An old case has come back to haunt Det. Francis Loughlin. Twenty years ago, he got a confession from a 17-year-old boy, Julian Vega. Now Loughlin is facing another nasty murder of a doctor and since Vega's out of jail, he's immediately a suspect.

But the case goes strange, with blood lifted from under the latest victim's fingernails matching the victim in the very first murder case. Is it possible for a case to get any more screwed up?

Loughlin finds himself questioning his entire career -- knowing that solving that case 20 years before set up him for a lifetime of success. Did he push an innocent young boy into confessing? Loughlin tracks down old witnesses, trying to find the truth in this convoluted case.

Blauner brings us a suspenseful novel with a lot of depth. The looks into Vega's thoughts are disturbing -- the insight of what prison did to the innocent 17-year-old boy that he was is sad and troublesome. All the behind-the-scene politics, as in all the cop books you read, bring their own disquiet to the novel. I certainly recommend SLIPPING INTO DARKNESS for those who enjoy dark, moody dramas.