Winner of the Truman Capote Prize
for Literary Non-Fiction
2024 Edgar Award Nominee — Fact Crime
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 as pivotal in the history of the FBI as the Unabomber or Oklahoma City bombing.
“Kim Cross has obsessively spun banker boxes of research into an against-the-clock thriller. A page-turner built on deep research, literary empathy, and a personal involvement with real people—the ones who suffered, who did the work, those who paid the price.” —Charles Graeber, New York Times bestselling author of The Good Nurse and The Breakthrough
”The facts in this meticulous true crime report are as enthralling as they were in Capote’s ‘In Cold Blood,’ carrying the reader along and showing the emotional effects … on everyone involved: family, friends, police.” —Literary critic Don Noble
A riveting tale that demonstrates the investigation's effect on solving cases even three decades later." —Kirkus Reviews
“Reported with empathy and Cross’s singature combination of unflinching detail and gut-punching revelations." —Beth Macy, New York Times bestselling author of Dopesick and Raising Lazarus
“Cross’ coverage is polished and respectful, with a clear expression of ideas and heartfelt but dispassionate reporting... thoroughly informative and incredibly moving.” —BOOKLIST
KIM CROSS
Kim Cross is a New York Times Best-Selling author, journalist, and historian known for meticulously reported narrative nonfiction. Her stories have been recognized in “Best of” lists by the New York Times, the Columbia Journalism Review, The Sunday Longread, Longform, Apple News Audio, and Best American Sports Writing.
“…incredible story-telling… like a Rudyard Kipling tale from the exotic east.” —Lowell Thomas Awards
“… a force of nature with a poetic, soul-searing narrative…”
—Charlayne Hunter Gault, NPR, PBS, CNN
“Her verbs pulsate, her narrative web sucks you in.”
—Beth Macy, Dopesick, Factory Man, Truevine
“A new star has appeared in our literary sky.”
—Ron Powers, Flags of Our Fathers
