Read by Stephen Thorne

Robinson may be one of the most underrated writers of British mysteries today. His hero, Detective
Chief Inspector Alan Banks, is a thoughtful, intelligent, humane cop who often doubts his ability
to cope successfully with the demands of career, marriage, and parenthood. Robinson's descriptions
of police procedures are thorough and knowledgeable, and he paints a lively, vivid picture of rural
Yorkshire. Best of all, in each successive book, Robinson shows real growth in the complexity of
his characters, in his creative, thought-provoking plots, and in the philosophical battles Banks
wages in dealing with crime both petty and vicious. Here Banks is investigating the kidnapping of
seven-year-old Gemma Scupham, who has been taken from her neglectful mum by two people posing as
social workers. It's as if the child had disappeared from the face of the earth; but despite the
lack of clues and the daunting possibility that Gemma is already dead, Banks pokes and prods,
questions and probes, until the pieces start to fall together and he finds himself confronting one
of the most ruthless villains he has encountered in his entire career. Provocative, mesmerizing,
and memorable, this chilling story is a must for mystery collections of every size.

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