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.

This is really well done and I learned some information about the Polly Klaas case I didn't know. I would recommend this to those who enjoy true crime stories. Special Thank You to Kim Cross, Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for allowing me to read a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book wasn’t for me, I couldn’t stay interested in it. It was boring for me. It just wasn’t for me

It's sobering to realize this is released the week of the 30th anniversary of Polly Klaas's abduction. Kim Cross had a lot of access to individuals involved in the investigation, and she handles this devastating and infuriating story with tenderness while still sharing the hard facts. It's well researched and quite comprehensive, and the author has done an impressive job crafting a narrative for the story.

My thanks to the publisher, author Kim Cross, and NetGalley for the opportunity to review an ARC of this work.

In Light of All Darkness is a very complete retelling of the brutal murder of 12-year old Polly Klass, who was abducted and taken from her home on October 1, 1993, and whose body was later found in a remote area about two hours from her home. The narrative is deep and full of details as the author takes the reader through the investigation, and all of its highs and lows.

Keep in mind this was before Amber alerts and at a time when the FBI had nowhere near the technological resources it has in the present age to find missing/abducted children. Cross had access to scores of documents from numerous sources, and paints a vivid and frustrating picture of the efforts to locate this child.

Readers should be advised that this is a tough read--too tough in parts for this father of two daughters (ages 12 and 8 when Polly was kidnapped) and grandfather of three girls now. It hits you hard to experience the grief and loss and uncertainty that Polly's parents, extended family, friends and community went through during this time.

If you are interested in true crime and can stomach the worst parts this is a very well written book. I give it 4.5 stars, rounded down to four, only because to me some of the procedural details are just overwhelming and bogs things down. The book is nearly two-thirds complete before Polly's body was found.

Fascinating, riveting, compelling, heartbreaking, infuriating. I could not put this down. If you are a true crime junkie and obsessed with Forensic Files like me, I highly recommend checking this out! Though it was tough to read, it was well-researched and brilliantly paced.

I couldn't put this book down. In Light of All Darkness is both a fascinating and tough read. Kim Cross had unique access to many of the main players involved in the story - her father-in-law Eddie Freyer was the FBI case agent in charge of the Polly Klaas investigation. She weaved the story together methodically and thoroughly, relying on material from so many sources the notes themselves are forty pages long. 

Polly's kidnapping occurred in rural Petaluma, a quiet little town north of San Francisco. The subsequent investigation took place all over Sonoma County, a beautiful area known for its wine, oak trees, rolling hills. Living in the Bay Area at the time, I remember this news as being truly shocking. The whole Bay Area was in fear and changed overnight - nobody left doors open after that kidnapping. 

Cross tells the story of Polly Klaas in a comprehensive fashion for the first time, despite being a case that captured the world's attention and literally changed the way the FBI (and other law enforcement agencies) conducts business. This book focuses on the 65 days in 1993 the team spent investigating tips and leads after the abduction, the 1996 trial and the far reaching legacy of the case.

That legacy includes the three strikes law, coordination between law enforcement agencies, nascent technology and techniques used in the case that became standard practice, kidnapping protocols, volunteer vetting and coordination, the list is long. And Cross does address the elephant in the room, Missing White Women Syndrome. "Every life cut short has a story that matters, every victim deserves their own book". The point of this book was to highlight how Polly's investigation "has served as a valuable case study for three decades. Its insights have trained investigators in all disciplines...Because of what was learned from the Polly Klaas case, many missing kids have been found". 

My thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central for the ARC.

In Light of All Darkness offers a clear-eyed analysis of the heroic, unprecedented, and at the times quite novel investigative efforts that went into the search for kidnapped Polly Klaas in the mid-1990s in Northern California. While we may take certain things for granted in modern policing, such as the necessary care taken with child witnesses to a crime, or the need to do background checks on volunteers, back then these were areas still being sorted and understood. As someone old enough to remember this horrible tragedy and other similarly devastating crimes against children in the 1990s, I appreciated Cross' desire to put together all the material in one very compelling narrative and honour Polly in this way - by recognizing that although her outcome was entirely not the one hoped for, the efforts to save her have improved the ways police approach which in turn has resulted in better outcomes for others. Thank you to NetGalley and Grande Central Publishing for this ARC.

I honestly don’t read too much true crime because I have a tendency to obsess over the perceived dangers, but I have been hearing such good things about this book. It is a really, really well done book about the Polly Klaas kidnapping in 1993. I am just a couple of year older than what Polly would have been, but I don’t really remember hearing about it so this was all new information to me. The author did a fantastic job going through all the available resources. This is not an easy read and as a mother, this did hit very hard. I have found myself triple checking locks and analyzing unfamiliar people walking around the neighborhood. I definitely recommend this, though, as long as you are prepared for the material. I received a digital ARC of this book through NetGalley.

I was only a few years older than Polly Klass when she was abducted from her home and murdered. I remember her beautiful face flashing across new station after news station. I remember reading about her in People Magazine and I remember the fear of the same thing or something similar happening to me and/or my friends.

Kim Cross has done her research. This is quite possibly the most well written True Crime novel I have read. Cross tackles sensitive subjects with finesse . She details the day of the kidnapping, the days that followed and the trial. Cross focuses on Polly. A constant reminder that Polly was a real person with friends and family.

There are a few passages that are difficult to read due to the details of the crime. The kidnapping and murder of Polly changed the way the FBI investigates crimes. Cross was able to get investigators and others who have never spoken out before about Polly to contribute to her research making this book all that more personal.

This is hands down the best true crime book I've ever read. Kim Cross approached this work with tremendous empathy and understanding while still offering clear-eyed facts and analysis about this terrible case. In every chapter, her journalistic skills are on display along with her respect for the community and families affected. The genre is often afflicted with poor writing and fluff to inflate page count but that is not the case here. The writing flows beautifully, the editing is impressive, and the research involved is breathtaking.

I grew up in Sonoma County and was the same age as Polly when she was kidnapped in the town over. Much of this book shook loose some memories for me and provided a lot of context for what our community was going through at the time. I can breathe a sigh of relief that "In Light of All Darkness" honors Polly Klaas, her loved ones, and all who were affected.

If you're looking for an engrossing true crime read, this is a great choice! It's fast paced and reminded me of a well-crafted procedural show. The details about the investigation into Polly Klaas's kidnapping are unparalleled. That does make it a bit overwhelming to read at times. I found myself having to put the book down occassionally to allow my brain to reset. However, since I was a child when Polly was kidnapped and remember seeing news coverage, it was a book that I was interested in, so I kept going with gusto. It's an amazing book for those who enjoy true crime and are interested in how these cases get solved.

3.5 This book encapsulates binaries (the best and most brutal) of humanity. Polly Klass’s murder is straight out of every young girl’s nightmares. Just as equally, the many people who worked to solve it are good guys in the truest sense. This is an exhaustive account of what goes into an investigation of child abduction. I’m just gobsmacked by the hard work and dedication of so many. Some readers may skim parts they find less interesting. However, parts of this are riveting enough to keep me up well past bedtime.

A digital copy of this book was provided to me by NetGalley and Central Grand Publishing. The opinions are my own and freely given.

This is a very informative book. Not only does us give us the story of Polly Klaas and when really happened to her, but it tells us the story of how the killer was caught. There were so many people involved in helping to bring Polly home from local police to FBI to volunteers that worked around the clock. This book explained so much is what the crime labs do to bring the killer to justice. From fingerprinting to Evidence Response Teams, to SWAT Teams, forensic artists and polygraphers. Tells how this story made it to America's Most Wanted, and Polly became the girl across the nation that everyone wanted to find. I recommend this book.

review is available on all sites listed below and will be posted to Instagram on @kuhlreads on 9/26/23.

I was 15 when this happened, only 3 years older than Polly Klaas. I have never heard some of the material supplied in this book and it was a very sad, eye-opening read. No one will ever understand why there is so much evil in this world. Polly's parents have made huge changes in the realm of missing children and law enforcement approach to disappearances. Polly will never be forgotten.

The story of the abduction of and search f0r Polly Klaas. In the early 90s, Polly was abducted from her home in Petaluma, California. Quickly, many search efforts popped up. Ultimately, it wasn't until Polly's killer was caught that her body was found.

I thought overall this was a good true crime book. It does focus a lot on the search efforts, more so than other true crime books I've read. If you are more about the forensics, then this one might not be for you. However, I think it does a pretty good job of covering the police investigation too.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was masterful. I was 8 years old when Polly Klaas was kidnapped, so I didn't recall the national news cycle or details of the case. Possibly the best true crime book I have ever read. As someone who enjoys watching, reading, and listening to all things true crime related, this one really made an impact. The author, Cross, masterfully crafted the book. It felt easy-to-digest and understand, without having inherent bias. It chronicled so many pivotal facts in the history of the FBI, and read more like a thriller than anything else. The pacing was excellent. I can't wait to read whatever the author writes next.

I am the same age as Polly, but I have always lived in the Midwest. I do not remember this case, so I was amazed when they kept describing how big the case was across the country. I remember other events around this time that were mentioned in the book, but not Polly, which makes me wonder if I was being sheltered from these news stories?!?

The book was an amazing true crime book which was easy to read and included many details to explain terminology as well as what the FBI and local PD were doing. I liked that because I was not familiar with the case the ending was not given away, it kept me coming back to the book whenever I could to figure out if they ever caught who did this! If you are a fan of true crime you will enjoy the real life twists and turns in this case.

The only downside I found was a few times I felt like the book was a bit to repetitive, continuing to hash over details previously already spoken too. But it was not enough for me to lose interest.

"𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑮𝒊𝒓𝒍 𝑾𝒉𝒐 𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑾𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅" - 𝑴𝒂𝒓𝒄 𝑲𝒍𝒂𝒂𝒔, 𝒇𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒇 𝑷𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝑲𝒍𝒂𝒂𝒔

"In Light of All Darkness" by Kim Cross is a true crime book about a little girl who was kidnapped at knifepoint, right in her own American home in the year 1993.

Kim Cross took a very disturbing case and laid it out from beginning to end. This story is raw and emotional. It is also unbiased and shows the inner workings and behind-the-scenes of a kidnapping and the search for a missing child. The amount of research and time placed into writing this book is clear with its long bibliography and extensive notes list.

One thing I was impressed with was how the author focused on the improvements and scientific discoveries that were made as a result of this one horrific crime. A lot of advancements came out of this case that improved the inner workings of how kidnappings are handled by local and federal law enforcement.

This book would have earned a full five-star rating from me if there wasn't as much background information about certain subjects. For example, when the ◾◾◾◾ (word blanked out for spoiler reasons) team was brought up, a side story began with the author detailing the history and creation surrounding the ◾◾◾◾ (word blanked out for spoiler reasons) team. I would have preferred that information to be kept in the back of the book in the notes section, which I feel would have been more appropriate to find if I needed that information.

Overall, I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in true crime that is more focused on the science and inner workings and less on the criminal mind and behavior. "In Light of All Darkness" by Kim Cross will be widely available on October 3rd, 2023.

Thank you, Grand Central Publishing, for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

In Light of All Darkness is a phenomenal true crime story that feels like I’ll Be Gone In The Dark!

Kim Cross writes one of the best true crime books I have read with In Light of All Darkness and I am very excited to see what comes from this author in the future!