Adoption Books: Mysteries with Adoption Themes

Editor's Picks

While many true adoption stories are mysteries in and of themselves, these works of fiction incorporate adoption in their themes in different ways, and make great gifts for mystery fans whether they happen to have a family connection to adoption or not. Listed alphabetically.

1) China Run
What would you do if, in the final stages of adopting from China, with your child in your arms, you were asked to return your child? One parent decides to make a run for it, and a chase through China, murder, and mayhem ensue. Author David Ball takes a hefty swipe at adoption in this great read.

2) McNally’s Chance
Super sleuth Archy McNally is on the trail again. The story of a child placed for adoption, adopted by her biological mother, and a missing birth father, takes twists and turns through blackmail, paternity claims, and murder. By Lawrence Sanders and Vincent Lardo.

3) Mother’s Day
Master mystery writer Patricia J. MacDonald takes on adoption with this tale of murder and family issues. A small town is thrown into chaos when the birthmother of Karen and Greg Newhall’s daughter turns up murdered... and of course, the Newhalls are the primary suspects.

4) Sins of Silence
Adoptive parent Kellie Montgomery turns supersleuth when the attorney who handled her adoption and his wife are murdered. Set in the Pacific Northwest, author (and adoptive parent) Valerie Wilcox brings her knowledge of sailing and her experience with adoption and search to the telling of the tale. First in a series of three books.

5) The Truth About Marvin Kalish
Author Rabbi Martin Cohen’s book weaves adoption, the Jewish faith and traditions, family crises, and humor in this mystery that touches on the Holocaust, mysticism, and modern-day life in New York City.

6) White Male Infant
Barbara D’Amato’s thriller starts with what appears to be a legal adoption from Russia and turns into a tale of illegal baby selling, murder, and search for a child’s birth family. Keep kleenex at hand while you read this excellent - and all-too-scary - story.