On January 21, 1986, newborn Pedro Braule Pinto was kidnapped from Santa Lúcia Hospital in Brasília. Maria Auxiliadora, better known as Lia, had only 12 hours to enjoy her status as a mother before the baby was taken from his biological family for nearly seventeen years. In EMPTY CRIB: THE PEDRINHO CASE, journalist Geraldo Tasso follows the plight of Pedrinho's family and their desperate search for information leading to the boy's whereabouts. Registered as Osvaldo Borges Júnior, the natural son of Vilma Martins and Osvaldo Borges, Pedrinho only learned the truth thanks to an anonymous tip to SOS Criança on November 8, 2002, and a subsequent DNA test. The adoptive mother's involvement in the case—suspicions about Vilma were ultimately confirmed—made this story a regular fixture in newspapers. The media was excited and followed with interest the reunion of mother and son, the boy's messages of support to his adoptive mother, and the suspicion of other crimes committed by Vilma. Much was told and retold, in a spectacle-like tone. Many untruths were published in the rush of news scoops. In EMPTY CRIB: THE PEDRINHO CASE, all of these are corrected. The book began to take shape in 1999, when Geraldo Tasso, moved by the efforts and protests of the biological family, proposed to Lia a way to revive media interest—and uncover some clue to the baby's whereabouts. Lia provided an immense amount of material: newspaper and magazine clippings, countless letters from all over the country, copies of court cases and police investigations totaling approximately 3,000 pages, and, most importantly, the letters, including short notes, that the mother wrote to her absent son. Geraldo recorded interviews, reviewed hypotheses, and reexamined the true roles of suspects. He also conducted a private investigation, including several trips during which he gathered important statements. The results can be found in *Empty Cradle: The Case of Pedrinho*, an exclusive account of the real parents' plight in their search for their lost son, featuring previously unpublished documents. Geraldo Tasso, a writer from São Paulo, lived for a long time in Brasília, where he served as a judge, retiring as a judge. A journalist, he is also a writer and has received numerous awards. *Ponta de faca* was chosen by the Rio de Janeiro State Department of Culture as the best short story collection of 1972, judged by the Brazilian Academy of Letters. Two years later, he published a satire on forensic malpractice under the pseudonym *Manual do Chicanista*. A true bestseller, it is still sought after and is the subject of countless law schools' thesis. He also won awards for his novel "Apito de Trem" (Train Whistle), followed by other historical short stories, collected in "A Estrada do Sal" (Salt Road). Two years ago, the Brazilian Magistrates' Association awarded him an honorable mention for his "A Guillotina Seca" (Dry Guillotine), a novel based on the real life of a judge, demonstrating his talent and skill in blending truth and imagination. He contributes to numerous newspapers and magazines, with chronicles and essays. He is regularly included in anthologies and dictionaries, such as that of the National Writers' Association. "The narrator must know how to interest the reader and make them feel the story's twists and turns. Tasso does this very well, with the qualities of his undeniable talent." Paulo Rónai "(Tasso) occasionally reminds us of Guimarães Rosa. All Brazilians have a kinship there." Dinah Silveira de Queiroz
