"1939. In the small, rural community of Augusta Falls, Georgia, twelve-year-old Joseph Vaughan learns of the brutal assault and murder of a young girl, a classmate he knew better than anyone in his class, a girl he quietly loved. The murder is the first in a series of killings that will plague the community over the next decade. Compelled by fear and duty, Joseph gathers a group of friends to form 'The Guardians,' who vow to watch over the young girls...

Camden, NJ, 1948. When 11 year-old Sally Horner steals a notebook from the local Woolworth's, she has no way of knowing that 52 year-old Frank LaSalle, fresh out of prison, is watching her, preparing to make his move. Accosting her outside the store, Frank convinces Sally that he's an FBI agent who can have her arrested in a minute, unless she does as he says. This chilling novel traces the next two harrowing years as Frank mentally and physically...