Taken in Contempt

Imagine the shock of returning home from work to discover your partner has left you and taken your child or children. On 11 March 1999 it happened to Robin Bowles' son - his own son illegally taken to France by the French-born mother. "Taken in Contempt" is the extraordinary account, not just of Robin's family, but the stories of other parents of abducted children. It is full of heartbreak, danger and adventure.

Left-behind parents, abducting parents and some of the children themselves have contributed to the book; so have the bureaucrats who have to implement the tough decisions, and the retrievers - men who risk all for someone else's children. Seamlessly woven together, and fearlessly exploring every side of this complex moral issue, "Taken in Contempt" is moving, fascinating and utterly compelling.