I must admit that I have not read a Jacquelyn Mitchard book in years. Upon finishing THE GOOD SON, I can proudly say that I’m glad to be back. Mitchard has not lost her touch in a novel that deals with numerous real-world issues --- violence within a relationship, how society views accepting ex-cons back into their communities, and the secrets families may keep in order to protect each other when the unthinkable happens.

"Everything in this intense and complex character study is leading up to the expected 'aha!' moment, and it definitely will be worth the wait."

Thea Demetriou’s neighbor, Jill, is a widow who moved to the Midwest from North Carolina with her daughter, Belinda. Jill had been a semi-famous golf pro, and Belinda had instantly taken to Thea’s son, Stefan, first as friends and then later in high school as boyfriend and girlfriend. Thea and Jill used to talk at least weekly. That all stopped when Stefan and Belinda went off to college; one evening, in an alleged drug-fueled rage, he beat her to death with a golf club. Since he was 17, Stefan served only three years in prison and now lives with his parents in the house where he was raised.

A group of picketers show up outside their house every day, tireless and unrelenting in their belief that Stefan has not come close to paying for his crime. Jill has started a campaign, SAY (Stop Abuse Young), in honor of Belinda, who had claimed that Stefan physically and emotionally abused her throughout their relationship.

Meanwhile, Stefan is trying to move on with his life but is having no luck getting hired anywhere. He made a promise while incarcerated to launch his own charity; those who victimized others would make good on the damage they caused in some way, whether it be through service, replacement or labor. You’ll be looking for Stefan to twitch, to lose it at some point and show his real self. I will not give anything away here, but I will tell you that it is tough to root against him in his plight.

No one is looking for answers about that horrible night more than Thea. Because she will not put it to rest, she is suddenly contacted out of the blue by someone claiming to have knowledge of Belinda’s death. But since the college is in such a small town and the fatal incident took place years ago, it’s difficult for Thea to drum up any further details. Still, the strange messages continue --- as do the weird appearances of a person wearing a ski mask who drives her off the road during a snowstorm and pops up around her parked car on another occasion.

Everything in this intense and complex character study is leading up to the expected “aha!” moment, and it definitely will be worth the wait.