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Content snapshot
Flag an inaccuracy →What's in this book, at a glance — five things readers want to know before they start.
Violence
Some
Child abduction; the murder of the child's mother; investigation
Language
Some
Moderate language
Sexual Content
Barely any
Mild; adult relationships
Substance Use
Some
Moderate; the mother's substance problems are part of the context
Emotional Intensity
Very heavy
Very strong; a child taken through institutional impersonation; the system's failure as the crime's enabler; Banks's particular outrage at crimes against children
What this book is about
An Inspector Banks mystery: a young girl is taken from her mother by a man and woman who produce social services credentials. Days later, her mother is found dead. Banks investigates both crimes. Robinson uses the child welfare system as a setting with moral complexity — the mother wasn't a good mother, the system failed the child, and the killer exploited the failure.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
Child abduction
Child welfare system failure
Reader Verification
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