Ken Stichter

It is 1966 in the Sierra Nevada backcountry. Allison Connors has been waiting years to carry out her plan. As darkness falls and a drunken beast emerges from their tent to relieve himself, Allison pushes him over a riverbank, hurls a rock at his head, and shoves him into the water. Although her father is finally dead, her vengeful journey has just begun. Thirty-three years later, the discovery of Cindy Ashaes remains in an Orange County high school time capsule heats up a decades-old cold case. After sheriffs department investigator Van Vanarsdale is assigned the case, he begins to unravel the mysterious 1972 disappearance of Cindy and her high school prom date. While following a twisting set of leads, Van soon discovers that Cindys death has something in common with several backpackers who disappeared during the 1960s and 1970s along Californias John Muir Trail. After enlisting help from psychology experts and two old backpackers, Van is led down a trail of madness straight to a suspect with a brilliant yet twisted mind. In this gripping mystery, a tenacious Orange County investigator assigned to a cold case must use unconventional methods to find a ruthless killer.