The Tree of Hands by Ruth Rendell is a comparatively old book and I'm surprised I hadn't read it before (at least I can't remember it). A young mother, Benet, tragically loses her infant son, James. Her mother, the mentally ill "Mopsa" is visiting and "solves the problem" by kidnapping a similar child from a dysfunctional family. Benet resolves to return the boy but then discovers he has been abused and cannot bear to send him back to that. Things get complicated as the boyfriend of the boy's mother is suspected of murdering him. There are lots of twists to this story and lots of terrific characters and the reader is wondering till the end as to how the situation will be resolved satisfactorily. 4 1/2/5
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