In Karen Sandler’s moving Clean Burn, not only is an arsonist on the loose, but the ex-cop trying to find him is an arsonist, too. What differentiates Janelle Watkins from the common firebug is that she doesn’t burn down buildings, she burns herself. The former San Francisco detective is brought into the arson case—for obvious reasons she usually avoids them—when she is hired to find Enrique, a missing three-year-old. One missing child leads to another, then another, and Janelle discovers that fires were set in the vicinity of each abduction. While following the trail, she is haunted by the ghost of a child she once failed to save.

The climatic ending of Clean Burn is extraordinary, a true nail-biter. Although brilliantly written, the subject matter can make this an unsettling read. As if the plight of kidnapped children in the hands of a deranged arsonist isn’t enough, author Sandler serves up a scene of animal torture and the drowning death of still another child. But despite its grimness, seldom have I found a book more engrossing. Janelle is a deeply disturbed woman, incapable of fighting her own self-destructive tendencies, but at the same time, she is the epitome of self-sacrificing courage. Sandler leads us down dark paths we’d not normally tread, hoping against hope to find sunlight at the end. And yes, Sandler ultimately gives us that gift, but until then, the dark journey is terrifying.