Excerpt from The Stolen Child by Keith Donohue, plus links to reviews, author biography & more

"Help me with your sisters, would you, Henry?"

I picked up the nearest girl and announced very pointedly to my new mother, "I’ll take Elizabeth." She was as heavy as a badger. It is a curious feeling to hold an infant one is not planning to steal; the very young convey a pleasant softness.

The girls’ mother stopped and stared at me, and for a beat, she looked puzzled and uncertain. "How did you know that was Elizabeth? You’ve never been able to tell them apart."

"That’s easy, Mom. Elizabeth has two dimples when she smiles and her name’s longer, and Mary has just one."

"Aren’t you the clever one?" She picked up Mary and headed off downstairs.

Excerpted from The Stolen Child by Keith Donohue, Copyright © 2006 by Keith Donohue. Excerpted by permission of Nan A. Talese, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.