"Some choose darkness, others are chosen by it."

It's 1979 and there's an auto-erotic serial killer on the loose. The Thief lives for the "rush" he gets from strangling his victims to death. He has managed to keep this part of him a secret from those closest to him... until now.

Forty years later, The Thief is up for parole. When his attorney dies unexpectedly the burden of his defense falls on Rory Moore, a silent/unofficial partner in her father's law firm who is also a forensic reconstructionist. Once involved in the case she quickly uncovers that her father had secrets, secrets he never wanted her to discover.

Although the story wasn't surprising, it was definitely dark and disturbing. I was fully engrossed by the main characters. I loved the two strong women who were the focus of the duel timelines - Rory and Angela. They were such complex characters. Donlea did an amazing job of developing them and writing about how autism has been viewed over time. It was so interesting to see how differently these women were treated over the span of 40 years.

This was my first Charlie Donlea book but it certainly won't be my last. I'm also hoping we get to see Rory in future books. She is definitely a character I would happily follow in a series. Special thanks to Charlie Donlea, Kensington Books and Netgalley for an arc of this book to read and review.