protocols that are still used today.

Cross is the daughter-in-law of Eddie Freyer, the FBI case agent in charge, which gave her access to primary source materials. Despite her close relationship to Freyer, she shines a critical eye on how the case was handled and what should have gone differently.

The book is objective, unbiased and victim focused, which is not something all true crime books can claim to be. I highly recommend this one for those interested in the intricacies of missing children cases and the development of new and effective techniques used in child abductions.

Thank you @grandcentralpub for the #gifted copy!

Author Kim Cross relates the kidnapping of 12 year old Polly Klaas from her Petaluma, California, home in October of 1993 in front of her two friends. The author covers this case from the time of her abduction until her body was found two months later in December due to her abductor leading authorities to her location. In between this time period the author goes into great detail regarding the gathering of forensic evidence which, at least to me, became overwhelming. Mistakes made during the investigation such as giving polygraphs to children and other changes in investigation techniques are also pointed out.

The author did a lot of work in writing this book which is the story of, not only the the Polly Klaas case, but the investigating techniques used during the early 1990s and today. Depending on your point of view and interest in the detail of modern technology in investigating crime this is a decision for the reader to make.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I remember the Polly Klaas kidnapping from when it happened. I read true crime but I have never read one as unique as this one and I loved it. This book was written from inside the investigation with interviews from the FBI agents and police investigators involved in the case. The author also had access to the assistant DA files. This was very interesting but also frightening that she was kidnapped from her room by a total stranger during a sleepover with two witnesses. Because of this kidnapping, I was afraid someone would break into the house and kidnap my child. I really liked reading how this investigation was done and I felt like I was part of it. I recommend this book to any true crime reader.