White Male Infant
By Barbara D'Amato
Forge - June, 2002
ISBN 0 76530024 9 - Hardcover
Thriller

Reviewed by Dennis Collins, Myshelf.com
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Barbara D'amato dives into extremely sensitive territory with this thriller about childless couples, orphans, adoption agencies, and murder.

When a couple adopts a child, they would hope that it will be one of the happiest days of their lives. But what if the child they have just brought into their home to complete their family turns out not to be an orphan at all but a kidnap victim, chosen to meet the guidelines on a wish list that they filled out at the adoption agency?

Dooley McSweeny and his wife, Claudia, face that very possibility. They have been loving and caring parents to adoptive son, Teddy, for four years, but now doubts begin to surface. The more questions that Dooley asks, the darker the picture becomes. What seemed like a dream come true begins to take on the frightening and ugly tone of his worst nightmare. Dooley is not the only one looking into the goings-on across the ocean. When an American television journalist gets too close to the truth about these adoptions, people start getting murdered.

The story travels from New York to Moscow, where Teddy was adopted, dealing with international adoptions and their complexities. D'Amato doesn't try to hide from the prospect of catastrophic consequences but rather meets the challenge head on in all its brutality. It is not an easy story to tell because, no matter how it ends, the results will mean tragedy for somebody. And the most likely victim will be a helpless child.

White Male Infant is a masterfully presented account of a most delicate subject. It's a great book, but be prepared for fierce reality.