Bruce -
This book packs a tremendous emotional punch. It's much more than a murder mystery. It's a case study in human nature- how a family responds to life-shattering events. Andy Barber is an Asst DA whose 14-yr old son is charged in the murder of a classmate. The story is told through the voice of the father as he both pursues the truth and takes drastic, sometimes unethical, actions to protect his son. Both mother and father come to know their son in ways that alters the family dynamic. Are we as parents too close to our children, so blinded by love that we can't or refuse to see them as they truly are? As I read this novel, I could totally relate to Andy and could imagine that this story accurately depicts the hell that any family would go through in similar circumstances. It felt real. This is a beautifully written story that is less about "who dun it" than how we respond to life's cosmic shifts. It has been some time that I have endorsed a novel so enthusiastically.
