The Good Son by Jacquelyn Mitchard

 “I was picking my son up at the prison gates when I spotted the mother of the girl he murdered.”

So begins The Good Son by Jacquelyn Mitchard. Thea Demetriou, a college professor, must help her son Stefan reintegrate into society after he served his time in prison for the manslaughter of Belinda McCormack, the girl he loved, while finding her own way to love and forgive him after such a heinous action. Stefan had never even had so much as a speeding ticket, had never been a rebellious teen, so how can she reconcile that with a young man who could murder his girlfriend?

One thing that softens the blow for his family is that Stefan was out of his mind on drugs that night he bashed in Belinda’s head. He does not remember one thing about this episode, but he was the only one with her, and the murder weapon is covered in his fingerprints. He took full responsibility for the murder, pleading guilty. After his release from prison where he was a model prisoner, he struggles with how to go on with his life, deal with his guilt, redeem his reputation, and find a way forward when so many doors will now be closed to him, a convicted felon.

Jill, Belinda’s mother, has found her next steps by forming an activist group against domestic abuse in their town, intimating that Belinda’s relationship with Stefan was abusive. Thea knows only a loving relationship between Stefan and Belinda who met when they were five-years-old and had been best friends ever since, which makes the murder even more puzzling. Jill has campaigned steadily the past three years against Stefan and could be the force behind some of the things happening to the family, including daily protestors, a stalker, and an ugly word painted on their garage door.

While Stefan struggles with his demons, Thea and her husband Jep must deal with the fallout. People are up in arms that this young man murdered his girlfriend and is home after time served in a five-year sentence. Thea and Jep have lived through some ugly episodes while Stefan was in prison, and now they must protect him as best they can as the situation heats up with his release.

Thea is still dealing with a worrisome caller who tells her she knows what happened the night in question as she was there. Thea tries to shrug her off as just another nutcase harassing the family, but this girl is persistent. Could she really have been there at Belinda’s when this terrible incident happened? What knowledge could she have that might help or hurt Stefan? What starts off as a story of love and redemption turns into a thriller as Thea is determined to find out what happened that night.

Jacquelyn Mitchard’s first novel, The Deep End of the Ocean, was made into a feature film produced by and starring Michelle Pfeiffer. Mitchard writes for both adult and young adult readers. The author, who grew up in Chicago, now lives in Wisconsin.

My review will be posted on Goodreads starting November 24, 2021.

I’d like to thank MIRA/Harper Collins and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in return for an objective review.