Panic is the fourth book in the series Bloodlands. Instead of focusing on one story, it focuses on an overlying theme: the 1937 child murders that seemed to dominate the news.

The stories involved many young girls who were raped and murdered, not far from their own homes or the safety of family members. America was in the Great Depression, and everyone’s anxieties were high. Despite crimes like this being on the decline during the time, they dominated the news and scared parents nationwide that perverted sex criminals were roaming the streets in the thousands.

They scared some to the point of a father killing his 3 young daughters with a gun, just so they wouldn’t fall victim to one of these people.

This book explores a mix of unfounded fears, moral crusades, and the dangers of collective thinking.