Part of Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte, book 17
First published 1998
Four infant boys have disappeared from the small town of Mitford, New South Wales. All were under three months old. All had mothers who seemed to care little for them. The local police investigated but found nothing. The case went cold. Then a fifth baby vanishes. This time the mother lies dead beside the empty cot. Inspector Bonaparte arrives to hunt for the missing children. The murder investigation must wait. Bonaparte faces a puzzle with few clues and a trail grown stale. Someone in Mitford knows what happened to these babies. The inspector must uncover secrets the town has kept buried. Lives hang in the balance as Bonaparte races against time to find the children and expose a killer who will stop at nothing to protect their crimes.
Genres: mystery, crime, thriller, detective
Vibes: dark, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: investigation, race-against-time
Setting: Mitford, New South Wales
Period: 20th-century
Paperback · Bolinda Press
Content warnings: child-death, murder