And you thought first contact was terrifying.

From New York Times best-selling author Ken Goddard comes a terrifying thriller that dares to pursue the truth behind a series of bizarre occurrences - and a murderer whose identity even the authorities will kill to keep concealed.

A man of reason and science, Colin Cellars has earned a reputation as a top crime scene investigator. But Cellars finds himself disgraced after a bizarre episode that led to a horrifying shoot-out right in front of his eyes. What Cellars thinks he knows about the victim’s identity - and her death - has plunged him into a deadly search for a killer who may or may not be of this world.

Meanwhile, as Cellars investigates a case involving dozens of missing victims, he realizes that the three people he trusts most each hold a piece to the puzzle - and that they have their own ideas about what to do with the information. Soon Cellars finds himself on a chilling and unforgettable voyage, one that leads through tunnels of violence and intrigue and out into the unknown.

Ken Goddard is the author of the New York Times best seller Balefire, as well as 10 other novels. He has served as a criminalist in California and as an instructor in crime-scene investigation and forensic techniques at law enforcement academies throughout the United States, as well as for Interpol. He is director of the National Fish and Wildlife Forensics Laboratory.