First published 2014
Jake Buckman struggles to connect with his sixteen-year-old son Ryan. Their relationship has grown strained, so when Pam suggests Jake pick up Ryan from the movie theater alone, he sees it as an opportunity. On the drive home through their suburban neighborhood, Ryan asks to take the wheel on an empty road. Jake agrees, hoping this moment might bring them closer together. What begins as a simple father-son bonding exercise transforms into catastrophe when tragedy strikes. With Ryan's future at stake, Jake faces an impossible choice in a matter of seconds. His decision launches both father and son into a web of deception and guilt that threatens to destroy their family. Jake and Ryan must now carry the weight of their shared secret while pretending nothing has changed. The lies pile up as they try to protect each other and themselves. Their secret grows more dangerous with each passing day, putting not only their relationship but their entire family at risk of complete destruction.
Genres: suspense, mystery, crime, contemporary, thriller, family-drama
Vibes: dark, emotional, fast-paced, intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: deception, secrets, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Suburban Neighborhood
Period: Contemporary
338 pages · Hardcover · St. Martin's Press