Hannah Ives is a cancer survivor and a grandmother of three: Chloe, Jake, and Timmy. She is delighted with the fact that her daughter and son-in-law, Emily and Dante Shemansky, have moved to Maryland to open up a spa, Dante's Paradiso. Now she can see her grandchildren anytime she wants plus take advantage of the spa's amenities such as massages and facials. However, the opening of the spa is overshadowed by Timmy's disappearance from the spa's nursery. After Timmy disappears, Hannah recalls that Dante made a comment about the need for a publicity stunt to bring in more business. Would her son-in-law purposely have his child kidnapped to bring publicity to his business?

The local police call in the FBI, who sets up their base of operations in the Shemansky household. The family holds press conferences and puts up posters, but when no ransom is demanded, the FBI believes that the person who took Timmy intends to keep him as their child. Since the FBI has few leads to pursue, Hannah decides to do some investigating of her own. With the help of friends, Hannah embarks on a journey that takes her into a world she would rather not know about, a world that may be threatening the marriage of her best friend. Will she be able to find something that the FBI didn't?

As the author of five previous Hannah Ives mysteries, Marcia Talley definitely knows what it takes to write mystery. She has succeeded once again with THROUGH THE DARKNESS. Her main character is strong and has a go for it attitude with no thought to the consequences to herself. The supporting characters all add to the story, and help perpetuate Hannah's drive. THROUGH THE DARKNESS is a great read that leads you into the disturbing world of child predators.