The Good Son - Jacquelyn Mitchard

Mystery/Fiction

Rating: 6.5/10

Can you imagine, as a parent, asking yourself if you are scared for your child, or of them?

Even as she picks up her son at the prison gates on the day of his release after serving a sentence for murdering his high school sweetheart, it’s still unimaginable to Thea that they ended up here.  As a mother who loves her son unconditionally, she is torn with balancing that love with her horror at his paltry sentence for the monstrous thing he had done. And angry that he dismantled her dreams for him.

If this book had focused on just being a character driven drama delving into some compelling and timely themes, it would have worked so much better.  Instead, the author layered in a mystery that hovered on the periphery, causing distraction rather than adding intrigue.  And the twist that spun off it was either ridiculous or boring, I still can’t decide which. Either way it served only to undercut an interesting plot.

Book Pairing(s): The Dilemma by B.A. Paris, Deep End Of The Ocean by Jacquelyn Mitchard, Spark Of Light by Jodi Picoult