"The Santa Slayer" is a gripping, high-stakes crime thriller novel that plunges Detective Izzy back into the nightmare she thought she had put to rest. When the notorious serial killer known as the "Santa Slayer"-a man obsessed with theatrical staging and narrative control-orchestrates a daring escape, he sends a chilling text message that shatters Izzy's fragile peace: "The heart of the story always beats strongest at home." The chase accelerates from a professional pursuit to a desperate, intimate conflict when the killer breaks into Izzy's apartment. He doesn't just vandalize; he curated the scene. He steals a meaningful silver bell given to Izzy by a previous, reformed criminal, a symbol of hope and peace she clung to. In its place, he leaves a single, simple, red glass heart-his own mother's calling card, a potent emblem of loss and vengeance.The killer has a finale in mind, a "last testimony" designed to close the loop on his tragic origins at a condemned orphanage, St. Jude's. Izzy and her partner Alex race against time to stop a meticulously planned act of self-destruction and murder.The Santa Slayer is a propulsive journey into the mind of a meticulous psychopath and the detective determined to break his cycle of violence. It asks what happens when a story's protagonist refuses to play her assigned role in the villain's final act. Can hope survive when the war is brought directly to your doorstep?