Jonathan sneaks out early in the morning for a secret meeting with his father at a doughnut shop at 8 A.M. Jonathan leaves the house early and stops by a neighbor who tells him that the chosen doughnut shop is closed and he will have to meet his father in the street.

When Patrick fails to show at the doughnut shop, Lawrence pretends to be a friend of Jonathan's father and lures him off to the zoo, then on to an apartment that doubles as a film studio for child pornography movies.

Patrick, Martha, the neighbors, and investigating detective Sergeant Mooney all work together to hunt for the little boy.

Kirkus Reviews wrote that Bump in the Night was "swift-paced, convincing, and absorbing--a small gem of suspense.

"[1] In 1991, Bump in the Night was adapted into a made-for-television film starring Christopher Reeve, Meredith Baxter-Birney, and Corey Carrier.