The premise of this book is simple and heart-gripping: pretty much, what would you do if you saw your adopted kid's picture on a milk carton?

Well, I hope I wouldn't handle it the way Scottoline's protagonist, Ellen, did in this book. I found her actions unrealistic and contrived. (What single parent, already facing possible job loss, takes time off from work and jets down to Miami to stalk and snag DNA from possible birth parents?) Scottoline painted Ellen with enough skill that her actions were aggravating, but not so much skill that I really bought into the story. And the whole romantic melodrama with her editor was asinine.

There are some good issues brought out in this book. It deals with the nature of parenthood in general, adoption in particular. (What is a parent?) It deals with parental rights, and how adoption law isn't always written in the best interests of a child's mental health. It deals with the fact that parents seeking to adopt are carefully screened to see if they are "worthy" -- but those giving up kids for adoption are barely screened at all, even to the point of making sure that the child they give up is really theirs to give.

This story raises significant questions, but ultimately fails to face the hard realities. (The ending is absolutely not to be believed -- way too neat and tied up in a bow.)

I really did not enjoy this book, and only read it because of a discussion group I'm in. ( )

Reporter Ellen Gleeson is raising her adopted son, Will, by herself. One day she sees a flier, "Have you seen this child?" Something makes her look again. The photo looks amazingly like Will. How could that be?

Being a reporter, she investigates. She researches the family looking for the child and finds Carol Braverman, who is looking for her son, Timothy.

Somewhat concerned, Ellen checks out the adoption records and everything seems in order. Just to be sure, she calls the attorney who handled the adoption. She finds that the attorney is dead, suicide.

With increased anxiety, she looks at the adoption form and checks with the family of the birth mother, Amy Martin. She also goes to Florida and manages to get Carol Braverman's DNA by following her to a bar and picking up a cigarette Carol had been smoking.

At the home of Amy Martin, she finds a photo of a man, Ellen begins referring to as, the Beach Boy. Amy's mother is surprised that Ellen says that Amy was the mother of the child she adopted. She didn't think that Amy could have children. Shortly after the visit, Amy is found dead. Her friend, Melanie thinks that Amy may have taken tainted drugs. She also tells Ellen that Amy had been dating a guy named Rob Moore who used to smack her around. This was four years ago, just at the time the adoption process was underway.

Now Ellen believes that this Rob Moore was involved in the adoption. She realizes that Will myst be Carol Braverman's son, Tim, and Rob is now eliminating anyone involved in the adoption. Can she stop him before he gets to her and to Will? Must she give up the thing that she loves the most, her son, Will?

A well done, fast moving drama.This would be perfect for the screen and I would look forward to seeing Ellen portrayed by Nicole Kidman or Renee Zellwiger. The author's description of Ellen is so well done, that it feels like Lisa Scottoline actually knew this ficticious person.

Great suspense, constant action, heartaches and drama. ( )

A fast-paced story about a child adoption gone wrong. A young woman reporter investigates circumstances surrounding her son's adoption. She becomes suspicious due to a photograph she happens upon. Murder, sleuthing, and a romantic interest made this a very un-put-downable book for me. ( )

From Booklist
Ellen Gleeson was balancing life as a single mother and a feature reporter as well as could be expected. She had taken on single parenthood voluntarily, having fallen in love with her adopted son, Will, now three, when he was a very sick infant. A have-you-seen-this-child postcard featuring a child who could be Will’s twin catches Ellen’s attention, and while she should be pursuing her assigned story about the emotional effect of Philadelphia’s high teenage murder rate, she instead becomes obsessed with the missing child and with pursuing more details about Will’s background. Her questions multiply when she learns that, just three weeks after she adopted Will, the attorney who handled the proceedings killed herself. Where is the birth mother, and why doesn’t her family seem to know that she was pregnant? The answer only leads to danger, but Ellen, her reporter’s instincts on high alert, is hell-bent on finding the truth, no matter the cost. In a departure from her wildly popular Rosato & Associates series, Scottoline still sticks to what she knows in this taut stand-alone: female drama, family ties, legal intrigue, and fast-paced action. A sure-fire winner. ( )

Ellen adopts Will, sees his picture on a kidnapped post card, investigates and realizes his was kidnapped. His birth mother was in on it.