The Thief in the Night is a serial killer whom seventeen-year-old Nina Barrows can see in her nightmares. Her dreams give her insights into how the Thief operates, and, more importantly, where he hides his victims' bodies--an abandoned mine in the New Mexico desert. When Nina sees a way to confront the sociopath, she convinces her longtime friend Warren to go on a road trip from Vermont to New Mexico. However, when they arrive, the man Nina suspects is nothing like her dreams. As Nina struggles to discern if the killer is all in her mind, she learns secrets about her past that push her to uncover the truth before another victim surfaces.