Obsession

The author of the book introduces the theme of obsession into the book by suggesting that the police department in Ada, Oklahoma was obsessed with finding someone to blame for the disappearance and probable death of Denice Haraway. Denice Haraway's disappearance was the second of this type to happen in the area, and the second incidence of violence against a young woman to take place in Ada in two years. Already reeling from the brutal murder of a young woman two years earlier, the police detective in charge of the Haraway disappearance, Dennis Smith, is determined to find the people responsible. Not only this, but the citizens of Ada are frightened by this latest crime and place a lot of pressure on the police department to do something about the situation.

The investigation into Denice Haraway's disappearance goes quickly from a search to a death investigation. The police...