2014. Winter is the coldest Crystal Lake has ever seen. This peaceful little town near Chicago seems frozen in time, but the snow and blizzard aren't the only culprits. For a month, four little girls have vanished. The residents are in shock. That morning, Joe Lasko is gearing up for yet another search in the frozen woods when a package is dropped in his bag. Inside lies a doll, a beautiful doll with long, red hair, just like his missing daughter, Lieserl.
2014. Winter is the coldest Crystal Lake has ever seen. This peaceful little town near Chicago seems frozen in time, but the snow and blizzard aren't the only culprits. For a month, four little girls have vanished. The residents are in shock. That morning, Joe Lasko is gearing up for yet another search in the frozen woods when a package is dropped in his bag. Inside lies a doll, a beautiful doll with long, red hair, just like his missing daughter, Lieserl. To make matters worse, the doll is dressed exactly as Lieserl was the day she disappeared. That February morning in 2014, all the girls' families will receive a doll… It's all too much for Joe. This young divorcee has no one left but Lieserl in his life. He decides to conduct his own investigation, aided by Eva Sportis, a private detective with whom he was secretly in love years earlier. Eva quickly realizes the case is beyond her control and calls on Hanah Baxter, her former college professor, the renowned and charismatic profiler, and her inseparable pendulum, for help. As the investigation unfolds, Hanah discovers that somewhere in Crystal Lake, someone has been preying on children for a very long time. Are they being held prisoner? Are they still alive? A repeat offender seems like the obvious culprit, yet Hanah, Eva, and Joe are convinced the police have the wrong person. Set against a breathtaking backdrop of cold and ice, Sonja Delzongle masterfully crafts a gripping story whose twists and turns, rooted in the past, lead us inexorably to a terrifying finale.
