Inspector Smart and the Case of the Empty Tomb

The Most Puzzling Case Inspector Smart Has Ever Faced

Inspector Smart had seen some tricky cases in his time. But this one was really something.

Jesus had been killed. His body had been placed in a cave. Everyone agreed on that. There was a huge stone across the entrance and armed guards posted outside. The scene was secure. The case was closed.

And then — the body was missing.

Inspector Smart and the Case of the Empty Tomb is a joyful, fun, and genuinely gospel-rich storybook for children aged 4–7 that takes one of the most important events in human history and presents it through the irresistible device of a detective investigation. Michael J. Tinker is the creator of the Inspector Smart series — and in this full-colour illustrated adventure, he brings the evidence of the resurrection to life for the very youngest readers in a way that is engaging, accessible, and thoroughly faithful to the biblical account. The Good Book Company

A Detective Story With the Most Important Answer in the World

Every child loves a mystery. And the mystery of the empty tomb is the greatest mystery in history — one that has confounded sceptics, transformed lives, and stood at the centre of the Christian faith for two thousand years.

Tinker's inspired approach is to let children experience the mystery as exactly that: a case to be investigated, evidence to be examined, and a conclusion to be reached. Inspector Smart climbs into his super-duper police chariot and sets out to find the answer. The stone was there. The guards were there. The body was not. So where did it go?

As the investigation unfolds, children discover the evidence that the early disciples discovered — the empty tomb, the grave clothes, the eyewitness accounts, the appearances of the risen Jesus — and they are invited to reach the conclusion that the evidence points to: Jesus is alive.

This is apologetics for four-year-olds — and it works beautifully.

A Perfect Easter Resource for Families and Churches

The Inspector Smart series includes a full-colour illustrated storybook for 4–7s that children can either read themselves or have read to them by parents — making it an ideal Easter resource for both family use and church settings. Its detective framing makes it genuinely engaging for young children — far more so than a straightforward retelling of the resurrection narrative — and its consistent pointing to the evidence means that children come away not just having heard a story but having encountered the case for the resurrection in an age-appropriate and memorable way. The Good Book Company

It is also a resource that lends itself naturally to the questions children ask after hearing it — But why did the guards let someone take the body? Why would the disciples make it up if Jesus was dead? Could Jesus really have come back to life? — and the storybook's detective framework gives parents and church workers a natural way of engaging those questions together with the children they are reading to.

What This Book Covers

• The death of Jesus — clearly and accessibly explained for young children
• The sealed tomb — the stone, the guards, and the apparently unsolvable mystery
• Inspector Smart's investigation — examining the evidence in his super-duper police chariot
• The clues that point to the resurrection — the empty tomb, the grave clothes, the witnesses
• The conclusion the evidence leads to: Jesus is alive
• The invitation for young readers to consider the evidence and respond

What Children Will Discover

• That Jesus really died — the resurrection is not a magic trick but a real event with real historical grounding
• That the tomb was genuinely empty — and that the various explanations for why don't hold up
• That there were real eyewitnesses who saw the risen Jesus — and that their testimony is the foundation of the Christian faith
• That Jesus being alive changes everything — for Inspector Smart and for every child who encounters the story
• A love for the Easter story nurtured through an imaginative, fun, and genuinely engaging detective adventure
• The beginning of an understanding that Christian faith is not blind belief but a response to real evidence

Who Should Read This Book

• Parents of children aged 4–7 wanting a fun, engaging, and gospel-centred Easter storybook
• Sunday school and children's ministry leaders wanting a fresh, distinctive Easter resource for their youngest children
• Churches in India wanting a quality Easter resource that makes the resurrection genuinely engaging for young children
• Grandparents and family members looking for a meaningful and fun Easter gift for a young child
• Children's workers wanting a resource that naturally generates conversation about the evidence for the resurrection
• Anyone wanting an Easter book for young children that goes beyond the egg hunts and the chocolate to the event at the heart of Easter

About the Author

Michael J. Tinker is a professional folk musician, author, and creator of the Inspector Smart series. His distinctive combination of musical creativity, storytelling gift, and genuine evangelical conviction has produced one of the most imaginative and accessible children's Easter resources available — a series that takes the evidence of the resurrection seriously while presenting it in a format that young children find genuinely irresistible. The Good Book Company

About the Inspector Smart Series

The Inspector Smart series includes the full-colour illustrated storybook for 4–7s and a chapter book — Inspector Smart and the Case of the Empty Tomb: Case File — written by Tim Chester for 8–11 year olds. Together they make the Inspector Smart series one of the most complete Easter resources available for children across a wide age range — the picture storybook for young children, and the chapter book for older primary children who can engage with a fuller treatment of the evidence. Both are published by The Good Book Company. The Good Book Company