Kate McDonald is a social worker working at a L.A. hospital; her husband, Paul, is a deputy district attorney. The perfect couple is ecstatic about their perfect eight-month-old son, Alex. But when the boy suffers one unexplained mishap after another -- rats in his crib, a case of swine flu, evidence of ligature marks -- the perfect couple is suspected of child abuse.

Kate is suffering from dizziness and blackouts; she receives frightening messages on her computer at work. Then Kate discovers Paul has been unfaithful to her. After she tells him she wants a divorce, he retaliates by questioning her sanity.

Just when it seems things can't get any worse, they do. Someone kidnaps Alex and Kate hits bottom; she loses her job and is literally out on the street. Two years later, Kate is a barely functioning human being; Paul has remarried and Kate's only reason for living is to find her son.

She turns to tough cop, Nick Cerovic, the man who was sent to investigate the McDonalds for abusing their child, for help with finding her baby. Looking for clues means digging into Kate's tragic past, which includes another failed marriage and another dead child.

Cradle and All is a psychological thriller that keeps piling on the tension until the very end. However, Kate is a little difficult to relate to, and her unwillingness to confront her past for Alex's sake is hard to understand.

Kate's story, including her tragic past, is compelling and emotionally draining yet it seems like the author believes the best reason for Kate to receive help is her good looks. Over and over again, readers are told how pretty she is and how men easily fall for her.

What I liked about this tale was the fast-paced plot, which includes enough suspenseful twists and surprises to keep readers turning the pages. I found that I was pulled along, sometimes against my will, into Kate's sea of troubles; a sea that makes the Atlantic or the Pacific seem like a mere puddle by comparison.

--Judith Flavell