Starring Ben Mendelsohn, the series focuses on the tragic case of an 11-year-old boy who was raped, killed and dismembered. The seemingly straightforward case raises doubts and supernatural forces: In the small town of Flint, Oklahoma, Detective Ralph Anderson arrested Terry Maitland, a popular teacher and Little League coach, in front of a crowd, accusing him of raping, killing and dismembering a boy. Maitland insisted that he was innocent, but Anderson had witnesses and solid evidence (DNA and fingerprints) to prove his guilt. The district attorney told Anderson to break Maitland's alibi and turn what would have been a protracted court battle into a straightforward case with a clear plot. Anderson unexpectedly discovered that not only did multiple eyewitnesses claim that Maitland was not in town when the murder occurred, but security footage also confirmed this. With the help of private detective Holly Gibney (a character in King's other novel Mr. Mercedes), Anderson began to investigate the case in depth. The clues led the two to Marysville, Texas, and they were assisted by Mexican police officer Yune Sablo and Lovie Ann Bolton, a white woman living in a small town dominated by Latinos. They found that they were facing the threat of a real monster... The first half of the novel is about police investigation, and the horror and supernatural elements in the second half are intensified.