The mutilated body of a young woman. The town doctor lying comatose in the road. A hundred and fifty tablets of Canadian OxyContin. This is the havoc that a merciless killer has wreaked on a sleepy Maine seaport.

As detectives Maggie Savage and Michael McCabe investigate, they realize the man they are after does not exist. Nobody knows his real name. Nobody has seen his face. But everybody fears his blade.

The only one who may know the murderer's true identity is an eleven-year-old girl—who has vanished into thin air.

Taut, twisting, and starring two unforgettable heroes, Darkness First will thrill fans of John Sandford and C. J. Box.

“A deplorable villain, tantalizing characters, and a hint of romance mix with the twists. What more could a reader ask for? One hopes that Hayman will continue this gripping series.” — Library Journal (starred review) on DARKNESS FIRST

The strength of his books are his characters. They feel like real people, not unlike the characters that Hayman created while working on Madison Avenue.” — Portland Press Herald on DARKNESS FIRST

“What makes this novel stand out from other mysteries is the strong character based story with many twists and turns.” — Blackfive.net on DARKNESS FIRST

Hayman is among Maine’s best mystery/thriller writers today. The subtly of his skill is so fine that he makes it seem effortless. — Portland Press Herald on DARKNESS FIRST

James Hayman is the New York Times bestselling author of the McCabe and Savage thrillers The Cutting, The Chill of Night, Darkness First, and The Girl in the Glass, which combined have sold more than half a million copies.