The Nightmare

About the Book

A brutal murderer commits his crime and then seemingly disappears from the scene, leaving no evidence. The first victim is found with an arm ripped off and skull crushed. Then a second murder with the same M.O., and this second victim prompts the police Commissioner to put together an elite team to hunt what appears to be a serial killer. Detectives Peter Legler and Margo Freed are put on the case due to their psychological profiles. The Commissioner feels they will stop at nothing to catch the killer, and he’s right, A third victim puts the media in a stir and earns the killer the nickname “Bigfoot.” In fact, according to the coroner, their guy is at least eight-feet tall with enormous strength. Legler and Freed find a likely suspect in Morbius: an average-sized man who hated all the victims, but who has an airtight alibi. At the time of all three attacks, he was asleep, having nightmares. Freed develops an odd theory: what if Morbius is like a modern day Jekyll and Hyde? When he sleeps, Bigfoot wakes? Of course, her colleagues don’t believe her, but Legler worries as an invisible killer creeps closer, seeking his next victim.

About the Author

Michael Hailparn is a professor of philosophy at William Paterson University. He has published numerous articles about philosophy and psychotherapy, and he often incorporates these themes into writing detective novels. His creative framework follows the “Golden Age of Detective Fiction”: stories of excitement, suspense, and danger.